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Home , Datsik (musician), Dieselboy, Excision (musician), Flux Pavilion

EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW BOOKING AGENCY DIRECTORY

ties, Marquee, Hard Rock, Fast forward from ‘98 to around Daylight, and Drai’s – booking 2005, I now had 75 artists on my 250-plus club nights through- roster – almost all of them were out the year. from the UK and overseas. And they all specialized in this drum Let’s hear more about the and bass section of electronic formation of Circle Talent. music. And I was the tour guy for North America. Kevin The agency started in ‘98, it was almost by accident. There was a DJ that’s still on the So how did Steve get involved? roster now called . He Kevin At the time Steve was a was on a competing agency. He promoter and was booking a lot was domestic and wanted to do of my guys in the area. a tour of North America with two Dieselboy and I were still friends other acts from England that and he was still on a competing didn’t have representation and agency. He said, “Hey Kev, you weren’t on his current roster. know that promoter Steve Gordon He and I were working to- you book a lot of shows with? He’s gether; I was a promoter first for a good friend of mine, he hit me years. We were throwing a weekly up saying he wants to be an agent. ircle Talent Agency, while the “whisperer,” who may have drum and bass event, which was We have this tour concept, maybe Cindependent, is anything to cool things down at times. a very niche kind of electronic you should give him a call.” but small with some 40 staff and Circle Talent has amassed music. It’s very fast, it’s not your I knew Steve, I liked Steve. more than 200 artists on its ros- a cutting-edge roster that in- average / EDM world. We weren’t partners or anything ter, and has the kind of agility and cludes major names in the elec- And the short story is his but he was a good promoter. I hands-on approach that is hard tronic space like , agent didn’t want to book the tour gave him a call. He came out, for the major agencies to match. Carnage, and , with because the other two acts from he was in Baltimore, I was in “I’ve made the promise to my roughly 30 national tours roll- England weren’t on the roster and Philly. He came up and was like, artists that ‘I will advance you ing out in 2018. he didn’t feel like messing around “Look, I want to be an agent, money out of my own pocket’ Also on the roster is the with visas for the guys. So he told I have some great ideas.” I said, if needed, because we don’t recently signed Kaskade, who Dieselboy he was free to book this “Well, I don’t have any money have the red tape of a bureau- headlines large theatres and thing on his own. to pay you, but feel free. Here’s cratic system saying ‘no,’” even arenas. The company has And Dieselboy, who knew some clients to book.” He asked Circle Talent Agency partner also grown with acquisitions I had a lot of contacts just from if he was free to sign his own Steve Gordon told Pollstar. including Kenmore and Ten In being a promoter in this indus- talent, and I said of course. In the ’90s, Circle Talent One agencies. Gordon stresses try and in that particular style And there you go. I had founder Kevin Gimble was that the company is always hir- of , asked me, my first employee. And it was throwing weekly drum and bass ing agents and signing artists. ‘Hey, Kev, you want to try to very Wild West and it was very parties in Philly, when a DJ Some Circle Talent Agency book a tour?’ I’d never done loose. But that’s how we had it. called Dieselboy approached highlights: 12,000 contracts anything like this before, I Steve went on to basically him for help in booking a tour. in 2016, 15,000 contracts in didn’t have an agency, like I was start booking the first-ever “I said sure I’ll give it a shot,” 2017, and 78 acts on the Elec- saying. I was just a promoter tours. He specialized Gimble told Pollstar. After a suc- tric Daisy Carnival Vegas in for nearly six years at the time. in the growth of dubstep while cessful three-week tour, Dieselboy 2016, which is 35 percent of all I said sure, I’ll give it a shot. I kept on with my drum and told some friends about the acts booked for the fest – the And I ended up booking the bass thing. And after a few years promoter-turned-agent. Soon largest of any agency. In 2017, tour for these guys. We did a of that, with Steve absolutely enough Gimble had 75 artists all the EDC Vegas total was 67 three-week run and did 13 dates crushing and killing it, and liter- to himself doing every step of the Circle artists, good for 33 per- and the tour was a success. And ally doing more business than I booking process on his own. cent of all acts booked and those two guys from England, was, we had a conversation and Dieselboy was also the link again largest of any agency. they went back, told a couple the short of it is we partnered up. that brought together Gimble The agency also co-founded other guys in the drum and bass and Gordon, who was promoting Global Dub Festival at Red world, “Hey there’s this guy Let’s talk about growth, be it dance shows in Baltimore where Rocks in Denver in 2012, which named Kevin who booked a great through new hires, mergers or he gained valuable knowledge has sold out every year since. tour for us. If you want to tour in about the hard-ticket business. Circle has an in-house media America you should hit him up.” acquisitions. Together they’re self- and digital marketing company Then a couple more guys Steve It started with JJ described as a yin-and-yang and in 2017 Circle clients hold hit me up, a few more guys hit (Cassiere). We brought JJ over type duo with Gordon the residencies throughout Vegas me up and almost by accident from The Agency Group and he scrappy bulldog and Gimble at Hakkasan and Wynn proper- I was an agent. kind of launched our live division.

