The music industry may be hurting, but it’s not gone. Everyone is preparing for 2021 whether things go back to “normal” or not, including many agents who have been let go due to COVID-19. Back in March, Paradigm instituted what were first called “temporary layoffs” and later reported to include some 250 employees.
However, out of the ashes… TBA, a music talent agency founded by five former Paradigm agents – Marshall Betts, Avery McTaggart, Amy Davidman, Ryan Craven, and Devin Landau – launched today (Sept. 1) with a number of high-profile clients including: Bob Moses, Yaeji, Hot Chip, Mura Masa, Purity Ring, Tycho, Caribou, and more.
Paul Tollett, co-founder of Coachella and President/CEO of Goldenvoice, is quoted as saying, “This team has consistently delivered great moments for Coachella and Goldenvoice over the years so we will be harvesting their roster for gems in the future.”
“The music business, and specifically the agency business has changed overnight and we are poised to meet the needs and demands of the new landscape. We are adaptable, we are efficient, we match the creativity of our clientele – in ways truly unlike any existing agency. Our mission is to maintain collaborative, ongoing relationships with our artists and their teams that breed new thinking and long-term success,” said McTaggart in a statement.
When asked about the company’s double, or perhaps triple entendre name, TBA’s Amy Davidman told Pollstar that the name is “really apropos of the moment.” The partner and agent, who formerly worked for New York’s Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge and the Bay Area’s High Road Touring before joining Windish, which was absorbed by Paradigm in in 2015, said “People get a little giggle out of it, and that’s just a great reaction to have. There’s this moment where people ask, ‘Oh, what’s the name?’ I say, ‘TBA.’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, yeah. What do you think you’re going to name it?’ I just love that moment. I mean obviously that won’t go on for very long because people will know but I’m like, ‘Yeah. No. That’s the name.'”
Hopefully, if there’s demand to create a whole new agency, the possibility of shows on the horizon is real and tangible. We’ll have to wait and see what 2021 brings.
Photo via Lucas.Mk
