The live music industry has been encouraged to diversify its business model and become less reliant on alcohol sales to reflect the habits of younger concertgoers.

Nathan Clark, owner of Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club venue, made the plea during ILMC’s Wellness vs the Industry? discussion, which also featured Mother Artists co-founder Natasha Gregory and Jenni Cochrane, booker at EXIT Festival and founder of mental health and wellbeing non-profit Getahead.

Held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, the panel was chaired by ASM Global Europe SVP operations Marie Lindqvist.

“The entire industry is propped up on food and beverage,” said Clark. “If you take alcohol out of it, I don’t care whether you’re talking about an arena show, an outdoor stadium or anything else, the whole model of live music – certainly in the UK – falls down.

“How can we change the model to reflect the changing nature of society out there, and what we are seeing in trends? So I think there are big economic questions, as well as the wellbeing side that goes with this.”

Clark, who also promotes under the Brudenell Presents banner, said that evidence of the shift was undeniable.

“Anyone who denies it is blind,” he continued. “That’s the honest truth, so you have to diversify your offering.  And you’re seeing festivals pick up and diversify their offering more… When [in the past] would you see a young person at a certain age going out to have a chai latte and going to do yoga? You just wouldn’t have seen it, but that’s the nature of what it is.”

“I’ve been particularly proactive in trying to offer not only non-alcoholic drinks, but diversification”

He offered suggestions for how to keep up with changing tastes, adding the government’s tax cut on low ABV drinks had presented a “cost-effective tax incentive”.

“I’ve been particularly proactive in trying to offer not only non-alcoholic drinks, but diversification – whether it’s Kombucha on tap, or some other kind of offerings on food and drink,” he said. “Low ABV drinks… are now being up taken because the price point is lower, or if you’re a sensible venue, you can sell them at the same price and make a bigger margin, so it’s about keeping aware of the trends.

“If you can start offering those concessions, the audience will repeat buy and come to your venue or festival more.”

Cochrane said that punters now expected a wellness offering at events.

“They expect low and no [alcohol] drinks in the bar, like mocktails,” she said. “It’s just about doing your research and actually knowing what’s going to sell and giving them what they want.”

Cochrane, who also works with organisations including the Exit Festival Group, MDLBeast and music and tech conference Bridge in Croatia, discussed the evolution of the music industry over the course of her career.

“It’s seen to be an industry that everybody wants to get into,” she said. “It’s glamorous, it’s fun, it’s this and that. And with that, there’s an expectation that we should work longer hours than other industries. There’s no such thing as a nine to five, it’s this always-on mentality.

“But I think in a generational shift, younger people coming into the industry are not burning the candle at both ends. They won’t work the crazy hours that maybe we did to get into the industry to try and make our names and they don’t party as much, if at all.”

Gregory agreed that young people were now going out less, citing the pandemic as a factor.

“They grew up differently and have a fear of it,” she said. “I think over time, there’ll be another cultural shift, and so the next generation after will go out more.”

“As an industry, socially, we’re competing with on-demand entertainment”

There was also the cost of living crisis to consider, added Cochrane.

“It’s twofold,” she said. “It’s the financial implications, coupled with the fact that they’re maybe drinking less, they don’t want to go out and they just want to party less… There’s a social isolation point as well – young people have got fewer social skills because they’re online.”

Clark expanded on that statement, saying that technological development had “rapidly changed the whole marketplace”.

“As an industry, socially, we’re competing with on-demand entertainment, whether it be Amazon, Netflix or sport that you can watch on your phone,” he said. “There’s multiple games on TV that they wouldn’t have been able to watch [before], so if you couldn’t get a ticket to that, you went to a show.

“There’s so much more choice out there, so we need to make our offering better when they come out. You have to think, holistically, about what we are doing to make it as a sustainable, long-term business…. Essentially, we’re here to make people get together and have a great time. That’s what the industry is about.”

Gregory, who represents the likes of IDLES, Amy Macdonald and The Teskey Brothers, discussed her own trajectory, explaining how she balanced being an agent with parenting – and how the industry still had a long way to go in terms of support.

“My career is a maze,” she said. “It’s not a ladder, and I’m totally okay with that. I had children, I had them quite late, at 36, because I was shit scared to be honest about where I was in my career and how it would impact. I hoped the way I do things would open it up for so many and I haven’t found that happen.

“I have had to break down barriers at festivals who tell me that it’s not a place for kids, and so I work with them on how it can be a place for kids. I’ve kind of fought my way through not taking no for an answer, and I still do that to this day, because what I’m doing is hopefully opening the doors for someone else to ask that question.”

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Festivals have long been considered fertile ground for breaking artists – an invaluable platform for the latest rising stars to preach to the unconverted and expand their fanbase. But as the post-pandemic live business continues to evolve, there is a growing school of thought that the circuit now serves a different purpose.

