Pollstar’s 2023 Year-End Executive Survey (Part 3)

The past year saw live music pushed even further into the stratosphere with Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Ed Sheeran, P!NK and Elton John all out on the road. Not to mention U2’s residency at Sphere in Las Vegas. Throughout 2023 the industry experi- enced massive highs including Taylor

and Beyoncé grossing more at SoFi Stadium than most music festivals do over a single weekend, along with challenges like severe weather stranding thousands in the desert as well as inflation, ticketing and a glut of tours.

Pollstar reached out to many of the industry’s top executives to get their take on 2023, with promoters, agents, managers and venue execs taking stock of this year’s successes and failures. This is the second installment of  Pollstar’s annual Year- End Executive Survey, which will be included in these pages throughout the coming weeks.

PARTICIPANTS 

Lee Anderson
EVP, Wasserman Music

Maggie Baird
Founder, Support+Feed

Matt Blake
Agent, CAA

Carly James
Agent, CAA

Marcus Levy
Agent, WME Comedy

Kate Des Enfants McMahon
EVP, Messina Touring Group

Stephanie Miles
Agent, Wasserman

Eric Silver
Artist Manager, Red Light Management

What were you and your company’s greatest successes in 2023?

Lee Anderson: Our greatest success is the positive culture and high morale we have as an organization. People are excited to be here every day and incredibly proud of the company where they work. We have seen exceptional growth as a business this year, which is directly related to the professional growth of our employees and agents. This year, we are promoting more than 20 agents in title thanks to financial success that has collectively helped our clients earn more, our agents earn more, and our business flourish as a whole.

Maggie Baird: Support+Feed is innovating a new model for social impact that brings together artists, global leaders, and local activists dedicated to increasing access, acceptance and demand of plant-based food to address the inequities in our global food systems.

Matt Blake: We have built our roster with over a dozen acts that tour in arenas, including some of the hottest emerging comedians this year, such as Andrew Schulz, Matt Rife and Shane Gillis.

Carly James: We have had an incredible year here at CAA with too many wins to name. The incredible number of artists touring, selling out clubs, arenas, stadiums – it was a sight to behold – and those successes are felt by all of us, which is a powerful feeling that I think is much-needed in this industry right now.

Marcus Levy: Our greatest accomplish- ments included dozens of successful tours from major arena acts like Bill Burr, John Mulaney, Kevin Hart, Kevin James and Theo Von, to the instant success of Brett Goldstein and the Tina Fey & Amy Poehler tour and the emergence of the next wave of great comics including Sam Morril, Chris Distefano and Trey Kennedy. For me personally, major highlights included seeing the success of Trevor Wallace’s “Are You That Guy” tour and the subsequent release of his Amazon special “Pterodactyl,” the emergence of Zarna Garg and the release of her Amazon comedy special “One in a Billion,” and being in- volved in the massive success of Nigel Ng’s comedy special self-release on livestream platform Moment House and subsequently on YouTube.

Kate Des Enfants McMahon: MTG had a busy year – we had Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and George Strait in the stadiums, and Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney and Old Dominion in the arenas.

Stephanie Miles: Our incredible brand partnerships team helped drive deals for clients like Drake with Sprite and Cash App; SZA with Skims; Tommy Hilfiger and Marc Jacobs and Johnny Cash with Major League Soccer; Joy Oladokun in a major GAP campaign; Kitty Ca$h partnering with Nike’s Jordan brand and YSL Beauty; Niko Rubio appearing in a Dr. Martens campaign; and Curtis Harding on billboards for fashion brand COS.

Eric Silver: 2023 saw us complete a year-long Live Nation tour deal for our artist Subtronics, with numerous arena headlines, including a sellout at Kia Forum in Los Angeles and a double sellout at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Our artist Boogie T sold out his “Boogie T On The Rocks 2” at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in April of 2023, and just went on sale for Boogie T On The Rocks 3 in late March of 2024.

