Independent music company ATC Group has promoted Ric Salmon to the newly-created position of chief growth officer.

Salmon has worked with ATC for ten years, representing a wide range of artists, including Laura Marling, Glen Hansard, Trevor Horn, and Frank Carter. He is also co-founder of the BAFTA award-winning livestream business Driift, which is now part of the ATC Services business segment.

Prior to that, Salmon managed globally established artists including Seal and Morrissey through his management company Harvest Entertainment and held senior A&R roles at Sony Music, Ministry of Sound and Warner Music International, where he worked with artists as diverse as Eric Prydz, Rod Stewart, Beverley Knight, The Corrs, and Boyzone among others.

In his new position, Salmon will play a key role in ATC’s senior management team as the company continues to globally expand its full-service model by securing new acquisitions and partnerships. Last week, the firm announced the acquisition of two UK music venues, Brighton-based Concorde 2 and Volks.

“Ric’s deep understanding of the music industry and the needs of artists makes him the ideal person for this newly created role”

“Ric’s deep understanding of the music industry and the needs of artists makes him the ideal person for this newly created role. We look forward to seeing the immediate positive impact his appointment will undoubtedly have on the Group,” says Adam Driscoll, CEO, ATC Group.

Ric Salmon, chief growth officer, ATC Group, adds: “These are exciting times at ATC. We are building a new type of global music company, one with music management at its core, but with scope to capitalise on new technologies and market innovation, and provide a comprehensive range of services to help artists reach their creative and commercial potential. Among my responsibilities as Chief Growth Officer will be to continue to secure new acquisitions and partnerships that can expand this full-service model. I’m absolutely delighted to take up this new role, and to continue working with such a phenomenal team.”

London-headquartered ATC Group includes divisions in artist management (ATC Management) and live concert bookings (ATC Live), alongside other in-house services such as merchandising, livestreaming, synchronization and music promotion, brand partnerships, digital innovation, and live experiences.

Following an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in December 2021, ATC has made several strategic acquisitions, including direct-to-fan merchandising company Sandbag, live music promoter Joy Entertainment, and Raw Power Management, home to artists such as Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine, Jordan Adetunji, You Me At Six and Heartworms. As a result, ATC Group’s annual revenues grew by 107% in 2024.

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ATC Live has announced the appointment of agent Lucy Atkinson and the promotion of Alice Hogg to a newly created role.

Having started as an assistant at Earth Agency in 2015, Atkinson has built her reputation from the ground up, developing several globally influential acts.

Her 30-strong roster of artists includes Sega Bodega, Erika de Casier, Alice Glass, Debby Friday, Soo Joo and Ecco2k, all of whom will move with her to ATC.

ATC says it will also benefit from Atkinson’s “forward-thinking approach to talent development, encouraging her clients to break new ground beyond live performance”. She has helped broker several innovative brand campaigns, including Ecco2k with Bella Hadid for Marc Jacobs eyewear, Deijuvhs for Versace Jeans Couture, and a collaboration between sim0ne, ASOS and Mixmag at East London’s Colour Factory.

“We’re delighted to welcome Lucy and her artists to the company,” says ATC chief Alex Bruford. “Lucy shares our commitment to deliver the best possible results for artists while maintaining respect for all involved. She has developed an outstanding roster through her tenacious yet personable approach, and the entire team are all incredibly excited to work with her.”

Atkinson adds: “I am super excited to begin this new chapter with my roster at ATC Live. I am really energised by the environment and shared ethos, providing me a place where I can continue to work with groundbreaking artists.”

“I am really energised by the environment and shared ethos”

Meanwhile, former agent Hogg has been promoted to a newly created role as head of tour marketing.

The new department will maximise fan engagement, with tailored marketing strategies across pricing, ticketing and all promotional activities.

Hogg has 15 years of experience across all facets of the live music industry, from event production to talent booking. After stints at Live Nation and UTA, Hogg joined ATC in 2020 and developed a diverse roster of artists including Aaron Frazer, Black Pumas, Cassandra Jenkins, Durand Jones & The Indications, Joshua Idehen and Yuuf. Her roster will continue to be represented by ATC Live.

Commenting on Hogg’s “much deserved” promotion, Bruford says: “The decision to increase our resources around tour marketing is also significant and indicative of the growing range of services that ATC Live can offer our clients. With her wide ranging experience, Alice is the perfect candidate to launch the department and I am delighted we can help her progress in the next stage of her career.”

“In a digital age, tour marketing is one of the key components of a tour’s success”

Hogg comments: “I am thrilled to be stepping up to the position of head of tour marketing at ATC Live. In a digital age, tour marketing is one of the key components of a tour’s success and ensuring we have a proactive and tailored approach for our artists is absolutely paramount. I’m delighted to have found a position that supports our talented roster, and enables us to find even more creative ways to connect our artists with their fans.”

