Las Vegas, “America’s most competitive marketplace,” has emerged from the pandemic a new beast. As summer turns up the heat on the desert town, IQ tracks how Vegas has transformed from a glitzy casino town to the hottest entertainment market in the world.

Relieved of any pandemic hangover, Las Vegas has boldly reclaimed its crown as the world’s entertainment capital. Its crown jewel, the Strip, is just under 4.5miles (7.3km) in length, yet the city welcomed its highest number of visitors since pre-pandemic last year, a mere 40.8 million. Formerly known as a graveyard where “legacy acts go to die,” it’s clear that Vegas is evolving into a new destination entirely – one where the industry is cashing in.

A sin-sational city
Nestled in the arid Nevada desert, the illustrious, extravagant, and infamous Sin City serves as a hedonistic playground for those looking for an escape. From world-renowned restaurants and luxury experiences to high-stakes gambling and unique headline performances, Vegas is unlike anywhere else. With a population of just over 656,000, it’s a true paradise for visitors, who spent a record $51.5bn last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Those who visit do it big, and travellers don’t seem deterred by the rising prices: spending by tourists has ballooned by 45.4% between 2019 and 2023, with the average person spending $1,261 last year (LVCVA).

As new venues, reimagined residencies, and a plethora of entertainment options grace the Strip, competition has never been greater. For those on the industry side, it’s vying for venue space and available artists; for consumers, it’s the abundance of choice, monetary cost, and available time. What happens in Vegas isn’t staying in Vegas – it’s attracting international attention from partygoers and industry leaders alike.

Go big & go home
At the heart of its ecosystem lies Vegas’s transient audience. The city’s population pales in comparison to its annual visitor numbers, comparatively a light 1.5% of 2023’s visitors. Hordes of travellers have only increased since the pandemic subsided, and with international visitors bouncing back to 4.7m in 2023, the curation of the entertainment mecca is designed for tourists.

“It’s Vegas! People are coming into town to let loose, have fun, and spend their hard-earned money on a vacation,” says Kyle Bandler, a WME agent booking acts like Martin Garrix and Steve Aoki. “It’s not just about seeing one of your favourite artists but also an opportunity to live the full ‘Vegas experience’ that people are looking for on a holiday weekend.”

Beyond what may come to mind as a traditional vacationer – a wedding party, a gambling fanatic, or a late-night reveller – a key group of tourists coming to the Nevada hub are corporate colleagues. The metropolis hosts roughly 24,000 conventions and meetings and 75 major trade shows annually. With over 154,000 hotel rooms, a plethora of unique meeting spaces, and luxurious opportunities to unwind, it’s no wonder Vegas is a commercial target.

“Conventions bring all sorts of people from out of state into the market, and that’s in addition to the tourists that want to come into Vegas and party,” says Chris Hammond, VP talent at AEG Presents’ Las Vegas office.

“Wednesdays and Saturdays are kind of neck and neck from a business standpoint, and that’s because Vegas has two sets of travellers”

Last year, according to LVCVA, 6m conventioneers descended on Vegas, a 19.9% increase from 2022. They dominate the weekdays and depart before the weekend, yet are on average spending 25% more than leisure visitors, racking up over $1,500 per trip. Their impact is clear for AEG Presents Las Vegas – while Saturday is the classic blockbuster date, Wednesday is on par with the weekend mainstay, even surpassing the typical travel-day Friday.

“Wednesdays and Saturdays are kind of neck and neck from a business standpoint, and that’s because Vegas has two sets of travellers: midweek convention travellers and weekend travellers,” says Bobby Reynolds, SVP of AEG Presents Las Vegas. “If you’re out here for a convention and there’s only one show that week that’s on the Wednesday, that’s the show you’re going to.”

Programming with the visiting audience in mind is a priority for the AEG Presents Las Vegas office, which opened over 20 years ago. Reynolds dubs it “fishing where the fish are,” or aligning programmed content with other big events in the market, and thereby, their incoming audiences.

“The more people that come to town to see a [Golden] Knights game, odds are, they’re going to be here for a couple of days. The team is only going to play out here one night. The other night they’re going to see Carrie Underwood, Kevin Hart, or Lionel Richie with us,” he explains, adding examples of country music programming alongside rodeo, NASCAR, and professional bull-riding events.

