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Honesty, Passion & Strategy: How Agents Are Making The Most Of Near Infinite Opportunities
Sustainability in the touring context doesn’t just mean reducing emissions and energy use. It also means touring in a way that protects the physical and mental health of artists and crew, and it means not overcharging fans to make sure they can go to more rather than fewer shows. Matt Bates, managing partner and CEO of Primary Talent, is aware of this, which is why he always asks: “How can I create longevity for my artists in their campaign? How can I create a profitable touring situation for my artist without the fans suffering? Remember you are dealing with human beings…Is the itinerary sensible, safe and practical for all those involved on the road?”
The developments of the past years have changed the profile of a music agent. As UTA’s Jules de Lattre explained, “Agents of today need more than one essential quality. They need a complex set of skills to best navigate the current music environment: adaptability, creative problem-solving, organization, managerial, analytical. Agents need to be reactive to fast-changing market conditions. They need to combine a busy day-to-day schedule with the constant need for creativity and ‘higher-thinking.’ Current agents also need to have a clear understanding of how younger generations are consuming music and discovering new artists.”
CAA’s Ben Coles thinks, “Artists and managers are looking for honesty, passion and a solid strategy from their agents. It is so important to be well informed in the genre and markets that you are working in and to be able to come to your clients with a plan to take them to the next level of their career. Sometimes you might need to deliver bad news, but if you’ve taken the time to build a real connection with the artists and managers that you’re working with, then you should be able to move past whatever the issue is and that relationship will only grow stronger over time. This business is all about relationships, so be nice to each other out there!”
For Tom Schroeder, EVP & managing executive at Wasserman Music UK, the most important qualities to successfully meet the challenges of today’s live biz are “imagination, creativity, and a detailed understanding of the market – it’s a brave new world, with huge local variations – and, thank god, infinite opportunities to do things differently as consumption and engagement change so dramatically.” Schroeder said, “The biggest question we all face – with cost of living affecting so many markets – is how do we ensure that all fans have access to seeing their favorite artists so that those relationships can be galvanized over time through the live experience? There is no perfect answer. Parts of the market are highly price sensitive, but the top section can and should be pushing ticket prices higher for the experience they are providing. But – and it’s a big but – if there is no solution that allows those most impacted by the rising cost of living to be part of the journey, we will lose them for the future and then nobody wins.”
Ticket pricing is something “we talk about a lot in our agents meetings,” said Coles, “We need to be mindful to the fans during this cost-of-living crisis but at the same time it is becoming harder and harder for artists to make touring work financially, and many times increasing ticket prices is the only way of getting the guarantee increased to a point where it makes sense to do the show. An £8 ticket price for a debut London headline show in a 200-cap venue might have been the norm five to seven years ago for some bands, but
£8 will just about get you a pint of beer in London these days, so ticket prices clearly need to be adjusted accordingly! I have pushed to get ticket prices increased from what promoters initially proposed on my last five European tours and all have sold out quickly with no resistance from fans.”
“With that said though,” added Bates, “there is a ceiling, and we have to be very conscious of what we are passing back to the consumer as it has to have an impact somewhere. Even if the premier shows and artists are doing very well, the concern is taking money from ticket sales further down the food chain. In a time where the cost of living is only increasing, we have to be careful not to cut off the life supply of the headliners and stars of the future by inflating prices with our arena or stadium artists.”
Pollstar also asked each agent for their business philosophy, particularly with regards to building up newcomers. De Lattre said, “The key for newcomers with some international demand is to focus on a small number of key markets and expand from there. Once you are selling out in key cities you can expand out with more knowledge and less risk.”
Bates responded, “Make what you do count. Be clever and thoughtful with your actions. There is no need to tour for touring’s sake, so make sure you work with all aspects of the campaign, so any live activity compliments release schedules, etc. It is very hard now to keep touring over and over again at the same level so make sure every time you go back out that you can show some growth.”
Coles emphasized, “No two artists are the same, so there isn’t a blueprint on how to break an act! It’s important that the artist has a strong work ethic, and a long-term vision for what they want the project to be, as we can then go out and really fight for the act, and put a plan together that makes sense.”
Schroeder concluded, “You’ve got to stay nimble, focus on creating truly meaningful moments for artists and fans, and accept that there generally aren’t the resources for an act to play shows all around the country, much less the world, from the start of their career. Everyone would love to do that, but for a multitude of reasons it just isn’t financially viable. You’ve got to build your way there and artists must anticipate and accept that they will be thrown into high-pressure shows from early on where the stakes are high. Most importantly, you need to listen closely to artists, understand their unique vision and definition of success, and ensure that they are involved directly in the decision-making process. It’s their career, and their relationship with their fans is everything.”