Founded in London in 2011, ATC Live is one of the world’s largest independent agencies, working with over 570 acts such as Amyl & The Sniffers, Adrianne Lenker, Big Thief, Black Country, New Road, Black Pumas, English Teacher, Faye Webster, Fontaines D.C., Good Neighbours, Jamie Webster, Jungle, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, Royel Otis, Squid, Sleaford Mods, The Lumineers and Yard Act.

ATC Live is part of the ATC Group of companies, alongside divisions in artist management and artist services including merchandising, e-commerce, live streaming, event promotion and experiences.

Alice Hogg will moderate the Tour Marketing: The Industry’s Secret Weapon at next week’s ILMC Futures Forum, while Alex Bruford will moderate Festival Focus: Survive & Thrive.

Tickets for ILMC Futures Forum are still available here.

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Kanye West is no longer represented by the Los Angeles-based talent agency 33 & West, a representative for the company has confirmed.

The dismissal comes after the rapper posted a stream of antisemitic abuse on social media, put T-shirts with a swastika on sale in his online shop, and was alleged to have described himself as Hitler to a Jewish employee.

On Monday (10 February), Daniel McCartney of 33 & West wrote in a statement that his working relationship with West was over, “effective immediately … due to his harmful and hateful remarks that myself nor 33 & West can stand for”.

Last week West, also known as Ye, wrote a barrage of antisemitic posts on X including, “I’m a Nazi … I love Hitler”. The swastika T-shirt was placed for sale on the website of his fashion brand Yeezy, with the product line “HH-01”, assumed to be code for “Heil Hitler”.

Shopify, the company that provided the online platform for Yeezy, has now taken the store offline, stating: “All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform. This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms.”

Daniel McCartney of 33 & West wrote in a statement that his working relationship with West was over

On Tuesday, a former staff member for West’s company – anonymised as Jane Doe – filed a lawsuit against him in Los Angeles superior court, alleging wrongful termination, and gender and religious discrimination.

The woman, who is Jewish, alleges a series of incidents between January and June 2024, including that he fired her after sending her a text message reading “Hail [sic] Hitler”.

Another alleged text message read: “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.” The woman’s lawyer, Carney Shegerian, described “a relentless and deliberate campaign of antisemitism and misogyny” from West. West has not commented on the lawsuit, nor the actions of Shopify and 33 & West.

These are not the first instances of antisemitic behaviour from the rapper. In 2022, West posted antisemitic slurs on social media and wore a shirt with a slogan associated with white supremacists.

The music and fashion industries subsequently cut ties with him, with UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer and Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel encouraging the boycott of West.

CAA, which had represented West for touring since 2016, dropped the rapper from its roster that week.

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All Things Considered (ATC) Group is mulling a switch to the London Stock Exchange after more than doubling its revenue in 2024.

The multi-faceted agency and artist management firm projects FY24 earnings to have reached £50 million (€60m), well up from £24.1m in the previous 12 months. The 2023 figure itself represented a year-on-year increase of 156%, fuelled by the “transformative” acquisition of merchandise company Sandbag that July.

Its adjusted operating EBITDA of £1.5m in 2024 also compares favourably to a £460,000 loss the previous year.

London-headquartered ATC, whose portfolio also includes livestreaming business Driift, listed on the Aquis Growth Market in London in December 2021 after raising £4.15m in its initial public offering (IPO). Its share price currently sits at 102.50p, giving the firm a market cap of £16.96m.

Agency arm ATC Live recorded a “substantial year of growth as a result of robust live touring activity and reflecting strong consumer demand for live events”, according to the group’s FY24 trading and corporate update. Its roster includes the likes of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Fontaines D.C., Amyl and the Sniffers, Royel Otis, Ride, Lottery Winners and Jamie Webster.

“In light of the growth of the group and increasing opportunities available, as well as in response to existing and potential shareholders’ requests to improve share liquidity, the board of ATC is considering moving the public quotation for trading in its shares to a market operated by the London Stock Exchange to support this,” reads the update. “Consideration is at an early stage and further updates will be provided as appropriate.”

“We have entered the new year with the building blocks in place and the scale to capitalise on a growing market opportunity”

Last year, ATC Management announced a majority investment in Raw Power Management, whose clients include Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine, The Mars Volta, Don Broco and The Damned, bringing two of the UK’s leading artist management companies together under one roof. It also acquired a 50% stake in McKeown Asset Management, now called Joy Entertainment Group.

The report notes that ATC “continues to evaluate complementary acquisitions in line with its disciplined approach focused on adding new tangential services within the music value chain and/or bringing new artists to the client base”.

“This has been a year of material advancement for the group, in line with our vision of building a full-service music business that delivers for artists across the music industry value chain,” concludes ATC CEO Adam Driscoll. “We are delighted to report an excellent trading performance for FY24, including the doubling of revenue from FY23 and the delivery of a meaningful uplift in adjusted operating EBITDA.

“Our strategy of building an integrated offering to artists is working, with a value proposition tailored to the unique needs of creators’ businesses and which facilitates direct engagement between artists and fans.