Artists up the ante
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley – all names synonymous with the showtime glitz and old glamour of a neon-soaked destination. The history of Vegas is as rich as the gambling halls it boasts. Never short on iconic and inventive shows, from the introduction of Cirque du Soleil’s first permanent show in 1993 to Siegfried & Roy’s awe-inspiring magic tricks, the entertainment hub has consistently evolved as an all-in capital. And after the turn of the century, a new residency form arose.

Up until Britney Spears, there had never been a residency with a young, pop, generational artist like her

Celine Dion is widely credited as the resident revolutionary for the Vegas scene, with her four-year, 714-show A New Day… stint still earning her the top spot of Billboard’s highest-grossing residency list. In the early noughties, Caesars Palace invested $108m to build the 4,000-seat Colosseum for Dion and her residency, and AEG Presents kickstarted its Las Vegas office with the series. The venture grossed $385.1m and sold 2.8m tickets, opening a new chapter for contemporary artists to try something new.

“That really changed Las Vegas,” explains Glenn Alai, manager of the city’s longest-running headliners, Penn & Teller. “It made people take notice. You can come into Vegas, and you can still have music that is charting, and you can still be a really viable name in the industry playing Vegas and doing really well.”

The shift toward a more modern music scene, according to CAA’s MD Rob Light, was driven by a single popstar in 2013.

“Up until Britney Spears, there had never been a residency with a young, pop, generational artist like her,” he explains. “Suddenly pop music became a phenomenon in terms of playing residencies in Las Vegas, so it really was the catalyst that opened all the doors.”

Britney: Piece of Me saw the superstar take over Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s AXIS auditorium, now called the Bakkt Theater, for 248 shows across four years, grossing $137.7m and 916,000 tickets. The success of her dance-driven, pop spectacle was aided by an under-utilised audience in the market – a younger demographic who were busy spending nights in the lucrative club scene.

“When you look back at the phases, in that moment of club culture that exploded before Britney, you sort of see the evolution in the market right before your eyes,” Light shares.

“The beauty of the residency model is there’s flexibility in structure [so we can find] something that works for everyone”

Then came the flood of available artists, purpose-built venues, and audience hunger, all hunting for something flashy and fresh. The model is largely driven by artists’ visions, says Mojave Ghost’s Greg Young, an independent producer who helped bring Donny Osmond’s first-ever solo residency to Harrah’s Showroom.

Bandler echoes a similar sentiment: “The beauty of the residency model is there’s flexibility in structure [so we can find] something that works for everyone,” he says.

Artists can “build a different kind of show,” Light says, one without the need to pack up and move every night. They can escape the rigours of touring and settle down with family, all while selling out performances.

“The residency model was a way for artists to say, ‘I’m going to perform in a way that’s more appealing to me, physically and mentally,’” Light explains.

CAA has brought icons like Spears, Shania Twain, Jennifer Lopez, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, and countless others out to the desert. Light cites seeing Gaga’s stripped-down residency, Jazz & Piano at Park MGM’s Dolby Live (6,400), as a standout moment in his career. She was the first artist to host dual residencies, coupling J+P with pop-forward Enigma, which landed her at #8 on Vegas’s highest-grossing residency list with over $110m of revenue.

The amalgamation of high-profile artists, technological advancements, and crowd-drawing residencies can be seen in the club scene. Taking over pools during the day and clubs at night, electronic music has crept up to become an unstoppable sound across America’s other city that never sleeps. The club-based series are unique in that their growth is driven by high-rolling VIPs, as “the money generated from individual ticket sales pales in comparison,” Bandler shares.

“Table sales and VIP are what drive revenue for the clubs. So artists that have a strong following in the VIP space or are willing to develop that side of their business have more financial success in the Vegas market,” he explains.

“You can see this honeymoon period of the Sphere has really drawn a lot of audiences away from their typical disposable dollar habits in Las Vegas”

But, if there’s one thing Vegas is good at, it’s rolling the dice on something new.

“We’re starting to see Vegas take some shots already, but with the explosion of house and techno currently happening in North America, expect to see more and more properties take bigger chances on artists in those sub-genres over the coming years,” Bandler says.

With an ever-expanding calendar, there’s always something for everyone in town. Wu-Tang Clan are currently on stage as the first hip-hop residency and Mexican group Los Bukis as the first Spanish-language residency. Country music has hit a new stride, with massive stars like Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and Garth Brooks all performing. Add in DJs, pop divas, legacy rockstars, and the horses Shania Twain once performed alongside, and you’ll never be bored.