UTA agents Tom Jones and Max Lee are well placed to comment, having secured chart-topping electronic/alt pop artist Kenya Grace slots on a record 11 of the 50 top European festivals analysed by IQ and music biz directory and data platform ROSTR last year. For the duo, the festival circuit remains an indispensable part of their booking strategy for new talent.

“When you go to new markets, it’s important to play in front of as many people as you can to earn yourself some new fans,” says Lee. “Then there are other benefits, like livestreaming – [Grace] was streamed at EXIT Festival, and Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds on the BBC, and that gave us professional footage to show to promoters and bookers. Also, those streams go far and wide and live online forever.

“Obviously, we would love to go and play our own shows everywhere. But the costs of touring are so high that if you’re trying to grow through headlines only, it becomes near impossible.”

Jones nods in agreement.

“Festivals are crucial, particularly early in an artist’s career,” he stresses. “If you deliver an incredible festival performance – whether it’s professionally filmed by a member of the artist’s team or by a fan in the crowd and then posted on social media – it has the chance to get in front of so many more eyes than just playing at a festival to 10-15,000 people. That is incredibly beneficial to an artist’s perception and building new fans.”

“Festival audiences are engaged music fans who are discovering new music whilst at the events”

Melbourne-based independent promoter Untitled Group enjoyed a sensational 10th anniversary season, hosting 35,000 attendees at its flagship camping festival Beyond the Valley and 85,000 fans across Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide for its one-day Wildlands event. It also sold out all three days of its AO LIVE festival, which took place during the 2025 Australian Open.

Unsurprisingly, Untitled co-founder Nicholas Greco maintains that festivals still offer the ideal lift-off point for rising stars.

“Festival audiences are engaged music fans who are discovering new music whilst at the events,” he says. “These moments are also shared online which contributes to the post event momentum for artists we often see. For example, at Stum’s closing set at Beyond the Valley in 2023, he performed to 35,000 people, which not only cemented his place in the scene but also drove massive momentum. He went on to sell out 5,000 tickets in Melbourne instantly for his next headline tour.”

Speaking to IQ last year, One Fiinix Live agent Jon Ollier offered a counterpoint – expressing scepticism over festivals’ role in breaking acts, while acknowledging other positives.

“I’ve never been of the belief that a whole lot of music discovery goes on at festivals,” he said. “As soon as festivals got beyond two or three stages, the idea that you have a captive audience isn’t really true.

“What they have always done is help you to establish that cultural identity that comes with having played festivals we consider to be a sort of rite of passage, or that some of the tastemakers and gatekeepers involved in the business would expect you to play in order to demonstrate your cultural relevance.”

“It’s hard to make the argument that festivals are intrinsic to breaking artists”

Runway Artists founder Matt Hanner offers an equally nuanced take.

“We’ve seen a lot of artists rise up that are playing to huge numbers of people now – thousands of people a night – but are not festival staples,” he argues. “So many of those artists can say they’ve developed a great audience without the help of festivals, so it’s hard to make the argument that festivals are intrinsic to breaking artists.

“What artists still like about them is that, in an age when it’s very easy to put music out, festival bookings are another feather in the cap. They’re another badge of honour, a recommendation that says, ‘I must be doing something right, because I’m playing these festivals over the summer.’ It’s a point of difference to separate them from the masses and that’s what we’re all looking for with artists now – and I think that is a big thing.”

Hanner, whose agency roster includes acts such as Highasakite, Cosmo Pyke, Future Teens and Bibi Club, says that a good festival slot can still help sell tickets.

“You still hear of artists amassing a great crowd for a mid-afternoon slot and it helps propel them on to the next stage,” he says. “So it’s not to say that festivals are without their merits and sit outside of everything we’re doing; there are just so many examples of artists that have got to a great point in their career without necessarily being what you would consider a ‘classic’ festival act. There are a lot of pathways to finding your audience now.”

“I try and say to my artists that you shouldn’t build through festivals”

Moreover, Mother Artists co-founder Natasha Gregory senses the current lay of the land has resulted in fewer festival opportunities for nascent artists.

“I think that agents need to have empathy for what festivals and bookers are going through at the moment, because it’s not necessarily an easy sellout, aside from your Glastonburys of the world,” says Gregory. “So I try and say to my artists that you shouldn’t build through festivals and that I understand why festivals are booking a certain artist – and why they’re not – because they have to survive through the years.

“Production costs have quadrupled since Covid and I don’t think everybody necessarily has an understanding of the sheer cost of putting on a festival, nor should they, unless you’re in the business. So I think it’s a really, really hard time for new bands that don’t have teams, that don’t have those viral moments and that don’t have radio. I do think the opportunities are less across festivals.

“However, I also think that if you build the artist as a headline artist in their own right, then when the festivals come, the slots will be better, the budgets will be better, and there will be more people watching.”

Gregory cites the fortunes of one of her most famous acts as evidence.