4 2018 Edition BOOKING AGENCY DIRECTORY EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

gone out and gotten our artists ticket touring. So I kind of intro- on nationally televised awards duced that into the TLA in Phila- shows because we had the con- delphia and Best Buy Theatre in nection. That’s not in the typical NYC. Those were kind of the first agency’s wheelhouse, but we go big hard-ticket dubstep events out and get it done. to happen in these bigger rooms. We have the ability to go People said I was insane for trying above and beyond for our clients to do Excision at Best Buy Theater because we have no red tape. in NYC but it sold out in advance Whether that’s advancing money and we were off to the races. for a tour that they need, out of Kevin When Steve was talking our own personal pockets. Not about, in 2008 or ’09, with him the agency money, but Kevin and specializing in dubstep, it was a I saying, “Hey this band needs younger crowd, a younger demo, $130,000. Let’s like write them a the nightclubs, the bottle service check for 60 grand and get them clubs, the Vegas clubs, they moving.” Or it’s this act needs weren’t really servicing this kind THE INAUGURAL LOST LANDS FESTIVAL was presented by Excision and curated better visuals. Let’s use our by Circle Talent Agency, with a lineup that also included , , of music. It was very similar to Cookie Monsta, Destroid, Ephwurd and many others Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. visual guy, and we have these drum and bass, it was very niche, connections and can have your very young, and wasn’t very website handled, and your social mainstream. So almost by default, And we brought over this guy, time and a two-floor, 6,000- media, and can handle your tour Steve had to use his hard-ticket Leo Corson, and we brought over square-foot space. marketing, and we can do all knowledge and back-end deal his artists. He specialized in hard these things – some of which are knowledge and create hard-ticket style, the harder-edged dance What makes Circle so attractive? in the wheelhouse of an agency touring for electronic music. and some of which are not. music. And then we brought Steve One of the reasons we He was really one of the first We made a promise to ourselves over Dan Rozenblum, who are very successful is because ones to do it at the time. And it’s that as we grow, even if we have brought about 40 bands. Then we have a strong partnership. why acts like Excision, 100 employees, we’re still going we brought Matt (Pike) over, who When you meet us, I wouldn’t and are major, true to make those same promises brought another 30 acts or so. say we’re polar opposites. hard-ticket touring acts, worth to the artists. Because why not? And that put us in a pretty good Kevin’s always called us “yin a lot of tickets – more so than There’s no rules! There’s no rule place to have a live division. and yang.” I’m a scrappy bull- a lot of the bigger EDM names. saying I can’t loan artists money. We have acquired multiple dog covered in tattoos. Kevin’s