Dear Bob,
I feel compelled to weigh in on this discussion.
I have always believed that an artists’ career takes a team of smart, passionate, aggressive, forward-thinking individuals who work with a common purpose. I have often compared that team to a football organization. The artist is the owner of the team. They hire a manager who becomes the head coach. That coach has to field a team - smart QB, great running back, strong linebackers, great blockers. You have a strong owner, a smart and strong head coach, and a team that works together - and you win! When you don’t, you may win the odd game, but in the long run, success is distant.
In that analogy, people play different roles. Sometimes, the QB is the agent, sometimes the lawyer. A great tour manager may be left tackle (the key to a great offense) or maybe the linebacker takes down everything in their way. The label head, the A&R person, the publisher, and publicist all play a position, with all taking their cues from a great head coach. In order to be successful, they have to work together.
But in this discussion, when you try to separate what each position does, when you try to make them competitive, when you devalue smart and creative executives with one pass of the brush, you fail to see what makes each of those jobs important, crucial, and valuable.
There are tour managers who are without question, the super glue that holds a tour together and makes it run. There are lawyers whose instincts and analytical skills drive the deal forward. There are business managers whose street smarts keep everything moving forward. And then there are agents whose ability to identify talent, package tours, sense the moment to move up in venue size, and position the right festival slot have changed the arcs of careers.
I have been an agent for 40 years. In that span, I have loaded and unloaded trucks, I have tour managed, I have settled countless shows, I have slept on tour buses. I have acted as a promotion man and broken singles, I have fought for artists to get on the right tour, the right festival, the right TV show. I have been strategic, I have been forceful, I have been kind. I understand local tax issues. I know that buses and trucks are smaller in Europe, I know that 500 miles is a tough drive, and even tougher through the mountains. I know that the the first load out on the first night of a tour is longer and harder than the tenth show. I know how hot and humid it is in the South in the summer. I know the day after a NY or LA show is a letdown. I know Fridays nights in Texas in the fall is high school football night. I know the labels want to bundle, I know promoters have inside deals, I know everyone wants to pay less and make more.
I have taken my love for music, especially live music, and put all my energy into helping artists connect to their fans, while at the same time maximizing their earnings. I have made it a point to never stop learning and to never take the job for granted. I can point to so many deals, careers, tours and problems where I have made a real difference, most times done in the shadows with others taking the bow.
And here is the point - almost all of my peers who are agents (those who have done the job for years, and those whose careers are just starting) do the same thing every day. We don’t wave a flag and say “Look what I did!” We don’t get thanked on award shows. Many times, our artist doesn’t even know the deal started with an agent making the right decision or that some problem was solved because an agent took a call at 1 in the morning.
I could lay out a list of brilliant agents, many of whom were mentors to me, and many peers doing amazing things today, and the subtle moves they made that changed the course of so many careers. And at the same time, I could create a list of road magicians who kept tours on the road, promoters who went above and beyond, festival owners who took a chance - lawyers, business managers, labels executives who went the extra mile - and so many managers whose brilliance at managing not just the artist but the team around them created superstars.
You could, at any moment in time, diminish the importance of any one player, but like a football team, everyone serves a role, people play different positions, the best do a great job, the best of the best do it at a level that makes huge differences. All things that most people never see.
It’s only human that every member of the team wants credit and recognition for their contributions. But it has never been about any one player or even the smartest head coach, it is always about the artist.
I applaud and honor all the people on each team that I get to play on. I know and appreciate each of their roles. I also know without a doubt, that the role of an agent was, is and always will be an important, necessary, critical and game-changing position.
With great respect for all who work on behalf of talent;
Rob Light
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Much respect to Rod and the agency he built. But he misses a key point. If I had enough bananas I could train a monkey to book flights and check drive times. The reason why the artist/manager wants the agent in the conversation is the strategy of "why?" and "what's next?" That comes with experience, relationships, and understanding the marketplace. The manager might not necessarily have that experience because he/she is dealing in every vertical of the artist's business. The agent should have a full expertise of the touring market and know how to best use it to the artist's advantage, to build audience and make a living.
Do we play 2 nights at Radio City or step into MSG? If we play MSG are we closing the balcony? What does this do for our perception in the market? Are we at the end of the cycle or the beginning and should we leave it all out on the field or leave demand on the street for a next lap?
We're routing from Chicago to Mnpls, do we play Milwaukee or Madison? The agent, because of his/her intimate knowledge of the act and constant dialogue with the manager, should know where the fans are and what the demo looks like. Do we have a college aged crowd? Let's play Madison then, in the spring or fall and not up against a big football game.