If you build it, they will come
The biggest thing to hit the Strip in recent memory is undoubtedly the futuristic, $2.3bn Sphere. A technological marvel, the 20,000-capacity arena boasts 580,000 ft2 of fully programmable LED screens, wrapping almost completely around the audience. U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere grossed nearly $245m and slots in behind Celine Dion in Vegas’s highest-grossing residencies with only 40 shows, cementing the venue’s crown as the place to play.

“You can see this honeymoon period of the Sphere has really drawn a lot of audiences away from their typical disposable dollar habits in Las Vegas,” says Young.

Add in four nights from Phish, 30 from Dead & Company this summer, and 20 from the Eagles later this year, and the first 12 months of operation have cemented the MSG Entertainment project both in the city and internationally. Coming up, multidisciplinary artist Anyma, known for his “one-of-a-kind, audiovisual live experiences,” will host six shows around New Year’s Eve, bringing the first electronic music act to the venue before the year’s out.

“When a show does or doesn’t go to a certain property or certain venue within that property, it changes how the entire resort performs”

New builds and redevelopment are a constant feature of the Strip. After the renovation of the Colosseum in 2003, countless other hotel-casino resorts refreshed their entertainment offerings to make way for a growing audience. Diversifying and expanding entertainment spaces – theatres, clubs, casinos, restaurants, pools – is key to keeping audiences on-site.

“When a show does or doesn’t go to a certain property or certain venue within that property, it changes how the entire resort performs,” Reynolds explains. “From hotels to gambling to meals and spa reservations, all of these integrated resorts get fed by foot traffic – and concerts are a great conduit of foot traffic.”

The $3.7bn Fontainebleau Las Vegas arrived on the Strip late last year, bringing the 3,800-capacity BleauLive Theater to life with an opening from Post Malone in December 2023. The Strip’s most expensive resort, the $4.3bn Resorts World, opened in 2021 with an AEG Presents-backed, $170m, 5,000-seat theatre. AEG Presents Las Vegas also exclusively books the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (4,500) and the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas (1,480).

MGM Resorts International is widely recognised as the grandmaster of the Strip, operating some of its most renowned spaces: the Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan, Park MGM – home to the 5,200-cap Dolby Live – Mandalay Bay, and more. Its portfolio also includes the city’s three arenas, the MGM Grand Garden Arena (17,000), Michelob ULTRA Arena (12,000), and the $375m T-Mobile Arena (20,000), which opened in 2016 as a joint venture between MGM and AEG. Its unique portfolio widens the selection of artists and residencies it can bring to life.

“At an arena capacity, it is exceedingly difficult to find artists who can sell out more than a couple shows at any given time,” says Paul Davis, MGM’s SVP entertainment booking. “The value proposition at Dolby Live is ‘major artist, small venue’ along with the up-close experience that comes with it. It’s a very different model, which further enhances branding and diversity in our programming.

“This also allows us to develop early relationships with artists and have them perform at multiple venue sizes as their career evolves,” he adds. Dolby Live has played host to residencies from Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Mariah Carey, Usher, and others.

In 2020, the $1.9bn Allegiant Stadium emerged, opening the door for bigger artists and sporting events

As the Vegas landscape continuously transforms – “it is no longer sufficient to purchase digital billboards and cab tops,” Davis states – elevating marketing strategies to meet a newer, younger audience who want more than gaming and production shows is paramount to MGM Resort’s future endeavours. The influx of sports fans and events in the market, which Davis says has strengthened their ties to the local community, highlights how attracting new audiences has been crucial to the recent revitalisation of the region.

In 2020, the $1.9bn Allegiant Stadium (65,000) emerged, opening the door for bigger artists and sporting events – including the 2023 Super Bowl, which reportedly generated a $1bn economic impact. It’s gone on to welcome over 4m fans since. K-Pop supergroup BTS hold the stadium record for highest-grossing performances, bringing in nearly $36m from 200,000 fans across four nights in 2022.

Even more newcomers could be on the horizon. Last June, Oak View Group unveiled plans to build a $10bn entertainment district, including a $1bn, 20,000-seat arena. In May, developer LVXP announced it is moving forward with its “NBA-ready,” 20,000-seat arena, casino, and luxury resort, supported by infrastructure consulting firm AECOM, who recently completed LA’s $2bn, 18,000-cap Intuit Dome. With a rise in available space, will there ever come a point where availability outweighs demand?

