The 2020-21 period is best forgotten for most, but one of the more positive legacies of the pandemic years for the touring community was the emergence of a wave of new independent booking agencies.

Whether by choice or necessity, the UK gained the likes of Mother Artists, One Fiinix Live, Route One Booking, Marshall Live Agency, Runway Artists and Playbook Artists; the US welcomed Arrival Artists, Mint Talent Group, TBA Agency and Paladin Artists; and the Spanish agency landscape expanded with Rebel Beat Agency.

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the Covid-enforced live music shutdown, almost all are still in operation – at odds with the broader market’s shift towards consolidation – providing an opportune juncture for IQ to take stock with a selection of the indie nation’s key players.

Among the most high-profile new entrants on the scene was One Fiinix Live. Founded by Ed Sheeran agent Jon Ollier in 2020 after nearly six years with CAA, the firm’s acts also include 2Cellos, Calum Scott, Picture This, Black Stone Cherry and Tash Sultana.

Ollier declares himself more than satisfied with its work to date.

“We’re achieving everything that we set out to achieve,” he reports. “I didn’t have a particularly grandiose vision when I started out because I didn’t know whether we were going to be in it for the long haul or whether I was just going to do something for a short period of time to see us through the pandemic before going back into another company.”

“Hopefully the few of us that have set up have been able to show big artists that the service is just as good as other agencies”

One Fiinix expanded its horizons last year with the hirings of US-based agents John Pantle and Bex Wedlake.

“Culturally it is how I envisaged it,” says Ollier. “We have a group of people that pull each other through and fight for each other.”

Natasha Gregory departed Paradigm (now Wasserman Music) in late 2020 to launch Mother Artists with her brother Mark Bent. The award-winning company’s roster includes acts such as IDLES, Amy Macdonald, The Teskey Brothers, CMAT, Ry X, Blair Davie and Foster the People.

“Maybe there are more options outside of the big corporates now, and hopefully the few of us that have set up have been able to show big artists that the service is just as good as other agencies,” muses Gregory. “You need to deliver a good service for your artist and that can be very difficult when you have 80 acts on the roster. I find it easier when it’s a smaller team, but there’s space for everyone.”

Nevertheless, Gregory plays down the impact of the proliferation of indies on the wider agency business.

“I’m not sure it’s changed the industry; I’m not sure the industry will ever change,” she tells IQ. “I don’t begrudge or look negatively at how any agency runs, no matter what size. The way I look at it is that there is a place for every person that suits themselves, their character, their needs, their meaning of success and their ambition. And then there are artists that fit into a service that they like in terms of how they want to be looked after and what’s important to them.”

“What the pandemic kicked into gear was the proliferation of indies at the bottom end”

Elsewhere, Runway Artists was set up in the spring of 2020 by former ATC Live agent Matt Hanner, who brought in ex-Primary Talent International veteran Steve Backman the following year.

“One of our big aims was to avoid becoming a small boutique that was largely irrelevant – especially being over in Portsmouth – and that was part of the reason we promptly set up a London office,” remembers Hanner. “We were both coming from established, bigger agencies and were used to operating at that level. The big were getting bigger; the consolidation at the top end of the market was happening, and what the pandemic kicked into gear was the proliferation of indies at the bottom end.”

Other early Runway hires included emerging executives Amy Greig and Dotun Bolaji (now at Primary). Its current artist roster includes …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, A Certain Ratio, Gabriella Cilmi, Future Teens, The Boo Radleys, The Mission, The Wytches and Red Snapper.

“We’ve grown the company, we’ve grown our personnel and we’ve identified younger professional talent who were either a little rough around the edges or had no real experience of the industry,” adds Hanner. “As a result, I think we have kept a seat at the table. We’re up against the ATCs or CAAs of the world when we go in for pitches and I’m not saying we’re winning a lot of them, but that’s the pool we want to be fishing in.

“We’ve also done it within the context of not having any big artists,” he continues. “We’re working a lot with grassroots and developing artists and we have a selection of heritage artists, but nothing huge and so we’re having to cut our cloth accordingly. But we’ve kept going, we’ve kept growing and I think Runway is now a company that people have really heard of which – given the explosion of agencies, especially on the independent side over the last few years – is something to be celebrated.”