“We have entered the new year with the building blocks in place and the scale to capitalise on a growing market opportunity. With a robust financial position, growing profitability and strong pipeline of visible activity, the board is confident of delivering continued growth in the year ahead.”

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Wasserman Music’s Alex Hardee delivered a keynote interview at this week’s ESNS, sharing his insights on global deals, talent development, the agency landscape and more.

Moderated by IQ‘s Lisa Henderson, Inside The Mind of a Special Agent: Alex Hardee also saw the agent look back on his 33-year career, from his beginnings in the comedy business to founding Coda and heading up Wasserman Music in London.

With a roster including Liam Gallagher, Louis Tomlinson, Grace Jones, Cat Burns and Rag’n’Bone Man, Hardee has become one of the most renowned agents in the international live music business.

Here, IQ shares five of the best insights from Inside The Mind of a Special Agent.

Losing acts…
Alex Hardee: You learn a lot more from being sacked than you do from having success. Mistake is just another word for experience. I don’t lose that many acts anymore but I remember that at one point Calvin Harris was the biggest artist in our company and was doing really well and I got sacked. I thought ‘I’m just going to call a company meeting and tell everyone straight away’ and I did. I talked them through the reasons why I got sacked, and one of them was that I didn’t do a good enough job. You need to learn from mistakes and talk about things. If you get pent up about stuff then that’s gonna affect you mentally.

“Big wars are going on between us and the other [major] agencies”

The agency landscape…
AH: I would not want to start up an agency today, it would be impossible to compete with the four or five big agencies. Ninety per cent of signing a new act is about the roster you’ve got so it’s just too hard to start now. There are four massive companies that have 90% of all the acts.

Now, big wars are going on between us and the other [major] agencies. Recently we lost Billie Eilish, but we just took three agents from WME. But that’s part of the business. We don’t have contracts, you could get fired any day.

In the next two to three years, I think the agency landscape will stay pretty much the same; WME, CAA, UTA and Wasserman dominating. I don’t know how independent agencies can survive. It’s hard to retain an A-list act without American partners. I don’t know whether they become cottage industries.

Talent discovery…
AH: It’s very hard to spot where new talent is going to come from now. It used to be an easy thing. We used to have great relationships with the gatekeepers but there aren’t any gatekeepers now because the world’s a massive democracy. No one can do much to influence anything.

It’s a lottery system now. You have to follow the numbers now and listen to the music but be wary that artists can be doing millions of views on TikTok and not sell a ticket. It’s not an exact science. So I’ve gone back to the old ways – seeing if people have star value or not because you can always spot it. So you have to go and meet them and see them perform.

At Wasserman, we’re very into tech and we’ve produced our own CRM [for artists] which I’d say is the best out there. If you want to look at [signing] an act, you have to put it on there and everyone can weigh in. I’m now building model two, which is going to have AI in it.

“I don’t think global deals will remove the need for an agent”

Global touring deals…
AH: Global deals were becoming very common last year – phenomenal amounts of money were being given away. They have their place when your artist needs a big amount of money in advance for something – and you can’t argue with them if they want £5 million upfront. These deals also sometimes work for new acts that are hot when they need a lump sum of money because the record labels aren’t giving it so forthcoming. But crossing every country in the world is not really an advantage and one promoter isn’t always the best promoter in every country in the world.

I’ve done global deals, I will do global deals, but I’m not ever pushing for them because usually, it’s best to have a mixture of promoters that you can lean on for different things. I don’t think these deals will remove the need for an agent. You’re still the agent, you still get commission and the promoter isn’t trying to cut you out – though management might.

Industry challenges for 2025…
AH: Festivals are in for a very tough time. It’s hard for them to get top-tier talent now because they don’t pay the most money. They used to pay more money than you could get for a headline tour. But now, with the platinum ticking, flexing, whatever, you can make a lot more money touring. You almost have to be a stadium act to headline an A-list festival but a stadium act now makes more money at the stadiums than they do at the festivals so there’s a talent drain. Festivals don’t get the Taylor Swifts or the Beyoncés. These guys want their own controlled environment.

ESNS, the annual music showcase festival and conference, returned to Groningen, in the Netherlands, between 15–18 January 2025.

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Accidentally falling into the agency world, Maria May has helped to define the parameters of dance music over the past 30 years.

In part two of our in-depth look at May’s 30 years as an agent, IQ looks at the highlights, lowlights, and future of the CAA agent. Find part one here.

Team Disco
While there were early suggestions that May’s department at CAA be named “EDM,” she insisted on the “Team Disco” moniker that she and assistant Gina Gorman had adopted at ITB. “In London, there are 11 of us, while in America, we’re up to around the same number including agents and assistants – it’s no longer a niche business; it’s huge! But there’s still lots of room for this business to grow. The scenes are constantly evolving with new talent and new genres coming through.”