That’s showbiz, baby
A decade ago, no major sports franchise called Vegas home. Now, almost every large venue plays host to a sports tenant. It began in 2017, with the Golden Knights settling in T-Mobile Arena. In 2018, MGM purchased and relocated the Las Vegas Aces women’s basketball team to Michelob ULTRA Arena.

In 2020, the NFL’s Raiders football team moved from Oakland to Allegiant Stadium, with MLB’s Athletics baseball team to follow suit for 2028. Formula 1 debuted a new Grand Prix in 2023, with a freshly built track taking over the entire Strip and encircling the Sphere. This November, a new $1m music festival is being launched in Downtown Las Vegas during the race weekend, courtesy of LVCVA. And with two potential new arenas on the horizon, an NBA team looks imminent.

Beyond merrymakers and conventioneers, sports fans are the third piece of the audience puzzle: “You’ve got kind of a triple threat that is a necessity for all the venues we have, the acts we have, and the tickets we need to sell,” AEG’s Hammond says. He adds that the rise in sporting events “brings a multitude of fans into this city, which is a big positive thing for us.”

“The town is changing for the better, really a world-class tourist destination, but it affects the ability to sell tickets – it’s becoming more challenging”

In 2022, out-of-town sports visitors generated upwards of $2bn in economic activity, according to a University of Nevada, Las Vegas study. The report precedes F1’s Vegas debut, Super Bowl LVIII, and a host of other noteworthy events, signifying how the sports sector is a prime market for organisers to tap into. But, with new audiences and events comes new competition, an underlying hurdle for those looking to pack their venues.

“The biggest challenge is definitely the sports teams and the increased competition that comes from that: the inventory of seats, available tickets, the choices,” Glenn Alai states. “The town is changing for the better, really a world-class tourist destination, but it affects the ability to sell tickets – it’s becoming more challenging.”

Alai manages the iconic duo Penn & Teller, who after 30 years at the Rio are still enchanting audiences with their magic show. They’re the namesakes on the 1,500-seat theatre they play every weekend and have helped build the acts they now
battle with in the consumer marketplace.

“Penn & Teller have made most of the competition because most of them got their start on their TV show,” Alai explains. “They’re kind of proud parents of these people, as they gave them their first exposure on TV, but they’re also now competition. The magic landscape is very crowded.” After working in the market for over three decades, Alai has a warning for those looking to break into the space and four-wall, or self-fund, their own productions.

“I often say, ‘Run the other way. Save your money or flush it down the toilet but run the other way. If you’re not a headliner, you’re not a huge name, and you’re not already established here, it’s tough. And if you’re not coming in fully funded and prepared to lose millions or at least hundreds of thousands, it’s going to be tough,’” he says.

“It’s incredibly difficult to develop up-and-coming talent specific to the residency circuit in Vegas”

A grassroots scene remains largely hidden in the shadows of the neon glow emanating from and around the Strip.

“It’s incredibly difficult to develop up-and-coming talent specific to the residency circuit in Vegas,” says WME’s Bandler. “Given the level of A-list artists coming through the market almost every weekend and given a residency’s overall success is largely determined by what they can turnover on tickets and tables, you need established acts that can drive numbers from day one.”

As with most of America, costs are rising across the board – one cocktail in Vegas can put you back $25 and more. The cost of entertainment has snowballed 150.6% from 2019, with the average spend per head rising to $278.44 last year. According to the LVCVA, roughly 25% of tourists (of which only 16% are first-time visitors) attended shows or entertainment during their trip, down dramatically from 51% in 2019.

While trip length may grant travellers the ability to see multiple shows, the cost may not.

“We came out of the pandemic, and people were spending anything just to see live music, and ticket prices skyrocketed,” Hammond says. “But with inflation picking up, things have gotten a bit tighter, and we as concert promoters need to be cognisant of that and make sure we’re not blind to the fact that the economy is changing.”

Bet on it
Vegas is, and will continue to be, a place for revellers to cash in on – it is the gambling and entertainment capital, after all. On any given night, you could see intimate theatre shows from A-listers, sporting events, a plethora of comedy and magic performances, a DJ at a swanky club, and even have a Michelin Star dinner. There’s truly something for everyone, and extravagance is celebrated.

