Stan Barnett Signs With APA

– Stan Barnett

Nashville power agent Stan Barnett has joined APA’s Music City Office. His roster over the years has included Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum), Joe Nichols, Ralph Stanley and Brandy Clark, but it was not announced which clients would be making the move with him.

Prior to this move Barnett had been at CAA since 1999. He has twice won the IEBA Talent Agent of the Year Award.

“Stan’s incredible knowledge, expertise and devotion for all things country music only begins to enumerate the many qualities that make him one of the most successful and valued agents in our industry,” APA CEO Jim Gosnell said in a statement.  “I’m very excited about the transformation taking place in Nashville and its evolution into a multi-faceted microcosm of the music business, with substantial opportunities for artists to pursue cross-over platforms.  The goal at APA Nashville is to continue our full-service representation of that arena, and having an agent like Stan join our talented team is paramount to that agenda as we usher in a new era with a reinforced commitment to excellence.”’

Barnett issued a statement to Pollstar saying: “I’m very proud to be working at APA Nashville.  I’ve known and admired Jim Gosnell, Jeff Hill, and other members of the APA family for 20 years, so having the opportunity to work together is like a dream come true. Life is good!”

APA, like so many other agencies, had a rough 2020 and was forced to make multiple rounds of cost reductions through the year. Another blow came when company co-founder Robert Lasky died at 91 years old.

On a more positive note, the company did get a major cash infusion from Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies and Jim Osborne was announced as the next APA President while Jim Gosnell retained his position as CEO.