Looking back to the original Team Disco at ITB, May was one of the pioneers in cementing Ibiza’s place at the centre of the electronic music business. “I was part of the first residencies in Ibiza, thanks to Danny Whittle who wanted to do a residency at Pacha with Paul [Oakenfold]. He told me that if it worked, he also wanted to do it with Death Mix – David Morales, Frankie, Satoshi Tomiie, and all of those guys, and obviously I repped all of those people. The Paul Oakenfold residency was massively successful, and the rest is history.

“Being part of that and setting the building blocks is something I’m pretty proud of, even though we were just doing stuff instinctively. We didn’t really know whether it was gonna work half the time, but it did, so well done us,” she laughs.

Again, she names Judy Weinstein as one of the architects behind the strategy that propelled dance music to a global phenomenon. “It’s a partnership, and the managers who understand that are the best people to work with,” states May. “But I also represent a lot of artists that don’t have managers, so I work with them directly.”

Drawing comparisons to the worlds of rock and pop, she notes, “A DJ schedule is 365 days a year if you want it to be. It’s not built on a model where an album comes out and you’re touring and then you have a year off. I do a lot of live acts as well – Black Eyed Peas has been a fantastic relationship for me, because their management, Polo Molina and Seth Friedman, always trusted me with access to their diaries. I never imagined that I could be their agent, but Rob Light signed them to CAA, and then phoned me to ask if I wanted to be the Black Eyed Peas agent. I just love things that end up being beautiful happy accidents.”

“Suddenly I was working with this guy that I knew from my local area who turned into a massive act”

Losing Talent
Of course, for every happy accident there’s a flip side, and May admits that losing clients can be tough. “I was sad to lose Soulwax and 2manydjs – that was probably the biggest loss of my career, and of course they went to David Levy. That was a wake-up call because I realised that while David is my friend, he’s also my rival. We got through it, but I didn’t handle it very well in the beginning. It happened as soon as I started at CAA, and I’ll always remember going to see Emma Banks, and she was really clear, telling me that CAA didn’t employ me for my acts; they employed me because they believed in me.”

Indeed, May highlights the support her bosses and colleagues provided during some of her darkest moments. “About six years ago, my dad got very ill, and the company allowed me to do whatever I needed to do, so I made the job work around being a single parent with two kids and a dying dad,” she recalls. “And then six months after Dad died, my mom was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and needed round-the-clock nursing. It was a horrible time, but Emma and Mike and everyone at CAA were amazing.”

Career Highlights
Thankfully, the good times vastly outnumber the bad, and May has had some spectacular highlights in her career to date.

“David Guetta at Masada in Israel – I was the first person to do it with a major artist,” she says of her most memorable shows. “I also did Paul Oakenfold on the Great Wall of China before anyone had ever done it. Róisín Murphy at sunset on West Holts at Glastonbury is always fucking amazing – Róisín is one of my favourite partnerships. I’ve loved every second of being her agent, and I genuinely can’t wait for her next record.”

May also cites X-Press 2 as a standout client. “My relationship with their manager, Chris Butler (currently the manager of Jalen Ngonda also repped by CAA), is fantastic. He gave me my first band, Red Snapper, and when I’d been their agent for about a year, we sold out the Astoria, and I just remember being so proud. So, when X-Press 2 blew up, it was just brilliant, as I’d known [DJ] Rocky from growing up, and suddenly I was working with this guy that I knew from my local area who turned into a massive act.”

“Being able to make stuff like that happen that has a legacy is just the cherry on the cake”

She also talks fondly of American talent David Morales and the late Frankie Knuckles. “They taught me all about the New York club scene, and I’d go there every other month. It’s the privilege of a lifetime to know those guys – the originators of house music – and bring them to Europe. Frankie was an enduring friendship that I really am very grateful for. He was an amazing man, and I loved him, so it was really hard when he died.”

May’s association with the godfather of house music continues to this day, through her work as a board member of the Frankie Knuckles Foundation, and she recalls ways in which their relationship helped elevate one act to iconic status.

“I repped Hercules and Love Affair for a long time, and he brought this collection of music to me that included a track called Blind, and his biggest wish was for Frankie to work on remixes. So, I asked Frankie if he would do it, and he was a bit non-committal, so I kept nagging him, and in the end, he said he’d do it for me. And Frankie’s Blind remix is one of the club-defining tracks, even now. So being able to make stuff like that happen that has a legacy, is just the cherry on the cake.”

The Darling Buds of May
While May’s life ultimately revolves around her children, her devotion to her clients’ careers, and the growth of electronic music, means her workaholic approach is more of a vocation than a job. “I’m hugely proud of my two kids,” she states. “They are my greatest achievement.”

Within Team Disco, May works closely with colleague Jen Hammel in CAA’s London office. “We’re a bit of a dynamic duo,” she comments. “[Jen’s] proved to be a formidable agent. She’s just killing it, and I love working with her.”

The Future
With 30 years under her belt, May’s love for her craft shows no sign of waning, and she remains committed to helping guide the careers of a new generation of talent amidst an ever-accelerating pace of evolution in the dance sector.