Audiences may come and go in Vegas, but America’s most competitive marketplace looks hotter than ever. Every major agency, promoter, producer, and developer has a seat at the poker table, where audiences and artists divvy out the draw. In Sin City, what’s old becomes new again. At press time, The Mirage shut its doors after a 35-year run, set to reopen in 2027 as the next Hard Rock Hotel. A market built on leisure and pleasure, one that’s constantly reinventing itself, Las Vegas undoubtedly still has some aces up its sleeve.

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Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has announced senior agents Emma Banks, Darryl Eaton and Rick Roskin as co-heads of global touring.

The trio, all long-time senior members of the firm’s leadership team, will oversee the department’s continued international growth and build upon the work of predecessor Rob Light, who was recently named CAA MD after 25 years as head of global touring.

“With the most talented team of agents ever at one agency, and serving the most influential artists in the world, we see unlimited opportunities ahead,” say Roskin, Eaton and Banks. “The live business has never been stronger nor had more momentum, and artists have never had more ways to express themselves and grow their careers, making this an absolutely incredible time to help chart CAA’s path for the future.

“We’re fortunate to have shared in the success, stability and uniquely strong culture that the department has enjoyed under Rob’s outstanding leadership. Our vision, and commitment moving forward, is to foster cutting-edge ideas that drive the market and ensure that CAA remains the most exciting and empowering agency for the industry’s best agents and artists to thrive.”

With employees in Los Angeles, Nashville, London, New York, Austin, Miami, and Toronto, CAA’s Global Touring department boasts a roster including The Weeknd, Harry Styles, Katy Perry, Dua Lipa, John Mayer, Rüfüs Du Sol, Jelly Roll, Kelly Clarkson, Blink-182, Kelsea Ballerini, Peso Pluma, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Trevor Noah, Red Hot Chili Peppers and David Guetta. In the past year, CAA has booked more than 38,000 shows.

Banks has co-led the agency’s now 60-person London music office since joining CAA in 2006. In addition to her new leadership position, she serves on CAA’s internal agency board and also chairs UK music therapy charity Nordoff and Robbins.

“CAA remains the dominant music and comedy touring agency thanks to a profoundly deep culture of collaboration, innovation, and unyielding devotion to clients”

Eaton and Roskin became CAA’s co-heads of contemporary music for North America in 2015, running the day-to-day operations of the North American touring department and supporting more than 100 agents and 280 employees.

Eaton, who joined CAA’s mailroom in 1991, has led the agency’s efforts to launch and grow its electronic, Latin, and hip-hop/R&B divisions, while Roskin began his career at CAA and has worked in the touring department for 35 years. He was an original member of CAA’s internal agency board, formed in 2020, and was part of the company’s leadership group that completed the integration of talent agency ICM.

“CAA remains the dominant music and comedy touring agency thanks to a profoundly deep culture of collaboration, innovation, and unyielding devotion to clients,” says Light, who recently signed a long-term contract to remain at CAA, alongside all the other MDs. “For years, Darryl, Rick and Emma have been extraordinary partners to me in leading our touring group in North America and London, respectively. I am immensely proud of all that we have achieved to date and look forward to what they will create in the years ahead.

“Along with my new strategic responsibilities, I look forward to continuing to sign and empower great artists, creatively build long-term careers, and mentor young executives.”

“Rick, Darryl and Emma have long been among the most talented and widely admired leaders in the industry, not to mention three of the best agents in the world,” adds CAA co-chair and CEO Bryan Lourd. “The leadership role they each already play at CAA has earned them deep respect and trust among our colleagues across all departments.”

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Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has named nine managing directors and expanded its agency board in an evolution of its leadership team.

The revised structure will see MDs Rob Light (music), Howard Nuchow, Paul Danforth and Michael Levine (sports), Joe Cohen, Chris Silbermann and Tiffany Ward (TV), and Joel Lubin and Maha Dakhil (motion picture),  work alongside co-chair and CEO Bryan Lourd, co-chairs Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett, and president Jim Burtson.

The agency board members, meanwhile, include Katie Anderson, Emma Banks, Lorrie Bartlett, Matt Blake, Alan Braun, Austin Brown, William Brown, Libby Bush, Ben Dey, Jaime Feld, John Garvey, Liz Gray, Sloan Harris, Jeff Krones, Franklin Latt, Brandon Lawrence, Michelle Kydd Lee, Joe Machota, Lisa Joseph Metelus, Matthew O’Donohoe, Praveen Pandian, Dan Rabinow, Rachel Rusch, Roeg Sutherland, Nick Thimm, Natalie Tran, and Ida Ziniti.

