WME’s Ashley Gonzalez: Signing Shakira And Leaving Med School For The Music Business

“When I started in pre-med I needed an outlet to take my mind off class/study/class/study, so I joined the radio station,” says Gonzalez, who quickly became the head of promotions at University of Miami’s WVUM-FM, working closely and brokering deals with the likes of Ultra Music Festival and other local promoters. “Frankly, it was something I liked, it was hard work but I was very lucky that it never quite felt like work. 

“Maybe halfway through my junior year I decided to fully abort mission and make the jump into music,” Gonzalez adds. “I’m a first-generation Cuban American, so my parents – everything is ‘Go to school, study, job security, you’re very blessed with these opportunities.’ Breaking the news to them was quite the interesting conversation.”

While a fun story, Gonzalez is far removed from those days by now, working in the upper levels of one of the most prestigious and largest talent agencies in the world. As a self-described 50/50 agent working with both “general” and “Latin” market clients, Gonzalez is on teams representing domestic artists such as St. Vincent while simultaneously part of the team that signed Shakira, and has brought hundreds of WME clients to Latin markets.

“I was kind of bred in our personal appearance/touring department,” says Gonzalez from her hometown in Miami, preparing to head back to the “frozen tundra” of WME’s New York office. “My roster is 50/50 general market and Latin, and I think that was done strategically. The Latin talent that I oversee and help oversee, they have a strong desire to cross over to the general market and check those non-traditional boxes. And that’s something WME and Endeavor as a whole do really well, passions and interests that are not necessarily part of a core business of an artist, which in our world is ‘the cycle’ – recording, delivering that album and touring it. So where I sit, especially for the Latin artists, is really tapping into those ancillaries, and all the vertices of what is Endeavor – whatever passions drive them and inspire them to continue the grinding of that touring cycle.”

The Latin department, of which Gonzalez is part, is led by WME partner Rob Markus and includes agents Richard Lom and Richard Vega. 

“Some artists within that world, and I’m speaking very generally, are now just coming into the headspace of figuring out other ancillary forms of tapping into their creativity that some general market artists, or a genre that is so tried and true like rock or hip-hop for example, have already been thinking that way for a while. It’s an education process as to what else you can be doing outside of the cycle of recording and touring a record.”

Gonzalez says that means not only Latin artists in Latin markets, but bringing domestic talent to rabid music fans abroad as well.

“As to my general market clients, it’s about really tapping into emerging markets – markets not necessarily in the forefront of people’s minds, but could be incredible opportunities for growth,” she says. “It’s crazy how many people in the industry don’t realize how many A-plus-spots and festivals there are in some of these markets, not just Latin America, but that’s a big part. It’s about being on the strategy end of how to take Marina (formerly known as Marina and the Diamonds) and push her to the next level in South America where we rep her. A real crazy one is LP who is absolutely killer in some of these regions. How do we really do her fans justice down there? They’re pretty rabid, and it’s a cool thing to see.”

While 2021 is still very much shaping up and it’s hard for even the ones booking the shows to predict what will happen, Gonzalez said 2020 had some bright spots.

“(Being in quarantine) does pull you off of the hamster wheel, and it forced me to take a step back and view from a 30,000-foot approach” she says. “Myself and my teammates, as everyone at WME works in teams, we were really able to look at whether there were holes in the roster to fill, great opportunities we never really realized would be there. And with existing clients you can get creative and really tap into, once again, what excites you and what your passions are.

“It was also a great year in the signing world for the agency. Shakira was an incredible sign in 2020, following her history-making Super Bowl show with J. Lo and our other client, J Balvin. There are boundless amounts of opportunities and we’re really excited about what’s to come, and all that can come out of plugging her into various divisions of WME in addition to the architecture of the agency’s parent company, Endeavor. Shakira and J. Lo doing the Super Bowl speaks for itself, they’re global superstars. But take our client J Balvin, for example, it’s a big move forward to capitalize and continue to educate – these artists shouldn’t be put in a pigeonhole; these are global artists with a global repertoire that touches all backgrounds and ethnicities.” You know you’re big when you have your own meal at McDonald’s like Balvin did, although Gonzalez is quick to note she is not part of his branding team.

Momentum continues for concerts to pick back up into the usual concert season of 2021, with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino saying in the company’s recent earnings call that they’re hopeful of major outdoor shows by early summer.

“What’s a good sign right now is that, while some things are moving and shifting to ‘22, there’s still a good amount in ‘21,” Gonzalez says, noting that every artist’s needs and wants are different, while it’s also important to take in into account fan demand and economic difficulties for consumers as well.

While some projects may be pushed back until things are more concrete, “The traffic is going to be incredible. Everyone has the appetite to get on the road,” she says.