“When IDLES started, we couldn’t get festivals,” she recalls. “But we didn’t sit there and go, ‘Oh God, what are we going to do? Let’s wait.’ We were like, ‘Fuck, we have Brutalism, this amazing [debut] album. Let’s go out and talk. Let’s play to people.’ And it just built off that.

“They headlined the Other Stage at Glastonbury [last year] and smashed it. Again, those slots need to come at the right time in an artist’s career to really help their next steps.”

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The 2020-21 period is best forgotten for most, but one of the more positive legacies of the pandemic years for the touring community was the emergence of a wave of new independent booking agencies.

Whether by choice or necessity, the UK gained the likes of Mother Artists, One Fiinix Live, Route One Booking, Marshall Live Agency, Runway Artists and Playbook Artists; the US welcomed Arrival Artists, Mint Talent Group, TBA Agency and Paladin Artists; and the Spanish agency landscape expanded with Rebel Beat Agency.

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the Covid-enforced live music shutdown, almost all are still in operation – at odds with the broader market’s shift towards consolidation – providing an opportune juncture for IQ to take stock with a selection of the indie nation’s key players.

Among the most high-profile new entrants on the scene was One Fiinix Live. Founded by Ed Sheeran agent Jon Ollier in 2020 after nearly six years with CAA, the firm’s acts also include 2Cellos, Calum Scott, Picture This, Black Stone Cherry and Tash Sultana.

Ollier declares himself more than satisfied with its work to date.

“We’re achieving everything that we set out to achieve,” he reports. “I didn’t have a particularly grandiose vision when I started out because I didn’t know whether we were going to be in it for the long haul or whether I was just going to do something for a short period of time to see us through the pandemic before going back into another company.”

“Hopefully the few of us that have set up have been able to show big artists that the service is just as good as other agencies”

One Fiinix expanded its horizons last year with the hirings of US-based agents John Pantle and Bex Wedlake.

“Culturally it is how I envisaged it,” says Ollier. “We have a group of people that pull each other through and fight for each other.”

Natasha Gregory departed Paradigm (now Wasserman Music) in late 2020 to launch Mother Artists with her brother Mark Bent. The award-winning company’s roster includes acts such as IDLES, Amy Macdonald, The Teskey Brothers, CMAT, Ry X, Blair Davie and Foster the People.

“Maybe there are more options outside of the big corporates now, and hopefully the few of us that have set up have been able to show big artists that the service is just as good as other agencies,” muses Gregory. “You need to deliver a good service for your artist and that can be very difficult when you have 80 acts on the roster. I find it easier when it’s a smaller team, but there’s space for everyone.”

Nevertheless, Gregory plays down the impact of the proliferation of indies on the wider agency business.

“I’m not sure it’s changed the industry; I’m not sure the industry will ever change,” she tells IQ. “I don’t begrudge or look negatively at how any agency runs, no matter what size. The way I look at it is that there is a place for every person that suits themselves, their character, their needs, their meaning of success and their ambition. And then there are artists that fit into a service that they like in terms of how they want to be looked after and what’s important to them.”

“What the pandemic kicked into gear was the proliferation of indies at the bottom end”

Elsewhere, Runway Artists was set up in the spring of 2020 by former ATC Live agent Matt Hanner, who brought in ex-Primary Talent International veteran Steve Backman the following year.

“One of our big aims was to avoid becoming a small boutique that was largely irrelevant – especially being over in Portsmouth – and that was part of the reason we promptly set up a London office,” remembers Hanner. “We were both coming from established, bigger agencies and were used to operating at that level. The big were getting bigger; the consolidation at the top end of the market was happening, and what the pandemic kicked into gear was the proliferation of indies at the bottom end.”

Other early Runway hires included emerging executives Amy Greig and Dotun Bolaji (now at Primary). Its current artist roster includes …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, A Certain Ratio, Gabriella Cilmi, Future Teens, The Boo Radleys, The Mission, The Wytches and Red Snapper.

“We’ve grown the company, we’ve grown our personnel and we’ve identified younger professional talent who were either a little rough around the edges or had no real experience of the industry,” adds Hanner. “As a result, I think we have kept a seat at the table. We’re up against the ATCs or CAAs of the world when we go in for pitches and I’m not saying we’re winning a lot of them, but that’s the pool we want to be fishing in.

“We’ve also done it within the context of not having any big artists,” he continues. “We’re working a lot with grassroots and developing artists and we have a selection of heritage artists, but nothing huge and so we’re having to cut our cloth accordingly. But we’ve kept going, we’ve kept growing and I think Runway is now a company that people have really heard of which – given the explosion of agencies, especially on the independent side over the last few years – is something to be celebrated.”

“I don’t think you need an international partner to do a good job on an act”

On the subject of overseas partners, Hanner acknowledges the benefits but disputes the assertion they are now essential in the modern agency game.