What were the greatest challenges this year, and what strategies did you implement in response?

Anderson: The cost of touring continues to be a challenge for our clients, but as the ticketing industry has evolved and become more sophisticated in terms of pricing, we’ve been able to help capture the true pricing of tickets for our clients thanks to new technologies. Now, our clients can participate in the actual gross for their performances, which generates significantly more earnings for them at a time when many acts are struggling to figure it out.

Baird: Food insecurity is the greatest humanitarian crisis we face, with 44 million people going hungry in the U.S. this year alone. Meanwhile, the equally profound climate crisis hurtles forward, causing devastating environmental losses, human suffering and displacement.

Blake: With the SAG and WGA strike this year, our industry was put on hold in a number of areas, and we responded by putting our clients to work on the road touring. Inflation has also affected many people, and we have focused on choosing the correct buildings and correct ticket prices to continue building careers beyond just the next engagement.

James: The topic of mental health awareness has been a challenge, looming in the background since forever, and it feels that in the past few years as an industry, we’ve started to carve a path towards normalizing the conversation surrounding it. Artists utilizing their platforms has certainly been the catalyst, and having a team that prioritizes strategic touring and goals relative to taking care has been something I’ve always believed as possible. It’s not always going to be the most financially viable path, but making an artist & manager feel okay about what opportunities they choose – and, more importantly, don’t choose – is a skill that is more important than ever. It’s the key to building careers, not just tours.

Levy: The glut of tours led to stiffer competition for consumers’ attention and dollars. With limited availability of the most-desired venues in each market, we adapted and got creative about where and when we’d have to set up shows. We implemented creative routing and helped clients have a better understanding of the market.

McMahon: Big tours and a small staff – our greatest challenge was burnout. How do you keep going and continue being motivated when your brains are dribbling out of your ears? Our team made a point to rest when we could, take care of ourselves and our families, and be gentle with one another.

Miles: Potential recession fears early in the year drove brands to become more con- servative with their budgets. But our team stayed thoughtful and present in the marketplace despite the jitters, and as budgets opened up (often somewhat abruptly), we were ready to move nimbly and collaboratively to bring new partnerships to life, drive successful results for all parties.

Silver: Our greatest challenges this year were consumer ticket price sensitivity and over-saturation in the market with so many EDM tours and festivals.

How did the glut of tours and events in the marketplace impact your business?

Anderson: It forces artist teams to be more thoughtful and strategic with every move they make. Gone are the days of mailing it in and just sticking an act on the conveyor belt. It’s more important than ever to be thoughtful and original when considering each show and making sure the short-term decisions align with the long-term strategy. Every detail –date, city, venue, etc. – needs to be right in order to be competitive.

Baird: For our work, there is no downside to participating in a greater number of tours and events to bring awareness to these urgent issues. Our partnership this year with artists, festivals and arenas were such a joy, and we look forward to building on our successes to achieve even greater impact next year!

Blake: If you have an artist in demand, the glut is something you don’t need to focus as much on; however, if you address all market challenges (like inflation) and choose the correct buildings and correct ticket prices, your artists will flourish.

James: To say it’s crowded out there is certainly an understatement. Encouraging artists to tour when the time is right has always been a responsibility for us as agents, but now it’s become crucial to consider the touring landscape even in setting up album campaigns. Setting long-term goals and working backward – it sometimes feels like writing with your less dominant hand, but the result is much more productive than simply touring just to tour. Those days are gone.

Silver: We had to pace our marketing efforts and spending. This year was a marathon, not a sprint. It was all about keeping our foot on the gas, as nothing was blowing out at on-sale and nothing was wildly wrapping last minute, as in previous years.

Ticketing was a hot-button topic with the issues of transparency, access, pricing and secondary market widely discussed and legislated. Did any of this impact your business?