“I don’t think you need an international partner to do a good job on an act”

On the subject of overseas partners, Hanner acknowledges the benefits but disputes the assertion they are now essential in the modern agency game.

“I don’t think you need an international partner to do a good job on an act,” he argues. “We represent artists where – even in Europe – we might share them with a Scandinavian agent, for example. We work alongside them and can do a good job for the artist together.

“I think the problem is that it’s a stick to beat people with when you haven’t got an international partner and other people come looking for your artist – the talk of synergies and shared calendars and that sort of thing. And invariably, this is coming from a company that also has a literary department and a screenwriter department and various other things they can dangle in front of you.

“I don’t think it’s the be-all and end-all, but if you can pitch internationally then I think it can serve you well in terms of the competition for signing and keeping artists. I appreciate, from a manager’s point of view, why a global pitch would be a sealer.”

Marshall, the British music company best known for its guitar amplifiers and speaker cabinets, launched Marshall Live Agency in 2020, helmed by agent Stuart Vallans. Vallans, who represents names like The Meffs, Heavy Lungs, Split Dogs, Pleasureinc, Cucamaras and Carsick, founded boutique agency TRUST. Artists last year and extols the virtues of going it alone.

“It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made: to be able to come and go as I please and run things how I see fit is something that fills me with happiness,” he says.

“Revenues are on the up, ticket sales are increasing across the board and bigger opportunities are opening for bands”

In Vallans’ experience, it is no more difficult to operate as an independent agency in 2025 than when he first started out.

“For us nothing has changed, it’s just been a steady increase in everything we’re doing,” he says. “Revenues are on the up, ticket sales are increasing across the board and bigger opportunities are opening for bands that we’ve been working closely with for several years. A1 forms and withhold tax are still a pain, but it’s part of what we have to do!”

Moreover, Vallans, who is in the process of adding new agents to the TRUST roster, detects a sea change in attitudes among the artist community.

“I think a lot of artists are getting a quite cynical view of big corporates, not only in the agency world but when it comes to all aspects of the industry,” he opines. “We work with so many tight knit teams – often without managers – building artists’ careers based on things we can control rather than hit and hope playlisting, press pitching and posting on socials x amount of times per day. No thanks!

“A lot of bands we work with have been churned out by the corporate system as they weren’t hitting their quota of shows/financial figures. These bands are still in demand and can have careers in music, we’re giving them a home to develop and be the bands that they want to be.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some consolidation at some stage between a few of the agencies, especially some of the one-man bands out there”

Notable happenings in the past couple of years have seen Primary Talent International return to independence following a management buyout, while UK-based indie Earth Agency celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. The sector also suffered a blow with the recent collapse of FMLY.

Looking ahead, Hanner expects further consolidation within the marketplace.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some consolidation at some stage between a few of the agencies, especially some of the one-man bands out there, because there are challenges to running a small business. But I don’t see a bunch of indie agencies giving up in the next few years,” he asserts. “I think people have found there’s an ethos that you might lose at a corporate company, and people have grown accustomed to that and enjoy working in that way.”

Closing on a confident note, Vallans sees the future for indie agencies as “incredibly positive”.

“Indie agencies can continue to flourish, 100%,” he concludes. “We collaborate on so many shows and events with other agencies and it’s great to see.”

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Ed Sheeran has added a raft of new shows to his – +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour for Bhutan, India and Qatar.

The One Fiinix Live-repped act has announced his biggest-ever run in India, visiting six cities at the beginning of next year.

Between 30 January and 15 February 2025, the British star will visit Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Shillong and Delhi, promoted by AEG Presents Asia and BookMyShow Live.

Prior to that, the 33-year-old will deliver a concert in Bhutan, making history as the first-ever international artist to perform in the Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas’ eastern edge.

The concert will be held at the 15,000-capacity Changlimithang Stadium in the country’s capital, Thimphu.

Tickets start from as low as US$10, though tourists attending the concert must also pay Bhutan’s Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), a US$100 daily levy designed to help preserve the country’s unique environment and culture.

Jon Ollier recently told IQ that Sheeran wants “to get as far and wide and visit as many fans as he possibly can”

Sheeran has also announced his first Qatar show in a decade at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall in Doha on 30 April, as well as his return to Bahrain’s Beyon Al Dana Amphitheatre on 2 May, where he performed at the beginning of 2024.

