A TASTE OF RAINMAKERS 2024: CAA’S EATON, BANKS AND ROSKIN

“This is the first time that the three of us have ever done this,” says CAA’s Darryl Eaton.

He’s referring to a joint interview with fellow longtime CAA execs Rick Roskin and Emma Banks, but that’s merely in service to a seismic change in the live entertainment business: Eaton, Roskin and Banks have been named co-heads of global touring, as industry icon Rob Light assumes the role of CAA managing director, where he’ll help guide the agency’s overall strategic direction.

Under Light’s 25-plus years of leadership, CAA became the dominant live-music and comedy agency, with more than double the number of Top 25 highest-grossing 2023 tours than the closest agency, according to one published report.

“For years, Darryl, Rick and Emma have been extraordinary partners to me in leading our touring group in North America and London, respectively,” said Light. “I am immensely proud of all that we have achieved to date and look forward to what they will create in the years ahead. Along with my new strategic responsibilities, I look forward to continuing to sign and empower great artists, creatively build long-term careers and mentor young executives.”

“Rick, Darryl and Emma have long been among the most talented and widely admired leaders in the industry, not to mention three of the best agents in the world,” said CAA Co-Chairman/CEO Bryan Lourd. “The leadership role they each already play at CAA has earned them deep respect and trust among our colleagues across all departments.”

Eaton got his start in CAA’s storied mailroom in 1991. Roskin has been part of the touring department for 35 years, and they became co-heads of contemporary music for North America in 2015. Meanwhile, relative CAA newbie Banks has co-led the agency’s now-60-strong London music office since joining the company in 2006.

Among many others, CAA’s touring clients include Bruce Springsteen, the Weeknd, Harry Styles, Peso Pluma, Jelly Roll, Lady Gaga, blink-182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Janet Jackson, David Guetta, Trevor Noah, Kelsea Ballerini, The 1975, Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson.

Why they agreed to talk to us remains a mystery.

Congratulations on being named co-heads of global touring. Tell us about the new arrangement.

Rick Roskin: First, Rob, who has been an incredibly generous leader for all of us throughout our careers, is not going anywhere. He has accepted a position to be a managing director at CAA, to help guide the strategic growth of the company. He is still a music agent, he still sits with us, he’s still going to be involved. This new structure enables Rob to do what he does his best, which is signing, servicing and assisting every other agent within this department.

This is a very natural transition for us. The three of us have been in various positions of leadership within the department for many years, but that doesn’t make this any less exciting. It’s an incredible moment of change for our group that we don’t take lightly.

Darryl Eaton: I think it’s important for our colleagues and younger agents to be able to see that there is a succession plan, and we want to continue to mentor and develop people and push them into roles of leadership, to come and take this job away from us in the future. Demonstrating that kind of opportunity is an important part of our growth strategy.

What’s the division of labor going to be as co-heads of global touring?

Emma Banks: What’s important is that the three of us are doing this together. It’s not that one person’s head of catering and the other’s head of transportation; it’s three global heads of the department, and we will talk about everything. While there are obviously geographic differences, a lot of what we’re going to be doing is about the entire world.

Eaton: Rick and I have worked together for over 30 years now, and we’ve been working with Emma for 18 years. Emma’s expertise is obviously international. She’s been instrumental in guiding the strategic growth in international. And Rick and I will run North America. But this is very much a global business. When I talk about Rick and I running North America, that’s more of an administrative distinction, and for our teams. For our clients, we approach everything globally.

Since Rob’s not here, let’s talk about him behind his back. What’s the secret sauce that he brought, and continues to bring, to the job?

Roskin: Rob has an unparalleled work ethic. He is the first person in, he is the last one to leave. He covers more shows than any person in this industry. His work ethic applies not only towards clients but to everybody who works within this department. Watching him for 30-plus years is a lesson in leadership.

Banks: With Rob, you get someone who thinks very deeply about things. There are no immediate fireworks or gut reactions. He’s not throwing telephones around; he’s not shouting at everybody. He’s so respectful of our clients, of his colleagues. He’s the first person to try and draw other people from the company into a team. He’s not somebody who wants all the glory; he wants to share it. That’s how I want to behave as well.

Eaton: Our company prides itself on building a culture of supporting one another. Rob exemplifies that.

What’s the temperature of the touring business right now? What are the tailwinds, what are the headwinds?

Eaton: We came out of the COVID era guns a-blazing. There were a ton of tours and an appetite among fans to be together and to be at all the shows. And we had unparalleled growth. But as the economy has stayed a little stagnant and inflation has carried on, there is some reticence among fans about paying the highest possible ticket prices. We feel like there’s a little pushback coming. As agents, we have to pay attention to ticket price, and we have to pay attention to marketing and how we’re differentiating our clients from the pack.

Banks: This is a generalization, but some festivals have had a tough time in various markets because of changing customer requirements. After COVID, I don’t think anyone wants to use a port-a-potty anymore.

Which territories do you see as real opportunities for growth?

Banks: China is building more and more venues. There are a lot of hoops to jump through. But for an artist like Troye Sivan, who is really big there, we’re looking at a significant amount of shows there, if we can get them across the line.

What about Saudi Arabia?

Banks: As for other territories, the Gulf region is growing. You’ve seen in the last three or four years where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has put a lot of effort in and obviously it divides opinion, but there are more and more artists going to Saudi. There are venues being built daily, literally. The infrastructure there is becoming incredible. I mean, you can go to a festival now in Saudi and they’ve got marble toilets. They don’t do the port-a-potty. Back to my favorite topic… But what’s fascinating about Saudi is it has a relatively large population, and a huge amount of them are under the age of 35.