Anderson: The transparency has helped create a greater understanding of the underlying economics and made it easier for artists and their teams to see where every penny of revenue they help generate actually goes.

Baird: Some artists choose to fund work like ours and the work of other non-profits through a platinum ticket or an add-on to
a general ticket price. With fans competing for limited sales, causing them to utilize secondary markets with hugely inflated prices, and original ticket prices including a variety of added fees, fans can deservedly feel overburdened.

Blake: Because ticketing fees can be a third of the total price of a ticket, it’s more important than ever before to keep this in mind while setting prices for your engagements so they don’t negatively impact business. What did come to my attention in a significant way this year was the plight of consumers who buy on the secondary market when a show date moves or gets canceled. I’m urging all our artists to encourage fans not to buy from resellers and only to buy tickets from the links to the authorized ticketing source posted on the artists’ websites.

James: It’s a problem that quite simply is never going to be solved – even as some are working on a solution, there’s always going to be someone else working on a way to counteract that fix. I appreciate artists being aware of what’s possible & what’s not and challenging their teams to find solutions that benefit them while not taking advantage of ticket buyers.

Levy: We’ve always taken access, pricing, and secondary market factors into serious account when developing and booking our tours. I’m glad there was more press about how it trickles down to the consumer. Being able to control the messaging of where and how to buy tickets with presales, on-sales, etc., is important so that fans understand they are purchasing from primary sources.

Silver: We saw negative feedback from ticket purchasers. Nobody likes to receive an unexpected added 32% in ticketing fees at checkout. And consumers don’t always understand that we have no control over that and are not participating in any of that revenue — oftentimes, the artist ends up looking like the villain.

Inflation dropped to 3.6% this year but was still felt acutely by many. How did that impact your business strategies?

Blake: We use our proprietary analytics soft- ware to help us land on the best venues and ticket prices in any given market. The strug- gling economy has made it more important than ever to use tools that give more insight than just one’s “gut.”

James: Making tickets affordable and acces- sible is always a top priority, period. The thing to stay mindful of is that artists also want to put on the absolute best show possible, so there’s a delicate balance that needs to be navigated and thought through, and that is going to be the case despite inflation.

Levy: Similar to how we approach fees and access, we have had many discussions with clients about pricing strategies. There will always be the die-hard fans willing to shell out big money for their favorite artists, but the majority of consumers are feeling these economic forces. Making sure that shows remain inclusive for all fans is the most important goal.

Silver: You really wouldn’t know that the economy improved or that the inflation rate dropped this year. Our audience is young people, and young people are struggling. We learned some important lessons this year and had to adapt accordingly with reasonable ticket prices and flexible marketing plans.

What tour, festival and/or show meant the most to you this year?

Anderson: In the first half of the year, the spontaneously announced Skrillex/Fred again../Four Tet shows in London, MSG and Coachella had a once-in-a-lifetime energy that made each performance feel so special. Being part of a team with so many respected colleagues and industry partners working tirelessly to make these amazing moments happen created an incredible sense of comradery and countless high-five moments. Toward the end of the year, the ISOKnock shows at the Shrine in L.A. blew all expectations completely out of the water from a demand perspective, especially considering they were somewhat accidental and came together at the last minute. There was an unbelievable level of energy from fans, who got to see two superstars on the verge of exploding perform together thanks to incredible performances by the artists and unflagging dedication from their management teams.

Baird: We were really thrilled to partner with Paramore to serve their tour communities in the US and UK/EU, by providing delicious plant-based meals and education to give back everywhere they went. We engaged the audience by screening a video before each show, tabling in every city and supporting a plant-based food drive at the Forum.

Blake: Anytime a comedian performs in front of 15,000 people, I’m impressed, and this year, we had over half a dozen artists on our roster do just that. It’s hard to pick a favorite with so many amazing artists and great shows!

