2024 Impact 50 Honoree: Rick Roskin

CO-HEAD OF GLOBAL TOURING
CAA

START IN THE INDUSTRY: CAA’s mailroom
BIZ PHILOSOPHY: There’s no replacement for hard work

After graduating from Tulane University with a B.A. in Political Science, Rick Roskin wanted to cut his teeth in the live music business. It was 1988, and he got hired in the Creative Artists Agency’s mailroom, where he worked for several years. By 1991, Roskin was promoted to agent. By 1995, he became an instrumental part of co-founding Warped Tour, which was eventually acquired by Launch Media in 2000. And now, after 25 years at the agency, Roskin was named co-head of global touring alongside Darryl Eaton and Emma Banks as this story went to print.

“There is no replacement for hard work,” Roskin says. “Educate yourself and know your industry – opportunity sometimes sits in the cracks and what I mean is, yes, pay attention to the latest hot idea or project, but you’ve also got to find the white spaces. Where are people not yet paying attention? What hasn’t been done?”

This year alone, CAA has helped several of their artists grow into arenas. “It’s a huge moment in an artist’s career and to get to be there with them is just incredible,” he says. “From Conan Gray, Melanie Martinez, Maggie Rogers, Charli XCX, Kelsea Ballerini and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, to Peso Pluma, Doja Cat, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Shane Gillis and Andrew Schulz … I could go on and on.”

CAA continues its legacy as one of the top agencies in the business. In Pollstar’s Q1 Top 100 Worldwide Tours chart, six of the Top 25 tours were CAA’s (including Eagles and RBD in the Top 10). That comes as no surprise to Roskin, who says the department has continued to expand its reach.

“Looking ahead, I’m excited about the growth and development of our touring group,” Roskin says. “We have the greatest team of agents and execs in the industry, and we work collaboratively in everything we do. So, we’re focused on continuing to hire, nurture and develop the most talented and ambitious people out there to stay at the top of the game.”

Roskin’s own roster includes Eric Clapton, Santana, Iron Maiden, Cheap Trick, Kesha, Counting Crows, Kelly Clarkson, Tom Morello, Slipknot, OneRepublic, Rob Zombie, the Black Crowes, Kelsea Ballerini, The Black Keys and Fiona Apple. He currently sits on CAA’s internal board overseeing the agency’s day-to-day operations.