“Due to TikTok and streaming, we’re starting to see genres changing really quickly,” she observes. “Being able to create longevity is definitely becoming more challenging, and it’s up to us agents to help our clients achieve prolonged careers, if that’s their goal.

“I prefer taking my time, underplaying, believing in the artist long-term, and building a fanbase that will stick by them”

“But at the moment, there seems to be a desire for people to just rinse the shit out of things. It’s almost like pop, and a lot of people are spending an awful lot of money on social media in order to maintain their careers, because there’s a lot of stuff that comes along that’s super hot, super firing, and doing massive numbers. But by the second summer, the kids have moved on.

“I also find that the leverage-on-leverage-on-leverage model, which was really strong in the dance music scene for many years, may be on the way out. For example, people who hit 25m streams would leverage that number, then they’d leverage on the leverage. I’ve never really bought into that. I prefer taking my time, underplaying, believing in the artist long-term, and building a fanbase that will stick by them. There’s definitely a style here within Team Disco (and at CAA in general), where we try our best to sign career artists, because we want to be part of that journey.”

Predicting both short-term and long-term growth for dance music, she tells IQ, “It’s interesting, China is definitely coming back strong again for electronic, and Southeast Asia seems to be really pumping again, post-Covid. Holland is doing extremely well in terms of certain sounds, certain scenes – and there are really strong ticket sales.”

“Our job (as agents) now is to slow time down and take more care”

Breaking new markets is also on May’s radar – an ambition that she believes is easier given the genre her clients occupy. “If you are a DJ, and it’s just you and a tour manager when you start out, you can go anywhere. And you have no costs, really, because the promoter pays for your flights. You can go anywhere you want, and we send people into new territories all the time. And the artists that come to you saying, ‘I just want to tour these markets and build my career,’ they’re the keepers. They’re the ones that put the graft in.”

Naming new clients such as Marlon Hoffstadt, Malugi, Jammer with Más Tiempo (a label/events brand owned by Jammer and Skepta), and Arcadia (Glastonbury structure and field), May concludes that the electronic sector is facing a bright future as dance music has established itself as a mainstay across most major festivals with more and more headliners coming from Team Disco’s roster.

“Our job (as agents) now is to slow time down and take more care, be totally confident in our artists, and help build long-term artist careers based on real ticket sales and exceptional experiences for the artist and the audiences,” she concludes.

“We need to achieve that in the most authentic and fan-led way possible – guardian angel-like – while having the experience, the knowledge, and the confidence in how to do that. I am lucky to be at CAA and to be surrounded by other people doing exactly that every single day.”

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WME has promoted 15 individuals to agent across multiple departments and offices.

The newly minted agents in the music department include Lauren Cunningham, who works in the country genre out of Nashville. Cunningham started at the agency as an assistant in 2019 and rejoined in 2021 as an agent trainee.

Yolande Poitras and Jake Wilk, two contemporary music-focused executives working in the Beverly Hills office, have also been promoted to agent.

Poitras has spent over five years in the California office, first as an agent trainee and then as a music agent assistant. She previously worked as an intern at C3 Presents.

WME global co-head of music Kirk Sommer recently gave IQ his verdict on the touring business in 2024

Wilk has been at the agency since 2019, working in a variety of roles including music central floater, agent assistant and agent trainee.

Ella Fox has a similar journey, starting in WME’s Los Angeles office in 2021 and working her way up through music central floater, music agent assistant, music central trainer and agent trainee. The newly minted agent will now be based out of New York City.

In London, Matt Fayers and Crosby Stewart have risen in the ranks to agent. The pair also came up through the agent trainee programme after beginning at WME as assistants – Fayer in 2018 and Stewart in 2021.

WME global co-head of music Kirk Sommer recently gave IQ his verdict on the touring business in 2024 – and predicted his top trends for next year. Read more here.

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GLP founder Georg Leitner has announced he is stepping down as CEO as part of a shake-up at the Austrian booking agency.

The longstanding ILMC member will be succeeded as chief executive by Harald Buechel from 1 January 2025, but will remain as shareholder and chair of the company.

“Before joining GLP more than 10 years ago, Harald served as CEO of BMG Austria and, with his wealth of experience both from the label as well as the live side, Harald has the best prerequisites to guide the company into the next years,” says Leitner in a statement to IQ.

Launched in Vienna in 1979, GLP (Georg Leitner Productions) acts as an international artist agency, promoter and management firm, and has overseen tours by artists such as James Brown, Ray Charles, The Jacksons, 50 Cent and UB40.

“By Harald taking charge of the GLP operations, I will be able to focus on laying the groundwork for GLP to enter into new areas,” says Leitner.

“We are looking forward to further develop and grow GLP for the years to come”

GLP has also enlisted experienced EDM agent Lina Kotzian from Titan Management to expand its DJ/EDM roster, as well as integrating her networks GLP’s existing infrastructure for crossover opportunities.

