The New Bosses 2024: Austin Sarich, Live Nation

The 17th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses was revealed in IQ 129 , recognising 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business. To get to know this year’s class a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2024’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.

Austin Sarich is a senior tour director at Live Nation, where he has been an instrumental part of the global touring team since joining in 2016.

Sarich’s upcoming tours include Usher’s global 80-date Past Present Future Tour, starting on 14 August, which includes ten sold-out nights at The O2 Arena in London and shows across Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin, and Shakira’s highly anticipated sold-out Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, which begins 2 November in North America.

Recently, Sarich oversaw Doja Cat’s global The Scarlet Tour, selling over 300,000 tickets, and Travis Scott’s Utopia – Circus Maximus Tour, which sold over 685,000 tickets and grossed over $95 million in North America and is currently playing off in Europe with over 200,000 attendees, grossing $23mn thus far. He also promoted Post Malone’s 2023 If Y’all Weren’t Here I’d Be Crying Tour, which sold over 1 million tickets and grossed over $100 million globally, and 50 Cent’s The Final Lap Tour, which sold over 1.1 million tickets across 16 countries.

Sarich’s other projects include Missy Elliott’s first headline arena OUT OF THIS WORLD – THE EXPERIENCE tour with Timbaland, Busta Rhymes, and Ciara which is currently making its way across North America.

Over the years, he has also worked on tours with Chris Brown, 21 Savage, Vampire Weekend, Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and more.

Your first three years in the business was on the ticketing side. Was switching to touring always your plan, or is something you gravitated toward as you got to know the industry?
Booking was always my long-term goal for working in the industry – starting in ticketing gave me a great knowledge of the fundamentals of the business as it relates to pricing, operations, and maximising revenue for clients.

You have some exciting projects coming up – are there any in particular you are looking forward to, for any reason?
Usher’s 80 date sold out arena run kicking off in Atlanta in August. Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion Tour, where he will be performing a collection of country songs from his new record and headlining iconic stadiums like Nissan Stadium in Nashville and Fenway Park in Boston. Plus Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, kicking off in Palm Desert on 2 November.

As a tour director you must visit more places than most of your peers. Where is your favourite venue, and why?
Seeing a show at the Hollywood Bowl is always special to me – the iconic setting, atmosphere, and historical significance makes it one of a kind.

Do you have a mentor, or someone you can rely on to bounce ideas off?
I’m fortunate to work in a division with many talented & brilliant promoters, but Colin Lewis has always been a mentor to me since my first days in the industry – his dedication to his clients, staff, and craft creates an environment for many to achieve and thrive.

In terms of expanding your network of contacts, are there any events, platforms or forums you attend that you would recommend to others?
Just get out there as much as possible – go to as many shows as you can, go to the office, speak to your colleagues, learn who the next generation is. Don’t take for granted the natural connections and opportunities that can be made by just being present.

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