Can the manager have these conversations with the promoter direct? Of course. But the issue is that the promoter will always have his/her own agenda. Maybe he/she owns the building in Milwaukee and so steers you there over Madison when it's the wrong play for your crowd. Maybe he/she gets insides at MSG instead of Radio City and pushes you to go too big too soon. The agent should only have one agenda and it's to fight for the artist every day. Without that check and balance you end up with the LiveNation memo that was widely distributed last week.
Do I blame Rapino or those who authored it? No, they are smart people and fighting for their dollar. The issue is they didn't give us (the agents) a seat at the table during the conversations, and the memo was sort of weirdly sent out carte blanche. They are now offering a mea culpa after so many of us spoke up and have revised the deal points. Well, it's because here we are, fighting for our artists. Even with no revenue in sight.
Keith Levy
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Interesting responses. It's possible that the naysayers have never worked with a good and thorough agent. Not all of them are. Or they've worked with more DIY kind of artists (nothing wrong with that as long as they know what they're doing). The agent SHOULD be addressing things like the driving distance between shows and being aware of the heinous EU driver regulations for trucks and buses BEFORE confirming the shows; the same with ferry schedules. And both are especially important to study if they involve Sundays. And that's just one part of it. A good agent will also know what other possibly competitive traffic is in the area that might adversely affect ticket sales. A good agent adds value in many ways, including knowing what other artists are being offered and knowing how to extract the maximum guarantee or fee as a result. Yes, this will also involve communication with management, tour manager, and production manager, but it all starts with the initial offers and routing.
I've also seen US-based managers, tour managers and production managers who have so little experience overseas that they NEED help. It's different over there, not just the EU driving regs, but currency, visas, time zones (yes, really, some people don't even think of that), tax withholding, and more.
Another thought. Managers who cut out agents for a big act won't get much help from agents on their next act.
Toby Mamis
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I read your email about Rod MacSween's response to your supposition that bands might not need agents in today's day and age. I have been managing bands for over 25 years and include some of the best agents in the world as among those I work with (Rod does represent one of our bands).
The thing that I think you are missing is that an agent... a really great agent is a vital part of the team that makes the band's gears turn. A great agent is one that understands the big picture of where we (the management) are taking the band. It is all well and good to have a strong arm agent go in and force the promoter to pay dearly for an act. But if things don’t work out to the good, the promoter loses and will be hesitant to re-book the band in the future - and especially not at that price.
The great agents understand the needs of the artist and the promoter and they know where the happy medium is. He/she knows when to be tough and when to give in.
The really great agents know that with the right ideals and planning, the band will be working with a given promoter for years instead of just one show. At their best, a great agent is a true part of the management team. Being an artist manager, people like Rod MacSween and Keith Naisbitt are the kinds of agents I want working with my acts!
Ace Trump
Siren Artist Management
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Managers / Promoters that act as an agent are doing more harm than good most of the time, so sad that the generational consensus is all about instant money rather than long term career development.
Large companies that sign everything and see what sticks have created a toxic image of what an agent's role is in an artist's career, unfortunately most managers / tour managers / artists have the shortcoming of being near sighted in the importance of developing healthy, strong & positive relationships that will bear fruit for year after year.
As an agent, almost all of the time a manager steps into these roles (in my experience) relationships are terminated or soured due to lack of bedside manner, and it is even more sad that we have a generation of idiots who cannot think outside of what is directly in front of them.
Russell Brantley
Agent
The Empire Agency, Inc
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It takes everyone working together to route a tour properly. Especially as it scales larger. The booking agent should work with the tour and production managers on logistics of travel and freight while also going back and forth with the local promoters. And the tm, pm, and agent should all work with the artist's manager to make sure the routing works for the artist's comfort. Also throw in the label and publishing for promo opportunities (tv shows, radio, Spotify). Sure, lapping the US or Europe has become a bit standard, but global artists are now continent-hopping like never before.
It's a complex dynamic industry that changes in real time, but everyone should be working their asses off inside the tornado. Those who don't become obsolete regardless of their position. Over-prepare, then go with the flow.
TM / PM
Gabe McNatt
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Here's the one thing missing from your discussion, managers are forbidden by most state laws to book jobs, only agents can do that. This guarantees their middle man status. The agency structure forces agents in an agency to bill a base amount and when covid hit, the music agents were the first to go. That will tell you something about the totem pole. No power agent really cares about talent development, no more than major labels do, they care about the monthly financial targets. That leaves managers to hold it all and beg for agency support when they finally get enough momentum.
Managers worth anything, deliver the talent and often the deals so the agent can bless it. Its a screwed system but so far it is the law in most states. With all that said a brilliant agent can be instrumental in a deal, those are worth the money, too bad there are so few.