In addition, it has launched a new division, GLP Exclusive, helmed by VIP event expert Eva Lex-Huszar, as a one-stop shop delivering turn-key artist solutions for event organisers, wedding planners, corporate marketing and more.

Elsewhere, GLP’s youngest agent, Lenny Mayer-Mallenau, is tasked with focusing on K-pop, and is preparing K-Pop & Beyond, the ultimate K-Pop Experience European tour set for November 2025.

“With [agent/office manage] Anna Kallina and Harald Buechel and the amazing team at GLP, we are looking forward to further develop and grow GLP for the years to come,” adds Leitner.

A market report on Austria will feature in the next issue of IQ Magazine, which comes out later this month.

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UTA agents Tom Jones and Max Lee have opened up on the strategy that helped Kenya Grace rule the European festival scene this summer.

IQ collaborated with music biz directory and data platform ROSTR to analyse the 2024 lineups of 50 top European festivals, highlighting several key trends in terms of genre, age, headliners and longevity. The data also uncovered which agencies booked the most acts during the season, as well as which artists appeared on the most lineups.

Electronic/alt pop artist Grace came out on top in the latter category – starring on 11 bills – one ahead of both Nothing But Thieves and Royal Blood.

“I knew we’d booked a lot of festivals for her and that she’d had a huge, impactful debut year, but for it to be recognised tangibly like that is crazy,” Jones tells IQ.

Of the 50 festivals analysed, Grace appeared at Glastonbury (UK), Reading & Leeds (UK), Mad Cool (Spain), NOS Alive (Portugal), Exit (Serbia), Superbloom (Germany), Lollapalooza Berlin (Germany), Way Out West (Sweden), Flow (Finland), Frequency (Austria) and Electric Castle (Romania).

“The type of festivals that she was playing was massively important”

“The type of festivals that she was playing was massively important,” stresses Lee. “We didn’t want to pigeonhole her, so we targeted a broad spectrum: from more electronic-leaning, ‘cooler’ festivals, through to the mainstream pop tier.”

“We wanted to set real underground targets for her,” elaborates Jones. “Particularly for an electronic music artist, it’s important to demonstrate the culture you come from and where this music is coming from. So we played Melt Festival in Berlin and the Land of Saints stage at Boardmasters, as well as Reading & Leeds and Glastonbury.”

South African-born British singer-songwriter and producer Grace landed an international smash in 2023 with her UK #1 single Strangers, which has been streamed more than 900 million times on Spotify. She has also built a large TikTok following, amassing 15.3m likes.

Her rise on the touring circuit has been similarly meteoric, having only made her live debut proper in October last year.

“The first ever show that we did was a friends and family event at the Lower Third in September 2023, just to get her used to playing in front of an audience, because she’d only played in her bedroom on TikTok before that,” explains Jones. “That was the first seed that we planted for her in London, but it quickly became apparent we’d want to do a ticketed show pretty quickly, so we put a post up on her Instagram to start building a database. She literally just put up a couple of stories saying, ‘I’m thinking of doing a show in London, sign up here to be the first to find out.’

“We decided that we wanted to do it at Corsica Studios, coupled with the fact that we wanted to connect with the underground and lay the foundations for her as an electronic artist, rather than going straight into the pop vein. We were able to sell it out and livestreamed it on TikTok with help from her label.”

“She was a key act that could sit on a multitude of festival stages”

Handily, Grace’s chart success with Strangers coincided with the 2023 International Festival Forum (IFF) in London.

“A lot of her business was done from IFF,” remembers Lee. “Having all of those people in town for meetings at a time when the artist was #1 was incredible. We were in a blessed position.”

“She was one of the hottest new artists on the scene and I guess, because of the way we presented her, she was a key act that could sit on a multitude of festival stages,” suggests Jones. “Whether it was playing on Nos Alive and Mad Cool with Dua Lipa and then being able to do Melt Festival with Overmono and Horsegiirl, or Montreux Jazz, just really reputable, amazing festivals across the board.”

Jones compliments Grace’s knack for marketing herself across her social media channels.

“Kenya is a completely unique artist,” he adds. “She writes, produces and sings all her own music – there’s no external help – and what she has done on TikTok is very captivating. It showed she was as an artist and a performer, even before people had the chance to see her live.”

“For Kenya to the be most booked festival artist is super-reflective of her story as an artist so far,” reflects Lee. “Going from her bedroom to #1 is totally in keeping with that and it’s amazing for her. To do that in her first major year of touring is incredible. We’re super-happy.”

“The UTA ethos is to build teams of agents around acts that can use their individual expertise to further the progression of the act”

What’s more, Lee believes the dual agent strategy offers an endorsement of the company’s collaborative approach.

“The UTA ethos is to build teams of agents around acts that can use their individual expertise to further the progression of the act,” he notes. “This can be seen with Tom’s focus mainly on electronic and my focus mainly in the live space. This combination has been imperative for Kenya’s growth in multiple lanes.

“Kenya has got an incredible team around her. Beyond UTA, [management] Nick Huggett, Nick Shymansky and Sarah Charbonnel have been instrumental in providing the expertise and tools to support Kenya’s development as an artist.”