“I don’t think you need an international partner to do a good job on an act,” he argues. “We represent artists where – even in Europe – we might share them with a Scandinavian agent, for example. We work alongside them and can do a good job for the artist together.

“I think the problem is that it’s a stick to beat people with when you haven’t got an international partner and other people come looking for your artist – the talk of synergies and shared calendars and that sort of thing. And invariably, this is coming from a company that also has a literary department and a screenwriter department and various other things they can dangle in front of you.

“I don’t think it’s the be-all and end-all, but if you can pitch internationally then I think it can serve you well in terms of the competition for signing and keeping artists. I appreciate, from a manager’s point of view, why a global pitch would be a sealer.”

Marshall, the British music company best known for its guitar amplifiers and speaker cabinets, launched Marshall Live Agency in 2020, helmed by agent Stuart Vallans. Vallans, who represents names like The Meffs, Heavy Lungs, Split Dogs, Pleasureinc, Cucamaras and Carsick, founded boutique agency TRUST. Artists last year and extols the virtues of going it alone.

“It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made: to be able to come and go as I please and run things how I see fit is something that fills me with happiness,” he says.

“Revenues are on the up, ticket sales are increasing across the board and bigger opportunities are opening for bands”

In Vallans’ experience, it is no more difficult to operate as an independent agency in 2025 than when he first started out.

“For us nothing has changed, it’s just been a steady increase in everything we’re doing,” he says. “Revenues are on the up, ticket sales are increasing across the board and bigger opportunities are opening for bands that we’ve been working closely with for several years. A1 forms and withhold tax are still a pain, but it’s part of what we have to do!”

Moreover, Vallans, who is in the process of adding new agents to the TRUST roster, detects a sea change in attitudes among the artist community.

“I think a lot of artists are getting a quite cynical view of big corporates, not only in the agency world but when it comes to all aspects of the industry,” he opines. “We work with so many tight knit teams – often without managers – building artists’ careers based on things we can control rather than hit and hope playlisting, press pitching and posting on socials x amount of times per day. No thanks!

“A lot of bands we work with have been churned out by the corporate system as they weren’t hitting their quota of shows/financial figures. These bands are still in demand and can have careers in music, we’re giving them a home to develop and be the bands that they want to be.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some consolidation at some stage between a few of the agencies, especially some of the one-man bands out there”

Notable happenings in the past couple of years have seen Primary Talent International return to independence following a management buyout, while UK-based indie Earth Agency celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. The sector also suffered a blow with the recent collapse of FMLY.

Looking ahead, Hanner expects further consolidation within the marketplace.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some consolidation at some stage between a few of the agencies, especially some of the one-man bands out there, because there are challenges to running a small business. But I don’t see a bunch of indie agencies giving up in the next few years,” he asserts. “I think people have found there’s an ethos that you might lose at a corporate company, and people have grown accustomed to that and enjoy working in that way.”

Closing on a confident note, Vallans sees the future for indie agencies as “incredibly positive”.

“Indie agencies can continue to flourish, 100%,” he concludes. “We collaborate on so many shows and events with other agencies and it’s great to see.”

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IDLES’ potential is “limitless” according to their longtime agent Natasha Gregory as the British rock band continue to make waves on the live stage at home and abroad.

The Bristol five-piece are currently touring Australia and New Zealand prior to dates in Japan later this month, with festival slots at Primavera Sound (Barcelona), Rock im Park and Rock am Ring (Germany), Festineuch (Switzerland), Nova Rock (Austria) and Release Athens (Greece) and Cabaret Vert (France) set for the summer.

“We’ll go to markets that we haven’t had time to go to before to make sure that we’re constantly growing in new territories,” Gregory tells IQ. “We’re always led by headline shows first, so festivals will just complement everything we’ve built.

“We’ve been playing 7,000 to 10,000-cap spaces in Australia and New Zealand, and that’s mirrored in the US. When we started touring, we considered every market to be equally important. We reminisce with our Swiss promoter TAKK, who I love dearly, about how we’d do five shows in Switzerland in the beginning.”

The group will also headline promoter Communion ONE‘s new 15,000-cap music festival in Bristol’s Queen Square on 1-2 August in their only UK shows of 2025.

“With Bristol being their hometown, it’s a celebration of everything they’ve done,” says Gregory. “The location means a lot to them and to those that live there. [Communion ONE’s] vision matched exactly who IDLES are and what they want to do, so it will be a big party celebration and good times for everyone.”

“IDLES have an unbelievable amount of belief in all of us – and I think great work comes from that”

Gregory launched independent artist management and live agency Mother Artists with her brother – IDLES manager Mark Bent – in 2020. The siblings come up with a two-year plan for Idles at the start of each campaign with the help of Carly James of CAA, the band’s agent for North America.

“Mark and I will always talk about live at the beginning,” says Gregory. “We’ll set a global strategy for where we want to see them – the venues, the festivals. Carly will jump on board from CAA in the States and then everything is worked around that.