We want to be a part of agencies to grow the strength got a polo shirt on right now, But with clients like Gorguts, the team, not just your agent. of the company. It’s not all about and I look like I’m fresh out of Insane Clown Posse, and Black That’s it: “Circle Talent Agency purchasing agents and agencies. Burning Man. So, you know, we Dahlia Murder, you clearly wants to be a part of your team, We have had great success build- have two different approaches. and not just your agent.” aren’t limited to dance or ing agents and staff like Ben electronic artists. Hogan, who has been with us Kevin They call him the pit bull for roughly seven years. He has, and they’ll throw me in, the “pro- Experience goes a long way. Kevin One of the main reasons moter and artists whisperer.” we clicked with JJ originally with our advice and mentorship, Steve Kevin and I both have a and then with Dan, and with grown into a senior agent who Steve Partnerships are a lot of foundation in live music just Pike, the metal, the pop-punk, commands a strong roster. why I feel like agencies can suc- from personal interest. I came that sort of thing was very com- In 2011, The Collective ceed or fail. And it really comes up as a talent buyer, I kind of parable to drum and bass and management approached me down to your team, but when you licensed the Seth Hurwitz dubstep, where they’re kind of and wanted to meet. I went and present such a good partnership name. Dating back to my pro- the outcasts of each of their in- met with Michael Green and to your staff they see the part- moter days, Seth Hurwitz and dustries. So you have drum and wound up doing a partnership ners that we are and look up to it. Dave Geller had a partnership bass and dubstep, very young, with them. We all moved to With the artists, it is literally with my venue in Baltimore, somewhat male-oriented genre, L.A.; it was about six of us at the a partnership. And the ones Sonar. They let me for a period not very mainstream. You could time. And we partnered in with who understand that, they get of time use the I.M.P. reputation almost say they’re identical them, and it didn’t work out for the most out of their agents at to book shows as a promoter. to hardcore punk and metal. various reasons, and we went the end of the day. You can look And because of that, I got the back on our own within one year, at this way: We can either be background in hard-ticket music. Steve We’re taking what we it was the end of 2012 I think. like employed by the artist, “OK So early on, I was one of the first know from the music industry We opened up a new office, we’re going to do your booking people to understand how back- and just expanding the agency. continued to hire and now we and be robotic,” or “OK you’re end deals work while moving into Agenting is agenting. If you have 40-plus employees at any having a problem with like, any- the dance music space, because need to book a Justin Bieber thing you can think of.” We’ve no one was really doing hard- show at the Staples Center it’s

