Somlo launches Catharsis Booking agency
Budapest-based music industry veteran Daniel Somlo has launched a new specialist operation to provide agency services for international acts looking to expand their activities in Central and Eastern European, and to help artists from that region to tour internationally.
Somlo, who has built a reputation as one of the region’s most reliable promoters, has named the new venture Catharsis Booking, and has already built a roster of six acts, including UK-based Daniel Avery, Max Cooper and Halina Rice.
“Effectively I am a sub-agent for those acts to help build their live careers in Central and Eastern Europe,” explains Somlo. “For other artists, I am the main agent and I represent them worldwide. But of course, my main network is still in this part of the world, so I think most of my bookings, at least in the first year or so, are going to be in this territory.”
Somlo is also one of the founders of BUSH – the Budapest Showcase Hub – which this year will take place 6-8 November. “I will remain head of music for BUSH, so I will still be the person who is programming it,” he says. “And since last year, I’ve also been working as a booker for this very big project called Inota Festival.”
“Being a promoter is not the most healthy lifestyle”
Somlo tells IQ that one of the driving reasons behind stepping into the agency world was to help with his mental health and well-being.
“Being a promoter is not the most healthy lifestyle: it’s pretty stressful a lot of times because you never know how your events are going to sell. Of course, it’s a beautiful job, and I’m happy to do it, but working for many years with agents and agencies helped me understand how they operate and it’s definitely less stressful, so I decided to take my skills and knowledge in a different direction.
“That also allows me to have a more direct cooperation with the artists themselves, which I really enjoy. Actually, that’s my other reason behind launching Catharsis, because lately, loads of artists have been reaching out to me to ask if I would manage them. I’m not sure I would ever go into management myself, but dealing with their bookings and the strategy behind their live careers is definitely something I can help with.”
Determined to build his new venture in a steady and organic fashion, Somlo says he is focussing on Q4 and beyond for his clients, although the hype between one of his acts – Slovak band Xces – has accelerated that timeline.
“I already had my first show for Xces, in Budapest, and most of the enquiries I’m getting at the moment are about them,” he states. “They are amazing and the hype behind them is just growing, so we’ve got another five or six shows already confirmed for the next couple of months, and the future for them looks great.
“But in general, I’m focusing mostly on shows in autumn and winter this year for my roster, and early next year. And while I’ve had a number of agents in the UK getting in touch to ask about sub-agent stuff, I don’t feel, currently, that I have capacity for more artists in the roster, so I’m putting all my energy into the acts I’m already representing. I’ll never say never, because there is so much great talent out there, but as we get Catharsis off the ground, the existing roster is my priority.”
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