Indie Champions 2025:
Barley Arts

Barley Arts was founded in 1979 when Italian record label Dischi Ricordi decided to launch a catalogue of country and folk music by organising tours and concerts. Claudio Trotta had organised some concerts and tours to fund radio station Canale 96 and was therefore approached by Ricordi to become a promoter and agent.

“The first tour was in May 1979 with John Martyn, followed by phenomenally successful tours with David Bromberg and Bruce Cockburn,” recalls Trotta. “Barley’s first office was my bedroom, and my first collaborator was Ivano Amati, who is still with me at Barley Arts. Ivano spoke English, and I drove the yellow van we used to transport the artists. When they came to Milan, they’d eat at my place with my mom, who made…

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