UTA books Grace worldwide, with Jones and Lee working in harmony with the singer’s North American representatives Scott Schreiber and Samantha Kirby Yoh. The agency’s music brand partnerships team have secured further opportunities for the 26-year-old.

“Off the back of an incredibly busy first summer festival season, we connected Kenya with Rimmel London who signed her as a new Collective ambassador in September,” Anna Gregorek, UTA’s senior director, music brand partnerships, tells IQ. “Rimmel London joined Kenya on the road for a ‘behind the scenes’ digital campaign, promoting the collection as her staple ride-or-die product essentials.

“Earlier in the year she also worked with the brand to produce Get Ready With Me social content ahead of the BRIT Awards, coinciding with Kenya’s nomination for Song of the Year. Thanks to the tight-knit collaboration between UTA’s live and brand teams, we’re able to unlock opportunities like these, not only for established names but also to support the career trajectory of rising stars like Kenya.”

“She’s got some new music coming, which we’ll build some hard ticket touring around”

As for what comes next, festivals will again form a significant part of Grace’s live slate.

“She’s got some new music coming, which we’ll build some hard ticket touring around, and then we’re aiming to do a few key festivals that we didn’t hit in 2024,” shares Jones. “She’s done a lot of touring and we really want to let the music breathe, so we just want to hit some key city touring around her next single, and then some key festival targets.”

“Some new markets as well, places that she connected with as an artist, but hasn’t had the opportunity to go to,” concludes Lee. “The love for her was so far and wide, it was near impossible for us to go to every market in ’24.

Subscribers can read the full ROSTR analysis in issue 130 of IQ Magazine.

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To celebrate the hard work of the numerous independent operators that make the live entertainment industry such a vibrant – and growing – business worldwide, IQ is publishing its inaugural Indie Champions list.

Our shortlist of 20 companies were chosen by the IQ readership and have headquarters across 11 different nations but service live events the world over, thanks to their various satellite offices and the artists and partners they work with.

The Indie Champions will become an annual staple of IQ, so if your company did not make it onto this year’s debut list, fear not, as you have a full ten months to prove your credentials to friends, colleagues, and business partners ahead of next year’s nomination process.

IQ will continue to publish entries across all categories over the coming days, and you can find the whole cohort in the latest edition of IQ here.

Find part one here, part two here, and part three here.

One Fiinix Live (UK)
The coronavirus pandemic was the driver behind Jon Ollier creating agency One Fiinix Live. The company launched in November 2020, and for the first few months, its sole employees were Ollier and Emma Davis, before Jess Kinn joined the firm.

“I think our point of difference is in our philosophy of inclusivity,” says Ollier. “We offer clients a genuine and demonstrably safe place for them to stand and for their creativity to flourish.” The company has since opened a US office, allowing it to offer a global service to clients. It has also launched management and digital marketing offshoot One Fiinix North, which Ollier describes as an attempt to take a little bit of responsibility for both breaking artists and developing talent.

The company’s payroll now includes 18 staff, and this year, the company’s roster of acts has racked up 1,600 shows, across all levels of the business – clubs, theatres, arenas, stadiums, and festivals.

Looking to next year, 1.5m tickets were snapped up for Sheeran’s European tour within the first two weeks of on-sale

Boasting Ed Sheeran as a client, One Fiinix took his world tour across Asia and Eastern Europe this year, as well as headlining both the Portugal and Brazil legs of Rock in Rio. In the UK, Hauser played at the Royal Albert Hall, while Ed Sheeran support act Calum Scott sold out Hammersmith Apollo.

Looking to next year, 1.5m tickets were snapped up for Sheeran’s European tour within the first two weeks of on-sale; Jess Kinn is working on Olly Alexander’s new project; and on the development side, the agency is working with exciting new talent including Tash Sultana, Allie Sherlock, Finn Forster, and Joel Sunny.

Primary Talent International (UK)
Celebrating its 34th year in the agency business, Primary Talent International boasts an eclectic roster of over 450 clients spanning all genres. Notable clients include The Cure, The 1975, Noel Gallagher, Justice, Kings of Leon, Dropkick Murphys, Mitski, Wolf Alice, Rina Sawayama, Patti Smith, and Pet Shop Boys. In 2024, the Primary team booked 3,500 shows around the world.

Primary Talent’s staff specialise in supporting their clients to help them build long-lasting careers by catering to their individual needs and have a long history of building artists from clubs to festival headline level. The company has an impressive track record in developing the careers of emerging artists to bring them to commercial success.

In March 2023, Primary announced the company’s decoupling from CAA following CAA’s acquisition of ICM

For example, 2024 saw Belfast rap group KNEECAP play their first European summer festival season, appearing at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Rock Werchter, Down The Rabbit Hole, Roskilde, Super Bock Super Rock, and others, as well as selling out five nights at Vicar Street in Dublin and their entire November UK tour.

