2025 Impact NextGen Honoree: Becky Rosen-Checa

BECKY ROSEN-CHECA
Talent Buyer
Goldenvoice

WHAT PROMPTED HER TO LEAVE SOUL-SUCKING ADVERTISING JOB?
Seeing Sufjan Stevens at the Hollywood Bowl.

Like many industries, there are barriers to entry in the world of live music. However, rather than the time and money needed to acquire those pesky certifications or university credential requirements, the persistence and hard work needed for the live music business can be met with elbow grease.

“After getting rejected for several other positions, I got a job as the receptionist at AEG,” says Becky Rosen-Checa, who was inspired to work in live music after seeing Sufjan Stevens at the Hollywood Bowl and being “blown away by the venue as there wasn’t anything like that in New York.” Leaving a “soul-sucking job in advertising,” the receptionist gig was an example of the power of getting your foot in the door. “If you work hard once you’re there, you can kick the door open,” says Rosen-Checa, who has a B.A. in religious studies and English literature/language.

“After serving my time as the receptionist, I was lucky enough to be plucked from obscurity to be Jenn Yacoubian’s assistant,” she adds. Rosen-Checa notes that the Goldenvoice executive vice president, who she counts as a mentor, taught her “pretty much everything” she knows. “When I started working for her, she was primarily booking the Shrine & Splash House, but by the time I moved on from her desk, she was also doing Coachella, Cruel World, the Greek, arenas, etc. It was pretty inspiring to witness that trajectory and learn from her along the way.”

Rosen-Checa, 32, books concerts at the Fox Theater Pomona near Los Angeles, occasionally dabbling in festivals, including booking the Desert Air Festival at the Palm Springs Air Museum in November 2024, which featured Jamie xx, Kaytranada, Sammy Virji, Trove Lo / SG Lewis’ Club Heat and Shygirl. “It was pretty cool!,” she says.

“I also booked HorsegiirL at the Shrine this year, which is the largest capacity show I’ve booked thus far,” she adds. “It sold out at the onsale, so that was exciting.” As a younger millennial, she says she’s “lucky to remember a time before computers and smartphones ruled our lives, but also to have grown up alongside those technological advancements. So, we are capable of picking up the phone and having a conversation with somebody, but also are adept at all forms of online communication.”

Personally, she says her strengths include being “a direct and merit-driven person, which is a quality I’ve always appreciated in bosses cause it helps me improve,” and she also wants to help those coming after her develop and advance their own careers “if they are down to put in the work.” She says the best way to overcome any bad news or craziness of current events is simple: “Going to more concerts!”