The Mathematics tour, which was launched in 2022, will then conclude with his European stadium dates.

One Fiinix Live founder Jon Ollier recently told IQ that Sheeran wants “to get as far and wide and visit as many fans as he possibly can”.

This year has seen Sheeran set multiple ticket sales records the world over, with destinations including Bahrain, the UAE, India, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Baltic States, Malta, Romania and Cyprus.

“It’s something that he’s always wanted to do,” explained Ollier. “It’s a gift we’ve been given to be able to do it, because not a lot of people can go and play all of those places. We have to plan these things years in advance and potentially doing it right in the midst of the cost of living crisis and war in Europe and all the rest of it, was incredibly challenging.”

Read the full interview here.

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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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One Fiinix Live founder Jon Ollier has talked the state of the business, breaking talent and Ed Sheeran in a new interview with IQ.

Ollier, who launched the UK-headquartered independent in November 2020, has touched upon an “incredible” year for the company, which represents the likes of Sheeran, 2Cellos, Calum Scott, Picture This, Black Stone Cherry and new signing Tash Sultana.

“We’re achieving everything that we set out to achieve,” he says. “We have a group of people that pull each other through and fight for each other, and we continue to make great strides. I think we’re really coming into our own

“We’re doing more stuff on a much bigger scale than any other independent agency. We’re seeing a lot of our agents develop their careers and push things forward, so I’m very excited about the future.”

The firm has widened its horizons over the last 12 months with the hirings of US-based agents John Pantle and Bex Wedlake.

“We put a lot of investment in at the start of the year and added the whole of the US team less than 12 months ago,” notes Ollier. “We expanded our London office and are seeing the emergence of six or seven acts up to arena level, which is all really positive.

“Obviously, we’re going through what other small businesses are going through in terms of inflation, the budget and the bloodbath that we’ve seen in festivals this year. Those sorts of challenges remain, so it’s a double-edged sword at the moment.”

“I’ve never been of the belief that a whole lot of music discovery goes on at festivals”

Ollier chaired a panel at this year’s ILMC that analysed whether a mid-level touring crisis was emerging amid the boom at the top end of the business. He suggests the main impact is being felt lower down the scale.

“Artists that would tour roughly the same size venues every two years – and do really good business – are the ones we’re seeing struggling at the minute, because people have a finite amount of money in their pocket,” he says.

Ollier reflects on the importance of festivals in an artist’s touring campaign.

“I’ve never been of the belief that a whole lot of music discovery goes on at festivals,” he opines. “As soon as festivals got beyond two or three stages, the idea that you have a captive audience isn’t really true. But what they have always done is help you to establish that cultural identity that comes with having played festivals we consider to be a sort of rite of passage, or that some of the tastemakers and gatekeepers involved in the business would expect you to play in order to demonstrate your cultural relevance.

“The side of it that is really tricky is that each and every manager and client believes they absolutely have to play hundreds of festivals every year – and that can be quite a difficult conversation to have.”

Another concern for the UK sector has been the lack of breaking acts in recent years. While there have been isolated success stories such as The Last Dinner Party, Ollier points out that genuine British mainstream breakthroughs have been thin on the ground.

“We’re not seeing a Chappell Roan or Noah Kahan really break into those upper echelons out of the UK”

“We’re not seeing a Chappell Roan, or a Noah Kahan, or anyone really break into those upper echelons out of the UK since, I guess, Lewis Capaldi,” he says. “I don’t think we’re being helped by the chaos at the labels at the moment. It strikes me they are trying to move their business model to be more like just rights-holders, like publishers are, and have a much less proactive role in an artist’s career.

“They’re putting the responsibility for creating success back onto the artist and the management, and then every time lightning strikes, they jump on it and can really move things along. You see that when you have things like Noah Kahan or Chappell Roan happen, where it comes out of the blue, but it feels more of a lottery. We’re not getting that support. We’re not getting that strategy from the labels.

“It is fun breaking artists, it is fun working with breaking artists, but very few artists are breaking out of the UK at the moment – that’s just a fact.”

On a more positive note, Ollier’s longtime client Ed Sheeran sold more than 600,000 tickets in an hour for his 2025 European +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour, while sales for his French stadium dates were described as “absolutely magnificent”.

