IMG Talks Classical With ICM

Classical music management firm IMG Artists is reportedly in talks with ICM to acquire the talent agency’s classical music division. The two agencies are among the most prominent in the classical music business.

Sources told The New York Times the discussions were serious, but ICM would not comment and officials at IMG did not return calls to the paper.

IMG represents a broad roster of artists including Renée Fleming, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, as well as orchestras including the Dallas Symphony and the Oslo Philharmonic. It also handles tours by many major ensembles.

ICM, based in Los Angeles, has a substantial classical roster as well, includingYo-Yo Ma, Midori, and Wynton Marsalis. The classical division is run by David Foster, a respected manager who jumped from Columbia Artists to ICM in 1995.

However, it’s well recognized that the classical division is a very small part of ICM’s total business, which includes music, film, TV and literary wings.

A spinoff of the classical division could be a result of the recapitalization announced in November by ICM. The move raised $100 million and, according to the NYT, the company said it would use the capital for growth in its main business areas.