2026 Impact 50 Honoree: Dennis and Jarred Arfa

DENNIS ARFA
Chairman
Independent Artist Group

JARRED ARFA
Global Head of Music
Independent Artist Group

BY THE NUMBER: 2. It’s a case of two of a kind for this father-son duo. “You need to react to a problem well or else you will have two problems.”

While coming from different generations, Dennis and Jarred Arfa combine the best of both worlds – father Dennis’ pioneering career and decades of experience representing high-level talent – and son Jarred, now overseeing operations at the powerhouse talent agency’s music division with a fresh perspective and having learned from one of the best.
Perhaps appropriately, then, the two share some opinions.

Current challenges and/or “blue dot fever.”

Dennis: “I think your question can apply to every year. The one thing that certainly exists is fatigue and artists being seen too much. I think it is good that it is more transparent and you have to be more sensitive to overreaching when booking your tours.”
New tools can help, Arfa says, such as “Ticketmaster’s Artist signups when doing multiple arena or stadium shows. You can add shows based on demand before you go onsale. It provides great foresight”

Jarred: “I think mostly hype, but it is a reminder to be careful about both not over-touring as well as overshooting on venue size. It’s important to not wear out the consumer or oversaturate the market. We are always price conscious and look to package effectively to make a tour stick out from the pack. We are still seeing many successful tours when they are set up and positioned properly.”
Upcoming highlights for IAG include longtime client Metallica’s immediate sellout of its 24-date “Life Burns Faster” Las Vegas Sphere residency that kicks off Oct. 1, the Rush “Fifty Something” comeback that kicks off in Los Angeles in June, Def Leppard Europe and South America dates and Rod Stewart’s continued road success, everywhere from Rock in Rio to the Hollywood Bowl.

“Winning is fun” – Dennis

Adding to the roster’s established longtime clients are up and comers and new headliners in the rock space like Spiritbox and Sleep Token, as well as strong R&B and hip-hop talent like Ne-Yo, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige, many of whom joined the Arfa fold when the music agency they founded — Artist Group International — merged with longtime talent agency APA in 2023, forming what is now Independent Artist Group. The agency now totals about 100 agents in all media, with about a quarter being music agents.
“We see more crossover opportunities in the content space, whether it’s scripted documentaries or non-scripted opportunities,” Jarred said in a recent interview.”

IAG has its main office in Los Angeles, with additional offices in New York, Nashville, Toronto and “hopefully abroad coming soon.”
Recent years have seen continued growth of the agency’s global touring division, Jarred says.

“We have continued to develop and sign more headline artists worldwide than ever before. I think our strength globally, particularly in the rock genre, has contributed to that.”

The two have somewhat defined roles, with Dennis, with more than 50 years of relationships and experience with major artists, often making client-related decisions and Jarred handling operational strategy.

“Everybody believes in our common goal of doing what’s best for the team and for the artist,” Dennis said in a recent Pollstar interview. “Even though we come from different lanes, people respect that that’s where we’re coming from and we’re good at it. No one is respecting us because we have a title. They’re respecting us because we make a lot of sense in our approach and how we see the world.”

Maybe it’s genetic or being surrounded by stars like Billy Joel, but Jarred learned quickly and continues to apply those lessons in his current role.

“There is a certain social aptitude and emotional intelligence either you have or you don’t. In this business that leans so much on personal relationships, those traits are invaluable. There were times, especially earlier on, where I knew when to shut my mouth. I wasn’t the big shot in the room and that’s OK. You’re not always that guy. To this day, when I’m sitting with a manager or whoever, you have to read the room and know, “OK, this is the star in the room, the person who wants to hear themselves talk.” And that’s OK. It’s whatever the situation calls for. I can turn it on and be charming and charismatic, but you don’t always have to be that person to be successful.”

It’s an important lesson, one of many he learned directly from his closest mentor.

“You need to react to a problem well or else you will have two problems,” Jarred says, as taught by Dennis.