James: There are too many great moments to call out one as the best, but one that stands out pretty clearly in my mind was seeing The Cure close out Riot Fest weekend alongside my colleague, Carole Kinzel. Carole is someone whose career I have long admired from afar, and now we work together. Dancing with her at the FOH to some of my favorite songs of all time, I felt this moment of pure gratitude that I get to do this job, especially alongside such incredible company.

Levy: One of the proudest moments this year was building Trey Kennedy’s second trip around the US and going international on this tour. It was also awesome watching Zarna Garg open for legends Tina Fey and Amy Poehler the first time in Washington D.C., and absolutely electric being in the venue when Trevor Wallace put “Pterodac- tyl” on film after 18 months on the road.

McMahon: The stadium shows with George Strait meant a lot to me personally – I worked on his first stadium shows in the ’90s and it’s so fantastic that neither of us has aged ONE BIT. OK, George hasn’t — maybe more acc rate to say I haven’t matured one bit.

Silver: Having our artists closing out festivals such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, EDC, Lost Lands and more this year meant a lot to us.

What business or tech innovation helped you the most this year?

Blake: Nine years ago, we started developing our own internal software that incorporates all of our show data into a tool that enables us to answer a limitless number of business questions surrounding live shows. Best room in market, ticket prices, routing… we use something called CAA Intel to help us with our jobs every single day we are working.

James: Mobile wallet subway entry.

Silver: I spend all day analyzing Spotify For Artists (streaming), TM1 (ticket sales), Shopify (merch store sales) and atVenu (merch venue sales), monitoring what is working and what needs attention; I couldn’t get by without these apps.

If you had to sum up your 2023 in 23 words, what would you say?

Anderson: That was one hell of a ride. Is it possible for next year to come close to matching that? I guess we’ll see.

Blake: Simultaneously, both a tough year for the overall entertainment business; however undoubtedly one of the biggest comedy booms in the last 20 years.

James: Take advantage of the moments when life slows down enough where you can pause and reflect on what it is we are doing.

Levy: The pandemic sucked, but afterward, people wanted to get out and have fun. Don’t Stop Believing. Live, Laugh, Love. Rock and Roll Forever.

McMahon: Please, God, if I’m very, very, very, very good for the rest of this year, can I have another year just like it?

Silver: Too many flights. Too many events. Too much pressure. Too many obligations. Too many responsibilities. Can’t wait to do it again in 2024!

Looking ahead to 2024, what are your predictions for the live industry?

Anderson: I think we’ll see an industry that continues to thrive, push the boundaries of creativity, work smarter and more effi- ciently, and help drive the growth of a new generation of great artists and talented professionals.

Blake: Comedians can use the internet for access to their fans via social media, podcasts, YouTube etc., and due to this, I believe comedy will continue to expand well beyond 2024.

James: I learned a few years ago to never predict.

Levy: Given that 2024 is an election year, we have, historically speaking, always seen peo- ple look to comedy for relief and a distraction from the hellscape of the news. In the coming year, we see people spending money to get out of the house, be with friends, and enjoy a live show. Here’s to hoping business will be good, as we certainly have lots of great shows next year for people to enjoy.

McMahon: As we head into 2024, we need to keep our eyes on ticket pricing. There are always the shows that can command a big-ticket price, but if we’re not careful, concerts will become a “once in a while luxury,” and I want folks to attend LOTS of concerts.

Silver: Beats me. The longer I do this, the less I know!

What are you looking forward to most?

Anderson: Watching the continuing growth of our incredible staff in their professional careers and the ongoing creative growth of the artists we’re fortunate to represent.

Blake: There’s so much to be excited about in 2024: all the specials coming out, all the tours we just put on sale, the big Netflix festival and, most importantly, the continued growth of live comedy from direct access to fans via the internet.

James: Getting to come into an office and work with the best in the biz (colleagues and clients).

McMahon: Sleep.

Miles: More organic, authentic brand partnerships.

Silver: Spending time with the family and resting over the holiday break.