“I cannot tell you how close we all are. Mark is an impeccable, smart and amazing manager who runs the ship so well, not only through his organisation and his vision and ambition, but also by treating everybody like humans. There’s no bullshit in this team; we’re all very honest, we communicate, we respect each other and I find that you work harder when you’re given that amount of trust in what you do.”

She continues: “IDLES have an unbelievable amount of belief in all of us – and I think great work comes from that. One of their sayings is not being afraid to fail: by trying new things and putting yourself forward, you learn and grow from it. You better yourself, and I feel those are the fundamentals of why we’ve got to where we have. And with each campaign, it honestly feels like the beginning again.”

The band enjoyed a packed 2024, selling close to 200,000 tickets in Europe and going from strength to strength in the US and Canada. Assorted venues included the WiZink Center in Madrid, Antwerp’s Lotto Arena, Luxembourg’s Rockhal and Cardiff Castle.

“That’s a huge feat,” says Gregory. “We were going up to 8,500 tickets [at Max-Schmeling-Halle] in Berlin, plus Zenith in Paris and AFAS in Amsterdam – all very sizeable rooms. The promoters were nervous but excited, and we sold them out.  “IDLES are constantly pushing themselves. They work damn hard and are probably one of the hardest touring bands out there – they did well over 100 shows last year.

“They have a core fanbase that have extreme love for them, but this [most recent tour] was all about welcoming as many people as we could to the shows. So actually, it wasn’t about an instant sellout or smoke and mirrors, we just wanted as many people as possible to come and see IDLES. And it’s worked; it’s magic.”

“They have genuinely built this community of love, and how they make you feel as a fan at a gig is how the team feel as well”

This year marks a decade since IDLES began working on their debut album Brutalism, which came out in 2017. They have gone on to release four further LPs: Joy as an Act of Resistance (2018), Ultra Mono (2020), Crawler (2021) and Tangk (2024).

“What a decade!” enthuses Gregory. “Idles have proven they’re worth time and time again. The albums they’re writing are fucking incredible and we know the next one is going to be even better. I was trying to think about what it is about IDLES’ live shows that makes audiences fall in love with them and stay committed, and I think it’s that they make you feel – as a fan – that it’s about you and not them.

“They have genuinely built this community of love, and how they make you feel as a fan at a gig is how the team feel as well. There’s this genuine goodwill for them to go all the way. And we’ll do it – I feel like it’s limitless as to where we can get to.”

Mother Artists triumphed at last month’s LIVE Awards, taking the prize in the Booking Agency <21 category. The firm’s active roster also includes Amy Macdonald, The Teskey Brothers, CMAT, Ry X, Blair Davie and Foster the People, among others.

“Since Covid, I try not to overthink things too much,” adds Gregory. “I try just be present and day-to-day and – actually this sounds very hippieish but – enjoy the journey. What’s next for Mother? It’s really just to keep going as we are, and whatever we do will be based on what’s right for us and the clients.”

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IQ 131, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s leading magazine, is available to read online now.

The November issue marks our first annual indie issue, celebrating the companies forging their own path in today’s live music business.

This edition launches the Indie Champions 2024 list (revealed tomorrow on IQ), examines the realities of running an indie company, and celebrates the anniversaries of Earth Agency and DHP’s George Akins.

Elsewhere, we bid farewell to the 10th edition of the International Festival Forum (IFF) and welcome you aboard the 37th instalment of the International Live Music Conference (aka ILM-Sea).

Meanwhile, this issue spotlights the live music business in Paris and Norway, and inspects the growing demand for festive family fun.

For this edition’s columns, Natasha Gregory (Mother Artists) examines the different ways in which people gauge success and Rob Sealy (Openstage) encourages artists to utilise data in order to make sure fans are not left disappointed during ticket on-sales.

A selection of magazine content will appear online in the next four weeks but to ensure your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:

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The teams behind the multitude of new companies and events to launch post-Covid took the spotlight on the final day of this year’s International Festival Forum (IFF) in London.

Moderated by IQ‘s Lisa Henderson, the New Kids on the Block quickfire presentation session heard from the key new festival and agencies to have emerged in the last 18 months.

The panel featured FKP Scorpio MD Stephan Thanscheidt, Mother Artists co-founder Natasha Gregory, Barbara Hexges of Goodlive’s Superbloom, Runway Artists founder Matt Hanner and Jess Kinn and Emma Davis from booking agency One Fiinix Live.

Thanscheidt discussed the success of the debut edition of FKP’s new open-air festival Tempelhof Sounds, launched with DreamHaus and Loft Concerts on the grounds of Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport in June. The event was headlined by Florence + The Machine, Muse and The Strokes.