Variety reports the MDs will work on an array of strategic and operation matters, while the agency board will focus on organisation, dealmaking, sustained innovation and development and training.

CFO Carol Sawdye and chief legal officer Hilary Krane will continue to serve in leadership roles.

“We have always been clear in our mission – to deliver world-class personal service to world-class clients”

“Today’s announcement highlights not only the strength, momentum, breadth and depth of today’s CAA, but the incredibly exciting promise of our future, with two new teams of exceptionally talented, proven leaders, committed to serving our clients and colleagues,” says Lourd.

“We have always been clear in our mission – to deliver world-class personal service to world-class clients. With our expanded corporate leadership structure and an entire company of the world’s best dealmakers, creative thinkers and career representatives, CAA has never been better positioned to help clients capture the best opportunities and navigate the challenges of today’s media and sports industries.”

Artémis, an investment firm led by billionaire French businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, acquired a majority stake in CAA last September. Pinault is chairman and CEO of Paris-headquartered luxury goods company Kering, owner of brands such as Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent.

Founded in 1975, CAA is headquartered in Los Angeles, and has offices in New York, Nashville, Memphis, Chicago, Miami, London, Munich, Geneva, Stockholm, Shanghai and Beijing, among other locations.

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Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has announced a raft of promotions within its music touring division.

Los Angeles-based Zack Borson, Alex Douma, Omar Garcia and Brad Pophal, Nashville-based Kaitlyn Bruce, Kara Enos and Ariel Happe, New York-based Brian Greenwood and London-based Jamie Shaughnessy have been elevated to the ranks of agent/executive.

The agency has also recently welcomed prominent music agents Matt Galle, Carly James, Mike Marquis, Mike Mori, Rachel Pestik, and Adam Voith, who have brought high-profile acts to the CAA roster, such as Shawn Mendes, Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend, Janet Jackson, My Chemical Romance, Bleachers and Girl in Red.

“Given what our industry has been through over the past 20 months, we’re incredibly proud of the touring department’s accomplishments, and are blessed to have an amazing team that stayed focused and diligent throughout. We have also been fortunate to have fantastic agents and executives join us over these past months,” says CAA’s head of music Rob Light.

Each of the nine people joining our agent and executive ranks has earned their place among our talented colleagues

“The entire team has worked tirelessly on behalf of our clients – their creativity and teamwork continues to serve the passions, needs, interests, and dreams of the incredibly talented artists we work with. Each of the nine people joining our agent and executive ranks today has earned their place among our talented colleagues and we look forward to their many successes ahead.” 

The promotions come on the heels of CAA’s agreement to acquire ICM Partners and follow notable client signings for the company including Zac Brown Band, The Weeknd, JoJo Siwa, Arcade Fire, Miguel, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chvrches, Charli XCX, Stormzy and Playboi Carti.

Borson, Douma, Enos, Garcia, Greenwood, Pophal and Shaughnessy have been upped to agents, with Bruce and Happe both now serving as executives in CAA’s in-house music marketing and brand partnerships divisions respectively.

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“We walked into work on January 3, 1984, just three agents with three clients and a bit of a dream.”

35 years later, Rob Light, now managing director of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) can rightly look back on the growth of the music department and say that dream came true.

With headquarters in Los Angeles, London and Beijing, the agency works across film, television, music, sports, digital media, marketing and much more.

The music department alone is made up of over 100 agents around the globe and generates over US$3 billion in worldwide touring revenue, according to Billboard. It claims to have more women agents than any other agency, more women in power than any other agency, and a more diverse agent breakdown.

Yet, insists Light, it still runs like a boutique business. “We’re a big agency, but we still care. For us it’s not about being cool – if you want to break and have a career this is how we do it. We’re never cookie cutter.”

New kids on the block
CAA was founded in a whirlwind of drama in 1975 when five hungry William Morris Agency staff quit the biggest film and TV agency in Hollywood to start their own business. It was a major shake-up – the story is worthy of a movie in itself, and is described in great detail in James Andrew Miller’s book, Powerhouse.

Nine years later, in 1984, the company created another stir. It launched a music department and poached one of the biggest names in the music agency business at the time to head it: Tom Ross, head of International Creative Management (ICM)’s music division.

“We’re a big agency, but we still care”

Ross’s assistant at the time was Light. He’d started in ICM’s mail-room six years earlier, aged 21, where he lasted for seven days before being spotted by Terry Rhodes (now running his own agency, Patriot Artists).