“It’s done incredibly well for next year, in a way, more than we anticipated, which is fantastic,” Ollier tells IQ. “There are going to be some other bits and pieces that go on sale over the course of the next few months in other areas of the world, but by and large, it’s business as usual. He will continue to tour. He will be in Europe next year and he doesn’t envisage slowing down any time soon.”

“The short term is never something I’m concerned about… We’ve got to be thinking about what the next five years look like”

This year has also seen Sheeran set multiple ticket sales records the world over, with destinations including Bahrain, the UAE, India, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Baltic States, Malta, Romania and Cyprus.

“It’s something that he’s always wanted to do,” explains Ollier. “It’s a gift we’ve been given to be able to do it, because not a lot of people can go and play all of those places. We have to plan these things years in advance and potentially doing it right in the midst of the cost of living crisis and war in Europe and all the rest of it, was incredibly challenging.

“If we’d have had more foresight, you’d perhaps sidestep these things, but we went and did it and it was a great success. It is key to his vision, because he wants to get as far and wide and visit as many fans as he possibly can.”

In line with the rest of the industry, Ollier is predicting a stacked 2025.

“Next year is going to be a big year, for sure,” he says. “There’s lots going on, but the short term is never something I’m concerned about, because we can see what’s in the pipeline. The thing I’ve always got my eye on is the longer term, and making sure that we don’t lean on big years in the short term. We’ve got to be thinking about what the next five years look like.

“Our ambitions are to remain humble. We want to do a good job for our clients. We want to run a good company and we want to look after our people, and we will hopefully be able to achieve that.”

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With just two weeks to go until the 2024 International Festival Forum (IFF), the event’s conference and agency showcase schedule is now complete.

Organised by the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) and held in association with TicketSwap, the invitation-only gathering returns to Omeara in London Bridge between 24-26 September, with 950 delegates now signed up.

The conference programme is doubling in number this year, with the opening The Festival Season 2024 panel to begin with a short presentation of ROSTR x IQ’s analysis of the European festival summer, hosted by ROSTR co-founder and CEO Mark Williamson.

Speakers this year include Matt Bates (Primary Talent), Dusan Kovacevic (Exit), Fruzsina Szép (Good Live), Summer Marshall (CAA), Jana Posth (DreamHaus), Jan Quiel (Wacken Open Air), Mark Williamson (ROSTR), Hannah Shogbola (UTA), Sharon Richardson (K2 Agency) and many others, capped by a keynote interview with the team from Primavera Sound.

Booking agency partners on this year’s IFF are CAA, WME, Solo Agency, Primary Talent, ATC Live, Wasserman Music, ITB, One Fiinix Live, and Pure, with the final partner showcases at the event now confirmed for IFF’s 10th edition.

Since launching in 2015, IFF has brought the industry’s principal buyers and sellers together each autumn

Two up-and-coming artists from Pure Represents’ roster, Forest Claudette and Tokio Myers, who will kick off proceedings on 25 September, followed by One Fiinix Live’s JC Stewart, JERUB, RØRY and Walt Disco.

ATC Live artists Ebbb, Lambrini Girls, Loverman and Ugly will then take the spotlight on 26 September.

Showcases by Solo Agency, ITB, Primary Talent International and X-ray Touring have already been revealed. In addition, Dutch Music Export and The Spanish Wave will present emerging acts from the Netherlands and Spain, respectively, for this year’s International Showcase.

The final night of IFF will also see a Rising Metal night presented by Doomstar Bookings, Catch 22, Napalm Events and The Link Productions.

Partners for this year’s event include CTS Eventim, See Tickets, Tysers Live, FKP Scorpio, All Things Live, iTicket Global, TVG Hospitality, LMP Group and production partners John Henrys.

Since launching in 2015, IFF has brought the industry’s principal buyers and sellers together each autumn, when conversations about the following year’s festival lineups are well underway. Past editions have included early performances from Lewis Capaldi, Tom Grennan, Yonaka, Bob Vylan, Sam Ryder, Slaves, Raye, Black Midi, Loyle Carner, Dermot Kennedy and Shame.

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The LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – IQ Magazine’s fourth annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – has been revealed.