“We had strong media partners and huge media reach, so the brand got established really quickly”

“We announced it last October, and four weeks later Omicron kicked in,” sighed Thanscheidt. “But we had a fantastic premiere. We had 40,000 people per day, which made us really happy because we were pretty much restricted because of Corona in Germany until this April. So the first edition went  really well and we had strong media partners and huge media reach, so the brand got established really quickly. The city of Berlin also welcomed us with open arms, which was fantastic for us.

“It was cool to book our new festival because most of the festivals we do were booked the second half of ’19 and then got postponed and postponed and postponed. So we had to wait until this year and there were a lot of bands who couldn’t get the slots at other festivals, so we had a fantastic line-up that was fresh and was really well received by the audience.

“We had a very good audience that was also interested in all of the topics that are part of the philosophy of this festival, like diversity, gender equality and all these kinds of things. We had a huge sustainability programme, and we set ourselves clear goals from the very start.”

Gregory, meanwhile, spoke about the progress of artist management and live agency called Mother Artists, which she launched in 2020 with her brother, music manager Mark Bent. The agency represents the likes of Idles, First Aid Kit, Amy Macdonald, Bombay Bicycle Club and Foster the People.

“It’s just about being honest with each other and realising that you’re dealing with humans”

Detailing the firm’s patented  “no-bullshit” policy, Gregory said: “It’s just about being honest with each other and realising that you’re dealing with humans. When we’re talking about festivals and budgets, we’re having an honest conversation [with promoters] and we come to the same number – there isn’t this working against each other.

“The pride I have in teams like Idles is that I don’t feel like I’m going to lose my job every day and I hope that the promoters feel the same way. We are all the same team, you leave your egos on the side. We’re all in it for the same reason, and there is zero tolerance for bullying. If someone writes a shitty email to someone in my team, we don’t accept it, I support them… That sounds like a great place to work.”

Hexges reported on the two-day Superbloom, which finally launched in Munich’s historic Olympic Park in September after two postponements due to Covid-related restrictions. Calvin Harris, Macklemore, Megan Thee Stallion, Rita Ora, Skepta and David Guetta were among the acts that performed across 11 stages during the event.

Alongside live music, the festival delivered a multi-faceted programme of art, culture, diversity, lifestyle, society, research and development, sustainability and science, with the aim of “redefining the music festival concept”.

“We had 50,000 visitors per day on a huge, historic location in the heart of Munich”

“We had 50,000 visitors per day on a huge, historic location in the heart of Munich,” said Hexges. “It was our first edition and we sold out. It had eight stages, including three main stages – one indoor – and the concept includes 50% music and 50% experience. We had 11 experience areas and it was a tough ride to be honest, but it worked and I was surprised at how well it went.”

Former ATC Live agent Hanner recalled taking a leap of faith and setting up Runway in spring 2020, having been made redundant shortly after the onset of Covid-19. The company made Steve Backman, formerly of Primary Talent International, its first agent appointment last year and expanded its team with four new hires in early 2022.

“The pandemic forced my hand,” he said. “I had a choice to make at that stage. And having spoken to a few artists and knowing that they’d come with me to be part of a fledgling roster, I was made redundant on the Friday and I think Runway began to exist in some form the following Monday. So it was a pretty swift turnaround.”

“We try to get involved building careers, for artists in meaningful ways, not just for the ones who are going to make us a bit of money next week”

He continued: “We are very independent, and we work with a lot of independent managers, a lot of independent artists and that is broadly what ties a lot of our roster together, even more so than stylistically. It also means that we’re pretty involved with our artists and our teams. We like to think of ourselves as boots on the ground, part of a core artist team.

“We try to get involved building careers, for artists in meaningful ways, not just for the ones who are going to make us a bit of money next week, but hopefully the ones that are going to make us some money maybe in eight years’ time. It also means that we’re growing our team organically. We’re not able to throw money at things.”

Booking agency One Fiinix Live was launched by Ed Sheeran agent Jon Ollier following his departure from CAA in late 2020. Davis – who served as Ollier’s assistant at CAA – joined the company from its inception, with ex-Paradigm agent Kinn coming on board in February 2021. The duo debated the benefits of working for a growing independent company.

“One of the most important is that we kind of make the rules,” suggested Davis. “The job is the same and you’re working with the same people but we have the power to go the way we want to, which is exciting.”

“It is also making sure we’re not just putting an artist out there for the sake of it and really sticking to the strategy of only touring at the right time, especially now,” adds Kinn. “Being able to pick and choose helps.”

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Top agents called for a more diverse, inclusive and equitable industry during last week’s ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag).

Hannah Shogbola (UTA), Natasha Gregory (Mother Artists), Sally Dunstone (Primary Talent International) and Whitney Boateng (WME) came together for the all-female Agents Panel – hailed as “a long-overdue milestone” by moderator Maria May (CAA).

“We are representing the change we want to see,” said May during her opening gambit for the digital session. “I believe the music industry has a duty to continue to strive forward post-pandemic be even more progressive, more inclusive, and representative of the world that we live in.”

