2026 Impact NextGen Honoree: Rachel Hacken

Rachel Hacken
Artist Manager | AGE: 34
Culture Wave

Favorite Apps?
“Master Tour, AtVenu, Chartmetric, Rostr.cc, Google Sheets, Dazz Cam, Beli, TikTok and Spotify! But if we’re talking about food apps then it’s buffalo cauliflower wings all day ;)”

Recently promoted to Artist Manager after serving as day-to-day at Culture Wave, a Red Light Management company, Rachel Hacken has had more than a few recent highlights of note:

“Officially promoted to Artist Manager, being a part of Loathe’s release of their new album, A Stranger To You, Kittie’s 30-year anniversary tour (with other client Gore.), watching Holy Wars play major festivals + shows in EU/UK for the first time, Spiritbox’s monumental milestone shows including Wembley Arena (supporting Linkin Park), Alexandria Palace (headline), and more,” says Hacken.

Hacken got her start in the business while still in college, working the door at a venue on Long Island called The Crazy Donkey. “My first post-college gig was being an assistant at WME. This job was what got me to move out to L.A. 12 years ago. Shout out Robbie Brown,” she says.

“I feel fortunate to have experienced the world before a major reliance on iPhones, algorithms and social media trends while experiencing the other side of the major ‘tech boom,’” Hacken notes. “Seeing how artist discovery and development was before our timeline has kept my ability to listen to my gut on new artists versus completely relying on data, social stats and trends. At the end of the day, if you make incredible music and are authentically you, you’ll find real fans.”

Like many in the heavy rock world, Hacken credits Sound Talent Group co-founder Dave Shapiro as an inspiration.
“I was 16, putting together a show in my hometown (Stony Brook, New York) and was curious on how to book certain Warped Tour bands on the bill and saw that he had all of my targets at the time,” Hacken says of the influential agent. “I researched him and decided I wanted to work in the music industry and never looked back. He was truly an inspiration to so many.”

Citing recent show highlights by artists like Knocked Loose, Alexisinfire, Kittie and “all-time favorite band” Nine Inch Nails, Hacken says she hopes to see more inclusion within the rock and metal industry.

“It’s come a long way but I still notice those acts being tokenized or shafted,” she says specifically of LGBTQ and BIPOC artists. “I often see these acts playing against each other at festivals (or hardly having any representation on the lineups). I’ve heard companies or individuals not take on certain female acts because they already have a few of those on their roster already, while having a ton of similar male acts without batting an eye. I can go on, but let’s do better!”