The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s fourth Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.

To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each of them on the development of the industry, the challenges that are keeping them up at night and more.

Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Catch up on yesterday’s interview with Dustin Turner (he/him), music marketing executive at CAA.

The series continues with Emma Davis (she/her), general manager/agent at One Fiinix Live.

Tell us about the professional feat you’re most proud of in 2024 so far.
The first one was when I went to Bangkok for Ed Sheeran’s shows out there. To be on the other side of the world and see shows I’ve played a part in making happen play out was just such a huge privilege and something I’ll never forget. My second one was seeing RØRY play to a sold-out Electric Ballroom in February, surrounded by the whole team at One Fiinix Live. She’s an incredible artist with a truly inspirational story and deserves all the success she is getting. To be surrounded by such a supportive team of people from the agency that I have been a part in putting together too just made that feel so special.

What’s your most pressing challenge in the agency business at the moment?
Avails!

The vast majority of your extensive roster identifies as queer, was this intentional on your part?
I don’t know if I’ve done it intentionally, but I connect more with music and artists that are relevant to my personal interests. I’m a big believer that you get back what you put out into the world, so I guess the more I’ve embraced my authentic self the more queer my roster has got, and I’m totally here for it.

“I’d love to see more women and queer people in leadership roles, I think this industry would be a much kinder, more considerate and equal one if that were the case”

As a queer agent, are you able to better serve your queer artists?
I definitely think it makes me more empathetic – I know what it is like to turn up at a venue and be the only non-straight white male in a room, how intimidating and even unsafe that can feel. I make effort to make sure the best provisions are in place for my artists. I really think about who the right promoter is – will they understand the artist, their needs and their audience? Even things like making sure to discuss appropriate show reps so the first person artists meet on a show day is going to appreciate their needs and ensure they have the best possible experience.

Last year I had two of my US artists over and we met in person for the first time, they both said “You’re just like me!”, and it really hit home for me how important representation can be for artists. 

Name one thing the industry could do to be a more equitable place.
I’d love to see more women and queer people in leadership roles, I think this industry would be a much kinder, more considerate and equal one if that were the case. When I first started working as an assistant at one of the major booking agencies, someone said to me: “Don’t be too good at your job, or they will never promote you”. One of the most frustrating things I see in this industry is really talented women getting stuck in support roles because they still aren’t considered in the same way as their mostly mediocre male counterparts. Some of the best agents, promoters, and managers in the business are women who spent YEARS in support roles and have had to work ten times harder and shout WAY louder than they should to be heard.

“I’m a big believer that you get back what you put out into the world; the more I’ve embraced my authentic self the more queer my roster has got”

Name one queer act you’re itching to see live this year.
The Japanese House. This is cheating, but I also can’t wait to see Chappell Roan, and we are very excited to bring Alice Longyu Gao back over here – Jess Kinn and I represent her, and genuinely think she is one of the most exciting artists out there right now.

Shout out your biggest ally in the live music industry.
Jess Kinn. She (as well as Jon Ollier) is my number-one cheerleader, always has my back and gives the best pep talks you’ll ever get. She always stands up for what she thinks is right and I find her so inspiring in so many ways. Jess, along with her sister Martha, and the work they do for the LGBTQIA+ community goes above and beyond allyship.

Shout out any LGBTIQ+ cause(s) you support.
Mermaids. It’s a charity that supports transgender and non-binary young people and their families. Also would love to mention West London Queer Project too.

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IQ Magazine’s fourth annual Pride takeover edition heralds the return of the Loud & Proud playlist, for which our partner agencies have spotlighted fast-emerging queer artists to note.

This year, IQ has extended the Loud & Proud profiles to include a dozen acts represented by ATC Live, CAA, Earth Agency, Midnight Mango, One Fiinix Live, Playbook Artists, Primary Talent, Pure Represents, Queer Artists Agency, Solo, UTA, and WME.