2018 Edition 5 EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW BOOKING AGENCY DIRECTORY

Kevin We know what it takes. At one point in time Kevin I think there’s something to be agented 75 drum and bass said that we’re owner-operators. clients on his own, and made Forget about the level of busi- the contracts, and got the ness or the numbers or metrics deposits, so when you look at differentiating a boutique or a the volume of that versus what major, the reality is that where we’re doing now, it’s almost it is somewhat more boutique like, ‘This is easy!” (laughs) is that we are owner-operators. Kevin I started this thing from a And if something needs to get very grassroots mentality. I was done for any of our clients or seven years in this thing with agency-wide, there’s no board 75 clients from all around the of directors, there’s nothing world without even an assistant. we need to go through to get But look, I think it lends itself as something done as a value add to why we have a very low turn- to our clients or our staff’s cli- over rate and a very strong staff. ents. I think that’s why a lot of Starting from the top, we’ve artists prefer that touch. proven you can do every aspect KEVIN WITH CIRCLE TALENT CLIENT CRIZZLY and his team during the Global Dub of the booking, confirming the Festival at Red Rocks. Kaskade is certainly a big get. shows, booking the flights, cre- Steve After him meeting with all ating itineraries, advancing the of the different agents, we shows and settling the shows kind of the same thing as book- That led to Morgan staying there, meshed really well. Kevin and I on your own. It was a lot of hard ing a three-night run at the Pal- we also were fortunate to pick up are both guys who have been di- work in the early stage of my ladium. You go get your ticket Paul van Dyk a couple years ago. rectly in dance music for a com- career (laughing). rebate deals, get the most from He chose to come to Circle. So, bined 30 years. Because of that, It can be done – it shouldn’t the bar that you can, and get a every little one of those just helps we just have an understanding, be done, let me make that clear 90-100 percent split and any bo- create a bigger picture. We are a like any of the old rock guys that (laughing). When some of these nuses you can on top of the deal. well-rounded agency. have been in this forever, they guys are complaining about too much work, it’s almost the same And you’ve expanded among know more than everyone, they What advantages do you enjoy know the players, they know what as when your grandparents talk the electronic genres as well. that majors may not be able to it means to the fans, and they un- about walking 3 miles in the Kevin When we moved out to deliver? derstand the industry. And that’s snow to get to school, it’s a L.A. when we had the Collective similar mentality. You need to be Steve I think it’s the personal- what we connected on. merger / partnership, Steve ized touch. We don’t really look at When Ryan (Raddon, Kaskade’s well-rounded and figure out how and I made a conscious decision ourselves as a boutique agency, real name) came into our room, to do every aspect of the book- to expand outside of just drum ing to be a good booking agent. we look at ourselves as a major he’s an old school raver, he’s and bass and dubstep. We knew The way we have our system agency. At this point, we are been in this since the early ’90s, if we were going to grow and broken down, no one’s ever operating on a really high level, and we just bonded instantly. become a major agency, not just truly busting at the seams with we’re competing against the He knew that we knew what a boutique or specialist agency, too many clients, or else you’ll four major agencies for clients, we were talking about. He was we needed to expand. lose clients. and you know, in dance music excited about our creativity and That was one of the first acqui- hands-on approach and it got all sitions we did. We had an agent we consider ourselves the best. What’s changed in the booking We believe the way we are doing of our wheels turning right away. who was at a competing agency. agency landscape since Circle things is really working. Many She had a bunch of house acts and What are your agent and Talent has come into its own as trance acts and we brought her in. other boutique agencies have support staff workloads like? a major player? Then came the Ten in One merger failed to grow at a similar rate where we brought Morgan Page to Circle. We are growing at a Steve The reality is we have a Steve What’s happening now is and a bunch of other house acts. dramatic rate year after year and big team of support staff, very a lot of the up and coming acts Before, 100 percent of our roster have not slowed down in any way. large. We have 20 support staff for really want the senior agent out was drum and bass and dubstep, I think there’s still a lot to 15 agents. I personally have a of the gate. And there are fewer all of a sudden that’s down to learn, but I do believe it’s our five-person staff, Kevin has a two- artists willing to sign with devel- maybe 70 percent. And we’re in direct-to-artist relationships person team, and we share some oping agents. So the structure of more conversations with more and our hands-on approach, stuff in between. Kevin and I don’t how to grow staff has changed. open-minded managers that want both by using our expertise and have giant rosters. We have a very Kevin It’s a situation where a to give us some of their house acts also training staff very closely to defined group of artists we work junior agent, whether he’s on and 4/4 acts because they see that use the same level of approach on, and then it trickles out from an independent agency or a true we’re not just a one-trick shot. that both Kevin and myself use. there. It’s a very defined plan. boutique agency, he may have

6 2018 Edition BOOKING AGENCY DIRECTORY EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

