2025 Impact Intl. UK/Euro Honoree: Andy Cook

ANDY COOK
Music Touring Agent
CAA

HOW DYLAN & THE WHITE STRIPES CHANGED HIS LIFE

CAA music agent Andy Cook’s first live experience was seeing The White Stripes at the legendary Barrowlands in Glasgow in 2003, on the “Elephant Tour.”

“The sheer power and energy of that show,” he says. “I have always been such a huge fan of that band, and honestly, pretty much all of Jack White’s output. But that show had such a big and positive effect on me. It was so loud and powerful and raw … I could feel it in my chest. But also, the way the stage had been set. The simplicity of the red, white and black. Just the two of them…and those songs. It was just incredible. Gives me goosebumps thinking about that show even today.”

Today, he helps his own roster of artists give their fans goosebumps, and one look at Andy Cook’s clients is enough to dispel any worries one might have had about the future of headliners: Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams and Leon Bridges are just the very tip of the iceberg.
Kahan headlined BST Hyde Park this summer, the very definition of a headliner-driven event, where he was supported by Abrams, as well as fellow CAA clients Sydney Rose and Sebastian Schub, among others.

That July 4 show on a beautifully sunny London evening in front of a sold-out 65,000-strong crowd “felt like the culmination of a lot of hard work that Noah has put in, not just over the past year, but over the past decade. He is a shining example of an artist who does not give up and has talent by the bucketload to boot. From the top down, the show felt like a celebration of everything that is good about our business today. An unbelievable collection of songwriters. And the fact that our other clients featured on the bill, too, made it all the more special. As I stood watching the show, with my wife and kids there … I was thinking, I love this job, and this is exactly why I love it.”

Seeing artists grow into venues and spaces they once thought out of reach is the most rewarding aspect of the job for Cook. Examples include Wunderhorse, who’ve built their following in grassroots venues and have risen to playing in 5,000- 10,000-cap. rooms and bigger. Gerry Cinnamon is another example.
“Those stories prove that when those foundations are supported, artists really can grow in this environment,” he says.

Knowing how essential the circuit is, one of Cook’s main concerns is its health. “At the very top,” he explains, “stadium and arena shows are thriving. Which we love, of course. But smaller venues and emerging artists are under real pressure. Costs have gone up, and venues are closing. That matters because without those smaller spaces and early opportunities, how do artists actually build in this environment?” What gives him optimism are some of the initiatives launched in the UK and Europe to support the grassroots.

Cook didn’t grow up in a particularly musical household. His parents mostly owned best-ofs, including Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits, which piqued his interest as a 14-year-old. “I remember reading an article which listed The Freewheelin’, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde as the Holy Trinity of albums to listen to as an introduction to Bob,” Cook says. “I managed to get my hands on all three soon after, and started in chronological order. I put on The Freewheelin’, halfway through the first track, ‘Masters of War,’ I had this wave of realization … I couldn’t believe the songwriting, and how the song made me feel. It was the first time I ever thought about how there must be such a huge world of music out there for me to discover, and how unbelievably exciting that was.”

Fast forward to 2025, and the more-than-healthy demand for live music since the pandemic has been “both a gift and a challenge,” according to Cook.

“With so many artists touring, venue and routing availability have been more competitive than ever. We’re now working on tours years in advance just to secure the venues we need within a routing that makes sense, which is difficult when release plans aren’t confirmed that far out. That’s meant planning further ahead than ever, but also staying flexible. Reimagining routings, exploring secondary markets differently, and working closely with promoters to help make decisions on taking bold steps. Just as important is clear communication with artists and their teams, so they understand the reasons behind our advice and suggestions.”

Many fans in 2025 are showing their willingness to pay good money for a premium experience. Cook is keen on exploring ways of making this specific relationship between artists and fans “less transactional,” as he puts it.

“At the moment, fans buy a ticket and that’s often the end of it. But if artists can stay in touch with them directly, that’s the opportunity. For years, this has been made more difficult than it should be. Most of the fan data from ticket sales has sat with the ticketing companies, promoters and labels. But I think artists have to be able to access and use this data more easily and effectively. It doesn’t have to be complicated … it just means if they know who their fans are, they can interact with them in a more personal and meaningful way.”