Artists included in Loud & Proud 2024, along with their agents, are:

Asbjørn (DK) Frederik Diness Ove, Queer Music Agency
Beth McCarthy (UK) Jess Kinn, One Fiinix Live
Brimheim (DK) Paul McGivern, Playbook Artists
Evangeline Gentle (CA) Rich Quarterman, Midnight Mango
Fletcher (US) Bilge Morden, CAA
Gia Ford (UK) Caitlin Ballard, ATC Live
Girlband! (UK), Charly Beedell-Tuck, Solo Agency
Liz Lawrence (UK) Hayley Morrison, Simon O’Neill & Angus Baskerville, Pure Represents
Lucky Love (FR) Christina Austin & Jules de Lattre, UTA
Reneé Rapp (US) Lucy Dickins, Ben Totis & Dvora Englefield, WME
She Drew The Gun (UK) Claire Courtney, Earth Agency
Tom Rasmussen (UK) Sally Dunstone, Primary Talent International

Listen to the full Loud & Proud playlist below:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5U1Wb37yhJT9XuYeLfO8cR?si=dc38b05ef6a346cc

The full Loud & Proud feature, including all 12 profiles, is available here for subscribers of IQ Magazine.

Click here to subscribe to IQ from just £8 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below.

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IQ Magazine has revealed the LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – the fourth annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business.

The list is once again the centrepiece of IQ’s annual Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.

The 20 individuals comprising the LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – as nominated by our readers and verified by our esteemed steering committee – are individuals that have gone above and beyond to wave the flag for an industry that we can all be proud of.

The fourth instalment comprises agents, promoters, venue directors, bookers, consultants, sustainability experts, talent buyers, managers and sound engineers from across the world.

In alphabetical order, the LGBTIQ+ List 2024 is:

Anna Sjölund, EU programming director, ASM Global (SE)
Ary Maudit, sound engineer/producer, RAK Studios/Strongroom/Saffron Records (UK)
Buğra Davaslıgıl, senior talent buyer, Charmenko (TR)
Caterina Conti, operations manager, 432 Presents (UK)
Chris May, general manager, BC Place Stadium (CA)
Dustin Turner, music marketing agent, music touring, CAA (US)
Emma Davis, general manager/agent, One Fiinix Live (UK)
Gwen Iffland, senior marketing & PR manager, Wizard Live (DE)
Jason Brotman, founder, Five Senses Reeling (US)
Joona Juutilainen, Booking Assistant, Fullsteam Agency (FI)
Luke Mulligan, director, Circa 41 (AU)
Paul Lomas, booker, WME (UK)
Pembe Tokluhan, production/founder/diversity consultant, Petok Productions (UK)
Priscilla Nagashima, VP of engineering, DICE (UK)
Rhys France, corporate & private events booker, CAA (UK)
Rivca Burns, acting head of music, Factory International (UK)
Ross Patel, green impact consultant & board member, LIVE/MMF (UK)
Sam Oldham, venue director, The O2 (UK)
Sam Booth, director of sustainability, AEG Europe (UK)
Zoe Maras, founder & artist services, Joyride Agency (NZ)

Throughout Pride Month (June), IQ will be publishing full-length interviews with each person on the LGBTIQ+ List 2024.

However, subscribers can read the full Pride edition now. Click here to subscribe to IQ from just £8 a month – or see what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below.

Check out previous Pride lists from 2023, 2022 and 2021.

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Leading agents offered an upbeat overview of the agency trade in 2024 and pondered the future of the model in the annual ILMC panel on the sector.

The Agency Business 2024 panel chair Anna Sjölund was joined by guest speakers Bex Wedlake (One Fiinix Live), Brian Ahern (WME), Tom Schroeder (Wasserman Music) and James Wright (UTA) to debate a range of topics.

“The great thing after the pandemic, [Brexit], and the general inflation of costs, we’re still having a strong touring business. The difficulty is costs, be that for artists, promoters or venue operators,” said Wright.

Asked how it was to be an agent in 2024, Schroeder said, “I bloody love it. I don’t disagree that there are problems, but they’re a bit like a jigsaw that we have to work out and I really enjoy that challenge. The fact is that artists are a lot more involved in their careers these days, and that makes things fun.

“The rules have changed and some historic templates have [been discontinued], and because social media plays such a big part in things now, artists have to be a lot more involved in their career and decisions about their career, so I truly believe this is the best time I’ve had in my career.”

