London, Dublin and Berlin-based Booking agency PlayBook Artists is to close after its three co-founders announced they will be moving on to separate agencies.

Eleanor McGuinness, Nikita Lavrinenko and Paul McGivern set up PlayBook in 2021, having previously worked for Pitch & Smith (P&S). McGuinness will be joining the team at Earth Agency, McGivern is returning to P&S, while Lavrinenko is launching new agency Signal & Wave.

“Over the last four years we’ve built something really great together but now felt like the right time to join forces with other agencies and wrap up things on a high note at PlayBook,” says McGuinness, who started her career in the Dublin music scene in the early 2000s.

PlayBook agents Duncan Smith and Arthur Janssen will join her in making the switch to Earth Agency, with their respective clients joining each agent at their new homes.

“We have long admired Eleanor, Duncan, and Arthur’s work at PlayBook Artists,” says Earth co-founder Claire Courtney. “They are tasteful, principled, and professional agents and we are honoured they’ve decided that Earth Agency is the best home for them.”

“While we all embark on exciting new ventures that are the right next steps individually for each of us, we will carry the spirit of what we built”

McGivern who works with artists such as Cut Copy, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, GOOSE, Lambchop, The Magic Numbers and This Is the Kit, says: “It’s been exciting to create an agency from scratch with such talented people, and while we all embark on exciting new ventures that are the right next steps individually for each of us, we will carry the spirit of what we built.”

Stefan Juhlin of P&S hails McGivern’s “unparalleled work ethos, experience and strong roster”, adding that it makes him a “fantastic addition to the Pitch & Smith team”.

“We have known him for a very long time and have always loved working with him, so we are confident he will make a fantastic impact,” says Juhlin.

Lavrinenko’s current roster includes Angel Olsen, Rodrigo Amarante, The Weather Station, Jenny Hval, Lido Pimienta and Clarissa Connelly.

“My time at PlayBook has been an incredible experience, and I’m deeply grateful for everything we’ve accomplished together,” he says. “As I look ahead, I’m excited to embrace new opportunities, explore fresh ideas, and create something new.”

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European booking agency Pitch & Smith (P&S) has effectively split in two, with three former agents breaking away to launch new venture Playbook Artists.

Launched by Eleanor McGuinness, Nikita Lavrinenko and Paul McGivern, the new agency brings together more than 45 years of experience as well as a roster that includes Angel Olsen, Weyes Blood, Son Lux, Andy Shauf, This Is the Kit and Cut Copy.

Meanwhile, P&S founders Stefan Juhlin and Kalle Lundgren Smith will remain at the company along with team members based in London.

Juhlin tells IQ it was a mutual decision for the two parties to go their separate ways: “For Kalle and myself, we felt this was a good time to go back to where we once started, putting all our time and energy on fewer artists, with a very simple and straightforward organisation behind it. We’re confident this will benefit everyone, both ourselves and our artists.”

“For Kalle and myself, we felt this was a good time to go back to where [P&S] once started”

P&S will now be headquartered in Stockholm, where it was founded in 2007, with a roster that includes Caribou, José González and Toro Y Moi.

The agency will work will continue to work with the three former agents at Playbook, which will launch offices in London, Berlin and Dublin ‘to bring their international perspective to the European/UK live circuit’.

“The last year has been tough for the industry as a whole, but this feels like the perfect opportunity to collaboratively bring together the best of our experiences and shared values, and build something new with friends and partners,” says Playbook’s Paul McGivern.

“I don’t know two harder-working or more engaged agents than Eleanor and Nikita and I’m proud to be partners with them in the launch of PlayBook Artists.”

“We are all determined to bring new approaches and concepts to life and rethink what a modern, artist-focused agency can be”

Eleanor adds: “It’s important to all of us to support the independent network, especially after the challenges of the last year, and the years yet to come. Paul, Nikita and I come from a similar background of working independently, and we are very proud of that and the long term approach we have to our artists.”

Nikita comments: “It’s easy to get caught up in a “doom and gloom” mentality when the times are difficult. That’s why I love seeing excitement, energy and new ideas sprawling out conversations I have with Eleanor and Paul. We are all determined to come out of this stronger, bring new approaches and concepts to life and rethink together what a modern, artist-focused agency can be these days.”

The three partners will be joined by former Pitch & Smith agent assistant Duncan Smith, who will assume the role of agent with a roster that includes Happyness, Shopping, Lime Garden, LICE, Home Counties, and new signing Clara Mann.

Playbook follows the launch of Field Booking, Arrival Artists, Mint Talent Group and TBA Agency in the US, as well as Marshall Live Agency, Mother Artists, One Fiinix Live, Route One Booking and Runway Artists in the UK and Rebel Beat Agency in Spain, in 2020, amid a wider fragmentation of the global agency sector in response to the coronavirus shutdown.

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