A new kind of agency.
The landscape is changing. I'm following the money, and I'm doing it for artists at every level.
I'm starting an agency.
Here's the thing though, I don't know if a Corporate and Special Event agent has ever started an agency.
Corporate, Private, and Special Events, plus Festivals, Comedy and Speaking are all my lane, but working with talent on the rise is my passion. Touring continues to shrink while brand and corporate money grows. I've worked across virtually every department at a major agency, and I've seen the gap. I'm building for where this is headed, not where it's been.
So where IS this headed?
Younger. Cooler. More diverse. The corporate shows I'm booking now don't look like the ones I booked ten years ago. Neither does the audience. The brands know it. The buyers know it. The agencies are still built for the old room.
Smart money is a finance term. It's the money that knows more than the crowd and gets in before everyone else sees it coming. Long term over short term. That's how I've always run a desk.
It's also a nod. Some of the coolest companies in music are named after the money. I've always liked that.
So. Smart Money Talent.
Buy low, sell high. That's the idea. While touring is down, we're not losing money on the road, we're building and buying. Getting the act in front of sports fans, brand events, private rooms, tastemakers and Fortune 500 companies who have the option to invest early, while the artist builds and gets ready for the next high demand market. We're not waiting for the big moments to come. We're building them.
And to be clear, this isn't just a corporate desk with some branding sprinkled in. This is an agency. Club tours, support slots, festivals, soft ticket, hard ticket, the whole career. The Corporate and private event lane is where a lot of the money has moved, and it just so happens to be my personal specialty.
The sponsor money behind the shows grew twice as fast as the audience did.
Touring is shrinking and sponsor money is growing, and those two things are connected. Gen Z is the audience every corporate buyer wants to reach, and Gen Z is still spending on live music while everyone else pulls back. So the companies are putting their money into live shows to reach them. At the same time, the top 100 tours are following the money overseas, and every other artist is getting squeezed, everywhere.
Almost 10% fewer tickets were sold per show in mid cap clubs (751 to 1,500 cap) this year. Same rooms. Fewer people.
Small clubs under 750 cap are making 18.6% less per show.
64% of all independent venues in the U.S. lost money in 2024.
The top 100 tours grew 12% worldwide this year, and none of that growth came from North America, which was flat. What each show made in North America fell about 8%. So yes, the superstars are following the money and it's leading overseas. But it's only the top 100 tours, and it's only 12%.
The UK lost 78 festivals in 2024, which is a record. It lost 43 more in 2025, and to date the count is at 20 lost so far in 2026.
The Netherlands alone lost more than 50 festivals in 2025 before summer even started.
Gen Z spends 23% more per month on live music than the average fan.
Live Nation's money from sponsors grew 21% in the first quarter of 2026. Its money from concerts fell 56%.
10 to 20% of a major artist's income now comes from sponsors and partnerships, not shows.
Brooke
Ivey
First woman promoted to agent from inside APA Nashville. Before that, BMI. I helped run the BMI stages and the sponsorships behind them at Bonnaroo, Hangout, SXSW, Key West Songwriters Festival and more, created and curated new events, and built indie showcases that got up and coming songwriters outside of country in front of people before anyone else was paying attention.
I ran the corporate department at APA. Sold the whole roster across the agency and worked every department, music, comedy, talent, influencers, hip hop, you name it, to buyers worldwide. Expanded the international book of business into countries like Macau, France, Indonesia, Germany and the Bahamas. Booked 71 shows for the roster during COVID when nobody was booking anything.
Then I switched chairs. Talent buyer at LEO Events, selling seven figure A listers in music, comedy, athletes and speakers to Fortune 500 companies. Offers, riders, jet buyouts, deposits, settlement, all of it.
I missed fighting for the artists, so I went back to the agency side at Reliant Talent. I took over the corporate and special event department and almost tripled the bookings in under three years. Built up the game day and sporting event book from the ground up, including the NFL, NHL, MLB, Nashville Soccer Club, college football and a World Cup celebration, to name a few.
I've pitched, sold, and produced the biggest names in entertainment for companies and high net worth individuals all over the world. I know what the top looks like, and I know how to build the road there.