“The appetite for live music is bigger and better than ever before”

Wedlake noted, “The appetite for live music is bigger and better than ever before, and there’s a bigger emphasis on women in music and LGBTQ issues, led by the artists, and it’s amazing to witness that levelling of the [playing field] and the evolution of our job. There’s no one-size-fits-all for either clients or us as agents, so the fact that big corporations and independent operations can happily co-exist is pretty healthy.

Ahern agreed, commenting, “I believe our company can provide a competitive advantage to our clients, but there are also bands and artists who simply want to tour, and therefore being at another agency is a better fit for them. I have a lot of respect for the indie agents and what they do – thankfully there is enough work for all of us.”

Discussing the reality of global deals, Wright revealed that he had chosen a lower offer for one of his clients because a higher offer would have meant unrealistic ticket prices for that act’s fans. And talking about the changing role of the agent, Schroeder said that while 15 years ago his job involved booking gigs, “What was 90% of my job is now just 10%, as I spend a lot more time working on strategy and creativity. And the best thing is I don’t know how I will be doing things in 18 months because the business keeps changing and I think the industry is all the better for it.”

Schroeder courted controversy by stating that grassroots venues were no longer a part of the ecosystem for his roster of clients, although he acknowledged their importance. But Wedlake responded, “We all have a responsibility to feed back into the grassroots sector – that’s why I’m a proponent of using independent promoters.” She added, “My job as an agent is to ferret out promoters who understand my artists and with whom we can grow sensibly, slowly and creatively.”

Addressing concerns about agents signing too many acts to their rosters, Wright said, “We are opportunistic, but we have to believe in the artists we sign. It’s complicated and it’s hard work, but we don’t get paid straight away, so belief is a big part of it.”

“We need promoters to help us get to a point where touring becomes financially sustainable”

Underlining that point, Schroeder revealed that he has been working with Raye for eight years – “Six and a half years were a real slog, but I always had that belief and I stuck with her.”

Turning the discussion to the different ways in which agencies operate, Sjölund asked Ahern about WME’s territorial model, leading Ahern to dismiss some of the myths about the practice.

“We don’t simply hand off to someone who does not know what they are doing. We engage experts who have knowledge about specific markets, or who speak the local language, and who can advise me as the agent who can then use that information to make a decision. But the person who presents the artist always has that direct relationship – if I do not have that direct contact with my artist, I get fired.”

Schroeder also underlined the importance of the promoter in planning career strategies for artists. “If we choose a promoter that we trust, why would we not want their opinion in a meeting with the artist and management? They are the well informed gamblers that we rely on.”

He concluded, “We need promoters to help us get to a point where touring becomes financially sustainable.”

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Independent live music agency One Fiinix Live has announced the appointment of seasoned live music professional Bex Wedlake as its newest agent.

Wedlake, whose appointment is effective immediately, is based in the US but will work closely with company’s UK team.

Her roster includes Black Stone Cherry, Dance Gavin Dance, Dayseeker, Des Rocs, GWAR, Halestorm, Haru Nemuri, Hoobastank, K.Flay, New Years Day, SkyeChristy, The Subways and Tiny Moving Parts. She will represent these artists in international territories outside of North America.

“We are delighted to welcome Bex to our company,” says One Fiinix Live founder and CEO Jon Ollier. “Not only does she bring with her an incredible wealth of experience and a fantastic roster that aligns perfectly with our aspirations, but Bex has time and again spotted and developed new talent with a remarkable hit rate.

“We see Bex as a valuable addition to our team, someone who is incredibly well connected and whose skill set complements that of the existing team very well”

“We see Bex as a valuable addition to our team, someone who is incredibly well connected and whose skill set complements that of the existing team very well. We really feel like we are building something very special here and we are all so excited for Bex to be a part of that.”

London-headquartered One Fiinix Live, which added veteran US agent John Pantle to its ranks last month, was launched by Ollier in November 2020, following his departure from CAA. The UK-based global booking agency represents acts including Ed Sheeran, Ms. Lauryn Hill, 2Cellos, Calum Scott and Hauser.

“This industry is based on human connection and innovation, qualities embraced and celebrated by Jon and the progressive team at One Fiinix Live,” adds Wedlake. “In just three years they have built an agency that embodies expertise, professionalism and respect. I am thrilled to be joining such an exciting and forward-thinking company and I look forward to immersing myself and my clients in a culture of inclusivity and elevation.”

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