time to A&R and find this baby an agent, there’s a level of act and nurture it and build it expertise there. up to the point where now the Steve A lot of times it really is act and the act’s manager wants that cut and dry. You look at to be on a larger agency. That’s these artists and you can kind the story, that happens all the of tell. You can hear something time, and then that act will and say OK, we’ll give this want to jump onto one of the one a shot, but when I know, big four. Where I see the prob- I know. When Marshmello lem is, say we find one of those came out, when Carnage came baby acts or a baby act comes to around, when these big ones us first before being on another came there was no hesitating. agency. How do we navigate the We just knew when we heard it. problem of him wanting to be with a senior guy versus maybe It would appear rumors of a the guy he should be with? dubstep bubble bursting have The very simple answer is, generally speaking, we work been highly exaggerated? with the manager and find a Steve We never viewed the in- STEVE WITH CIRCLE TALENT CLIENTS Datsik and Excision at the new Lost Lands way to keep everyone happy. dustry as a bubble, we just Festival in Ohio, which sold 25,000 three-day tickets Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. viewed it as the industry. Steve We’re not downplaying There are ebbs and flows that, either. That is the secret in business and we looked at it to the success of any agency – or the alternative industry. event. We took his vision and over the last 10 years. And we how do you keep every client You’re always going to have brought the team together to saw the whole industry say happy at all levels? different levels. You’re going to make it come to life. We worked dubstep is dead three years ago, have the major pop players and with a team that we have and now it’s bigger than any How do you go about finding you’re going to have slightly worked on some other proper- other genre in dance music and acts to sign? more niche. But the electronic ties with, and so we knew they it’s selling tons of hard tickets. music scene is exactly there now. had the professionalism and or- Steve I run the A&R division Kevin Across the entire elec- ganization to execute this at a here. I would say I’m the head of tronic industry, maybe “dubstep” Tell us about the Lost Lands major level. signing, or something of that na- isn’t quite as en vogue of a term Festival in Columbus, Ohio. ture. I think a lot of times it’s just now, but bass music is playing on How about your negotiation a gut instinct. My whole team Steve This year, the agency every major stage across the festi- and Excision conceptualized a style? How do you go about runs a weekly A&R meeting, they vals and not just second stages, making deals, and why does collect stuff from all over the in- festival in which it sold 25,000 with Yellow Claw and Carnage and three-day tickets in Columbus, it work? dustry that they get, recommen- Marshmello leading the charge. dations, referrals, SoundCloud, Ohio, the Lost Lands Festival. Steve I’m doing what the client Electronic music is now finally With three days camping, Spotify, blogs, whatever they can the music industry. I think Steve needs. That’s point blank. We’re find. If they’re feeling it, they put we built the 12th-largest city working for the client, but we and I are fortunate to come from in Ohio that weekend: 22,000 it on there. They go with their the truly early days in the elec- have strong relationships with hunches and the reality is the se- camping, no deaths, four our promoters. Kevin and I have tronic and early scene in medical transports. nior agents, the guys who have the ’90s when it was truly under- put in endless hours of face time This is something Excision been here for a long time, they ground and it wasn’t part of the with the promoters, with the top and I have worked on for many help to whittle that list down. And industry. And we watched when promoters in the industry, the years and really it was about It comes down to an even smaller the majors first tried to get in- people who are doing the bulk of timing. We felt with the market list that’s presented to me, and volved back then, and they waked the business, and we have great wanting this sort of event, it then I dig in. If somebody feels away and thought it was dead. relationships. So when we call, was time to strike. I made some really strongly about something And it just kept growing and they answer. And that’s it. calls to my production contacts they send it to me, and then I’m growing and growing. As people Nine times out of 10 we are and the next thing you know we always A&Ring myself as well. like Steve sort of pushed these grinding the promoter. That’s were announcing the show and Kevin There are times where acts on the hard-ticket touring, just the business. Because, the setting up the on-sale. if Steve doesn’t fully believe they started generating real client tells us jump we say how in something, but that agent fanbases and real ticket buying. Kevin It was Excision’s festival high! That’s literally it. Client really makes a strong case and And now it’s just part of the but we worked with him to says we need half a million, all they’re passionate for it, most music industries. You have pop create a team and assist him in right we need to get the client of the time we’re going to go acts that are now electronic acts, developing the festival, from $600,000 because he said half for it. Steve’s history in this as and that’s not going anywhere. booking the talent to helping a million, we need to impress a DJ, a promoter, a buyer and Just like with the rock industry with the infrastructure of the the client. Ryan Borba 

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