However, WME’s Boateng says there’s a “lot more work that needs to be done in the industry”. “It is still predominantly old white male and it has been for years,” she added. “Change has to come from the top-down and it has to be more than black squares.”

UTA’s Shogbola agreed: “If you are looking around your office and it does not reflect the society that you live in and the roster that you look after, then there is something categorically wrong.”

Black squares were posted on social media as part of the music industry’s Blackout Tuesday movement, a protest against racism and police brutality in response to the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

“As a black woman within this industry, it’s frustrating that even 15-20 years into my career, it takes the death of somebody like George Floyd for our industry to finally open its eyes,” said Shogbola.

“The industry has a duty to be even more progressive, more inclusive, and representative of the world that we live in”

Boateng pointed out that it’s not just racial inequalities that the industry needs to fix but also disparities around sexuality and gender, with the panel unanimously agreeing that diversity on line-ups is still “not good enough”.

“It’s so important that when anybody is going to a show, they feel like it’s a safe and inclusive space for them,” said Dunstone.

Elsewhere during the panel, Mother Artists’ Gregory says that flexibility towards employees’ work hours will also be a key feature in a more equitable post-pandemic industry.

“Working 9–5 is not equality because everybody has a different situation, a different experience and different needs,” argued Gregory. “Being an agent is not a 9–5 anyway so just put trust in your team – working hard is a given in this industry.”

Dunstone agreed: “Adaptability and flexibility are massive takeaways from the last two years. Hopefully, we’ll pick and choose the bits of [pandemic life] that worked for us.”

The 36th edition of ESNS took place under the banner ‘Building Back Better, Together’ and focussed on getting the industry back on its feet after two years of the pandemic.

The hybrid conference and festival wrapped on Friday (21 January) and Dago Houben, director of ESNS said that “despite the fact that there is definitely screen fatigue, we were able to perform our platform function for the national and international music industry.

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Rebecca Nichols has departed FKP Scorpio’s UK business to join artist management and live agency Mother Artists as an agent.

Former CAA agent Nichols will build her own roster at Mother and be charged with growing the live side of the business alongside co-founder Natasha Gregory and agent James Tones.

Nichols was most recently head of live coordination at FKP, where she helped set up multiple UK shows and tours for artists such as Ed Sheeran, The War on Drugs and Self Esteem. She also worked on special events and festivals for the European promoting giant as it established a footprint in the UK.

“I’m really grateful to FKP Scorpio for the fantastic year I’ve spent with them but very excited to be returning to the agency side where my passion for working with artists and being a part of building their careers can flourish,” she says.

Mother Artists was founded in late 2020 by ex-Paradigm agent Gregory (nee Bent) and her brother, Mother Artist Management boss Mark Bent.

“I have huge respect for what Natasha and Mark are building at Mother Artists, their commitment to the artists is at the heart of everything they do alongside a strong company ethos of integrity, inclusivity and empowerment, which really connects with me,” adds Nichols.

It’s amazing and humbling that Rebecca is joining us

“They care and they want to make a difference whilst creating a supportive and empathetic environment which is mirrored in the culture at Mother Artists. These values are important to me and how I connect with people and are what I will offer to the artists that I work with too.”

Earlier in her career, Nichols worked for over a decade as an agent at CAA with acts such as Lianne La Havas, NAO, Villagers and Charlotte Day Wilson amongst others.

“It’s amazing and humbling that Rebecca is joining us,” says Gregory. “She is quite simply a wonderful woman; kind, smart, personable, universally liked and respected and is just going to fit into the Mother Artists ethos and culture perfectly. I have personally wanted to work with Rebecca for a while and we are all just excited to learn from her and continue building Mother Artists as a team. Let’s go!”

Kelly Chappel, Live Nation SVP, touring, international, adds: “Beck is an absolute diamond, she loves new music and has exceptional ears. Most importantly she’s very easy to deal with, she listens and has a vision of where the artist should go and you’re part of that.

“I’m so excited to see her grow and flourish as part of Mother Artists ‘family’.  They are building such an exciting culture and team.”

Mother Artists (live) currently works with Idles, First Aid Kit, Tom Misch, Cate Le Bon, Fever Ray, Foster The People, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, RY X, CMAT, Thomas Headon and Do Nothing, while Mother Artists (management) represents the likes of Idles, Heavy Lungs, Mouth Culture and Blair Davie.

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In December last year, ex-Paradigm agent Natasha Gregory [aka Bent] and her brother Mark Bent, boss of Mother Management, launched brand new artist management and live agency Mother Artists.

The company – which is the latest in a legion of new UK agencies including Marshall Live Agency, One Fiinix Live and Route One Booking – brings together the pair’s combined four decades of experience under one roof, with Natasha spearheading the company’s live division and Mark heading up management.