When CAA co-founder Mike Ovitz approached Ross, Light was invited to join his boss at the fledgling department. At the time, ICM was a powerhouse. And although it had a reputation for its film and TV work, CAA had just 27 agents, so the move was something of a gamble.

“I believed in Tom, plus Mike Ovitz was an incredibly seductive guy,” remembers Light. “So at 26 I thought I’d take a shot.”

The next five years saw explosive growth. Ovitz had assured Ross that CAA’s music and film departments would work together, and came good on his promise. “When I started at CAA all the film agents were excited we were there,” says Light.

Until then, film, TV and music departments at agencies were like separate kingdoms. But there was increasing demand from musicians to fulfil their other creative ambitions, and CAA’s close working relationship across the teams was ready to help realise them. This cross-departmental ethos has been integral to the company’s success ever since.

“It felt like the agency business had never seen that type of approach, attitude, energy or level of teamwork”

One of the first signings the new music department made was in summer 1984. Prince had long held a desire to make the movie Purple Rain and CAA got him on the books by promising to make it a reality. Light went on to work with the artist for the next 13 years, outlasting many managers and lawyers.

It was the teamwork mentality that was so unique. As agent Rob Prinz told James Andrew Miller: “It felt like the agency business had never seen that type of approach, attitude, energy or level of teamwork and co-ordination.”

CAA was the first agency to have a crossover agent, which saw dedicated TV and acting agent Brian Loucks installed in the music department. Loucks was a massive film and TV geek with an encyclopaedic knowledge of avant-garde film as well as the mainstream.

Loucks’ embracing of the cross-departmental approach can be typified in his Living Room Sessions, which started out as an informal gathering and have turned into an industry networking tour-de-force. They see about 200 carefully selected people invited to his home in LA’s Studio City to see performances by artists such as Annie Lennox, Christine and The Queens, Keith Urban, Two Door Cinema Club and Tim McGraw. These carefully selected invitees are A-list Hollywood, music business and brand names, including renowned manager Simon Fuller, Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson and actor Chris Pine.

“What we’re doing is trying to serve the artists’ needs. If they say they want to try acting, we can give them the tools”

“What we’re doing is trying to serve the artists’ needs,” explains Light. “If they say they want to try acting, or like Billie Joe from Green Day, wanting to do a Broadway play [American Idiot]. If they really want to do it, we can give them the tools.

“It’s easy when you have a company that’s built that way. Everybody here wants to work in this way. You have to have somebody in place to help the artist fulfil what they want to do.”

A reputation for innovation
Light’s rise to the top came when CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz left in 1995 for an infamously short-lived stint as Michael Eisner’s deputy at Disney. His departure was a big deal for the company, which was by now one of the biggest agencies in the world.

It meant a shake-up at the top of the company’s administration. Ross stayed a few years longer, but left in 1998, fed up of the way the live industry was going. It was the time of Live Nation precursor SFX, when media mogul Robert Sillerman was buying up promoters around the world. Ross was one of the most vocal opponents of the new behemoth and after three decades at the top, wanted out of the agency business.

What happened next set the roadmap for CAA’s success and confirmed its reputation for innovation.

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After a decade at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), UK booking agent Jake Leighton-Pope has left to launch a new artist management company.

Leighton-Pope started his career in management, working with artists including Paul Oakenfold and Richard Ashchroft at Marc Marot’s Terra Firma Artist Management, before moving into merch with Universal’s merchandise division, Bravado.

He joined CAA in London, where his roster included Will Young, Little Dragon, Dodie and Cherry Glazerr, in 2008.

“I started in management 20 years ago, and it’s time for me to go back,” Leighton-Pope tells IQ. “I loved being an agent – I did it for ten years and had a great time – but I’m in my 40s now, and it was time for a change.”

“I started in management 20 years ago, and it’s time for me to go back”

He adds that leaving CAA – and his former colleagues, including UK office co-heads Emma Banks and Mike Greek and head of music Rob Light – is bittersweet, and was an amicable split. “It was as good [an experience] as someone leaving a company after ten years could be,” he explains.

“I love them and they love me. I’m leaving with a heavy heart.”

While it’s “very early days” for his new, as-yet unnamed company, Leighton-Pope says the new business is “about bringing all my years of experience together” to offer a full-service management offering to his new roster. His first artist is up-and-coming London-based electronic act Anna Straker, who he is co-managing with James Barnes of the Forty Four management.

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