Jean Renard
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Must have missed the original post you made, but as a TM/PM for 25+ years my two cents: as much as there are some outstanding individuals out there on the Agency side (I’ll name check Scott Thomas as a shining example) and I don’t envy the job itself, William Bracey is sadly more right than wrong. Do agents play a role? Yes. Do they play as big a role as suggested? Not usually. Are they there when the chips are down and the TM/band is being ripped off by some coked up gun toting promoter the agent knows well enough to avoid? Rarely. Are they all worth 15%? More no than yes. Way more.
Thx
S. Richards
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I want my act to be with the agent that is trying to bring more than just live gigs to the table especially during this time. This is when the agents as well as the promoters prove themselves. Bring opportunity to the artist or at least try, there are so many places an agent could be looking right now to help make their artists some money and earning commission while doing it. If your agent is at least trying to do it that is the agent you want on your team.
Jon Topper
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Back in the day, '75 t0 '85, I was an agent and concert promoter, depending; blues, jazz, folk shows. As an agent with a couple of bands exclusively, I worked to grow/get them press/radio etc. in each town. I hustled and earned my 10% for sure (mostly-I ultimately had a drug problem, began to fall apart and Grace of God got recovery) But I have to agree with Bracey and others. Rod's letter, while lovely sounding, was more wishful thinking and pr spin than necessary reality. But great letter. )
Jimmy Cioe
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Yes! We love our agent but what that guy listed is almost all stuff our tour manager takes care of. It honestly made me laugh. I'm glad William Bracey responded.
Kristian Dunn
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I do agree with Rod on certain points, however the idea that an agent knows how to plan a tour, is really why you employ a good Tour Manager who actually spends his or her life on a tour unlike an agent, and his last few lines are all about kissing as, as Live Nation have the money so the agent is in pocket and I am sure Michael will get his wages back when the shares go up, unlike the agents and promoters. Just saying.
Kindest,
Sir Harry Cowell
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After carefully scrutinizing Rod MacSween's email and reading the responses, I'd like to point out one thing that he WASN'T lying about... He IS an agent.
Wade Mosher
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Firstly let me say that as an older production manager, I only like to deal in facts.
I have worked with Rod Macsween over the past 30 years on both sides of the fence. Firstly as he represented many artists that came to play on the festival for which I was the Production Director for 21 years. Then over the last decade as a touring PM. Last year I spent the summer in Europe working for one of my clients who was headlining most of the big festivals…Werchter, Download, Hellfest…you get the picture. Rod is their agent.
Facts 1:00am Hellfest site mainstage….issue with unauthorized filming by the festival….I had to act fast and need to know if we had been paid all the fee before I got all up the festival PM’s grill!. Rod answered his phone and gave me the information I needed immediately.
Throughout that run he worked with the TM and myself to ensure that the promoters were doing what they had promised to do. From simple things like whipping up a letter for one of my crew to get a second passport to the big issue at Hellfest, he looked after us.
From the present going back I have been doing a bit of squirming re reading some of the email threads from my festival days. We could not step left or right an inch and he would be onto us.
So I can only say good things about Mr Macsween as an agent.
Next I have not seen any artists complain about their agents and it is their money….just saying most artists I have worked for are pretty savvy money wise.
Over long time I have worked with pretty much all the major agents and have to say there is a level of professionalism common amongst them….be it Emma Banks, Marlene Tschuii, or Rod Macsween (to mention a few). So I like knowing they are there as a PM who is oftentimes working without a lot of sleep in the pouring rain (when most TMs are asleep…he he), because their support of me in my job is what I see as a very important part of their representation of the artist.
There seems to be a tendency in times of stress and worry to overreact and 'throw the baby out with the bathwater'. If our business needs an overhaul and COVID- 19 is providing the reason for that, then a sensible and adult discussion should be the best course of action, not what basically amounts to shouting via email.
Matt Doherty
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Having been both a mgr and an agent it’s pretty simple.
A good agent is worth the money and a bad one isn’t.
If you’re a developing act with little experience and leverage a good agent will put you up to bat at festivals, showcase dates or support slots.
He can advise which are worth losing money on and leverage payment for the others.
He can apply the leverage of his company to insure payment and fair treatment.
As careers grow he should be finding additional revenue sources be they corporates,secondary markets etc that should more than cover his commission.
Being in the marketplace should make him
Capable of adding good info market by market with respect to tik prices , building deals etc.
Once he has helped guide a career to a successful place he isn’t as necessary and is in a position to be punished for his assistance by his commission being drastically reduced or removed. Nice work if you can get it.:)
Bottom line generalities suck and each situation should be judged on its own merit and circumstances.
Sam Feldman
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