Having taken their artists with them (Natasha’s live roster includes the likes of Cate Le Bon and The Magic Gang, while Mark manages Idles and Heavy Lungs among others), the pair have hit the ground running and have already expanded the team with Natasha’s former assistant James Tones.

Now, the pair tell IQ why they’re employing a no-bullshit policy, what kind of company they’re determined to build and how the pandemic created the perfect storm in which to launch.

How did Mother Artists come to fruition? Was joining forces inevitable?
Mark: “We’ve always talked about working together as a kind of dream thing to do, but there was never any plan about when or how. And with everything that’s happening now and our situations, the timing felt serendipitous.”

Natasha: “Timing-wise, I feel like we’ve both got to the same level in business so that neither of us is carrying the other. We’re both strong in our own positions and in our own knowledge and skills…we’re on an even playing field. Mark and I are extremely similar in ethos and mind and ideas and we trust in each other.”

“Mother Artists is something that never would have happened without this pandemic”

Given the current climate of the industry, why is now the right time to set up shop?
Natasha: “Obviously it’s a really, really tough time for the live industry – for artists, managers, agencies, agents, crews…it’s catastrophic. But we’re glass half full people.

“For 18 years, I didn’t ever have the time to think about anything but the job at hand because the live industry is so fast-paced so there was just never any time to make Mother Artists happen.

“The advantage of the pandemic is that neither of us is travelling so we have the space and mindset to get our heads together and make sure that Mother Artists is really the best to our ability.”

Mark: “Mother Artists is something that never would have happened without this pandemic.”

Why did you decide to stick with the name Mother? Is there a philosophy behind it?
Mark: “When I was a tour manager, I saw some artists being pushed to the limits for the sake of people’s goals and we’ve never wanted to have that approach. I had a full-blown breakdown halfway through a tour and everyone was telling me it was gonna happen but I didn’t listen but my artists stuck by me through that when they could’ve so easily moved on.

“That’s why the name, Mother Artists, is so important because we want the company to be like a family and, within a family, you can have those moments where you all have a difference of opinion or you drive each other crazy but that trust and that belief is always there in the background which is so important.”

“We’re ripping up the old school contracts and the old school way of working”

Now you’re both running the show, what kind of company do you want Mother Artists to be?
Natasha: “We’re ripping up the old school contracts and the old school way of working, and really trying to be diverse in not only who we work with, but who comes on board in our team. It’s not only about clients but it’s about us and creating a company that – in my mind, wherever I’ve gone – always thought should exist. A place where ourselves, our families and those who decide to join in the future are really well looked after.”

What will you change about the status quo of the agency/management business?
Natasha: “This has always been quite a magical industry and that you know there’s this smoke and mirrors approach to what you do. When I started as an agent and there weren’t very many women, the only way that I’ve built this roster over 18 years is through hard work, kindness, respect and being honest with myself about who I am and what my capabilities are.

“Enough bullying. Enough shouting to get what you want – that doesn’t work so much anymore and actually that you should be proud of your differences and your vulnerability. Everyone is going to have bad days. Mistakes happen. Our number one rule is you put your hand up straight away so we can talk about it and deal with it. No ‘Oh my god I got that wrong, I’m going to be sacked’. We all pull in, sort it out, and it’s fine because we’re human.”

“You can achieve amazing things by being human”

Mark: “You can achieve amazing things by being human. Besides, everyone’s winging it. If you’re not learning if you’re sitting there thinking you know everything, then it’s game over really.”

You’ve been vocal about Mother Artists having a ‘no-bullshit policy’. What does this mean to you?
Natasha: “What we mean by no bullshit, is that there aren’t any shortcuts to being good at what you do. For example, when you pitch for a band. I can’t promise my bands that they’re going to get on another band’s support because I grow my artists to be in a position to pick their own supports. There’s no shortcut to building a great band – we deal with career artists.”

Mark: “Honesty is such a massive thing, especially on my side. Every artist I’ve worked with knows that they will get an honest answer out of me every time. Whenever we work with anyone, it’s never about the quick buck. The no-bullshit approach is the best way to achieve a long term career with anyone. Because if you don’t have the trust with the artists you’re representing, if you don’t have the trust of the team you’re working with, you’re not going to have those long term relationships with it which is exactly what you need for long term careers.”

“We have a no-bullshit policy…there aren’t any shortcuts to being good at what you do”

How do the artists on your rosters reflect the ethos and business model of Mother Artists?
Mark: “[The business model] can’t be led by us, it needs to be led by our artists. So we’ll just have to see where their careers go and how they want them to go and then we’ll make sure all the pieces fall together when they need to. We want to make sure that we’re representing our artists in both of our fields, as well as they were before, but ideally better than they were before.”

Natasha: “The rosters that we both represent have very strong-minded artists in their own right. They’ve got something to say and they stand for beliefs that we have to be a reflection of that and do it ourselves.”

Natasha Gregory will be participating in Pulse: Best in Class at ILMC 33. 

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