In March 2023, Primary announced the company’s decoupling from CAA following CAA’s acquisition of ICM, Primary’s former parent company. Primary re-established its independent status with a buy-out led by COO Rick Levy and CEO and managing partner Matt Bates. Primary’s renewed independence also saw the company introduce a new management structure, with partners Simon Clarkson, Laetitia Descouens, Sally Dunstone, Martje Kremers, Pete Nash, and Ed Sellers.

Runway Artists (UK)
Having been made redundant by ATC Live early on in the pandemic, Matt Hanner persuaded a handful of his clients to take a punt on him going solo. “It probably helped that the prospects of touring any time soon were rapidly disappearing over the horizon, so perhaps they didn’t think it mattered all that much who their agent was,” Hanner tells IQ.

“I think I earned £500 in my first year of trading and had to pick up some lecturing work to tide me over, but Steve [Backman] and I began talking, and in April ’21, we made it official. That to me is when Runway really began.”

Runway is a booking agency that has also dabbled in running a showcase and a conference. “We want to try and bring value to our artists and the independent ecosystem we’re a part of,” explains Hanner. The roster of 120+ acts includes British singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, who has a new album on the way, and Welsh rockers Punk Rock Factory, plus upcoming artists like Welsh band Melin Melyn, hyper-pop artist Babymorocco, and Australian country artist Fanny Lumsden.

Runway Artists employees have contracted more than 1,500 shows this year – 25% more than 2023

Having celebrated its third birthday earlier this year, Runway now employs 11 people full-time, part-time, and freelance, who have contracted more than 1,500 shows this year – 25% more than 2023.

“We generally use a freelance model as a way to engage with those who we believe have the potential to be great agents but don’t yet have a roster and need a framework and support to begin learning the trade properly,” notes Hanner. “Our investment in talent in that way is pretty unique: we’re very open to new voices and want to bring in talent to the team and be proactive in their development.”

Toutpartout (BE)
Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, Toutpartout began life in the bedroom of Steve Thomassen when he was in his final year of a visual arts degree at university, with his mother acting as his secretary.

As part of his degree, Thomassen undertook a traineeship as a production assistant at a television company, and on his first day, one of the acts had cancelled, allowing him to impress his new bosses by bringing in a band that included his friends. That opened the door to his involvement in music, first managing acts, before doing PR in Belgium for labels such as Sub Pop, Method, and Secret Canadian, while progressing his career in broadcasting as a freelance TV director.

In 2023, the company was involved in around 950 shows, while this year that number will be closer to 1,075

These days, Toutpartout is a European agent for a roster of international acts, promoting shows in Belgium and the Netherlands, while Thomassen also runs a small record label and a home-based record store. In 2023, the company was involved in around 950 shows, while this year that number will be closer to 1,075.

While Toutpartout is renowned for its Autumn Falls Festival, which runs across Belgium from September to December, staff are currently counting down to the company’s 30th birthday concert series in Gent’s Club Wintercircus and De Vooruit. Acts confirmed for those shows include DIIV and Jessica Pratt from the US; CHVE, Psychonaut, Briqueville, Takh, Cobra The Impaler, Endlingr, and Ronker from Belgium; the UK’s Joe Gideon and King Hannah; Australia’s Jess Ribeiro; and Tuareg songwriter Mdou Moctar.

Untitled Group (AU)
Identifying a gap in the market, music entrepreneurs Michael Christidis, Christian Serrao, Filippo Palermo, and Nicholas Greco self-funded the first Beyond The Valley festival in 2014. As they added more festival brands and a touring division, they recognised the need to consolidate their businesses, leading to the creation of Untitled Group, which with 70 staff, now claims to be Australia’s largest independently owned music and events company.

Untitled’s festival portfolio includes Beyond The Valley, Pitch Music & Arts, Wildlands, and Ability Fest. It specialises in curating unique experiences, from large-scale festivals to intimate day parties in unconventional venues.

“We work closely with both domestic and international acts, fostering long-term relationships to grow their presence in the region”

“Our services encompass end-to-end project management for artist tours, ensuring each performance reflects the artist’s vision,” says Christidis. “We work closely with both domestic and international acts, fostering long-term relationships to grow their presence in the region.”

The company’s operations include its Proxy talent agency, artist management, marketing agency Underscore, and even a sustainable vodka brand called UGLY that is made from apples that otherwise would have been discarded for landfill.

Untitled sells over 500,000 tickets per year and has worked with artists such as Dom Dolla, Christina Aguilera, Zach Bryan, Kesha, Marlon Hoffstadt, I Hate Models, Rüfüs Du Sol, Kaytranada, Black Coffee, Patrick Topping, DJ Boring, Ice Spice, Fisher, Solomun, Chase & Status, Nelly Furtado, Ben Böhmer, Lithe, STÜM, Patrick Mason, Nothing But Thieves, Overmono, Romy, Jayda G, Honey Dijon, Peggy Gou, Central Cee, and DJ Heartstring.

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