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Coachella 2025 is set to kick off later this afternoon, and with it, this year’s concert festival season is finally underway.

CAA has a clean sweep over this year’s headliners, as music industry directory Rostr’s annual Coachella breakdown shows, with the agency representing Lady Gaga, Green Day and Post Malone (its music division is run by partner Rob Light). Wasserman, however, is at the top of this year’s Coachella leaderboard overall, booking the most acts of all the agencies with 32 listed on the bill. (Rostr’s list doesn’t include Coachella’s ancillary music events such as the Do Lab).

CAA is in second-place with 28, UTA’s got 21 (though they had 23 before Anitta and Gel had to cancel their sets) along with with William Morris Endeavor, which also has 21 artists as Weezer came onto the bill last week with Wasserman’s Ed Sheeran.

Aside from the headliners,...

Creative Artists Agency has promoted Emma Banks, Darryl Eaton and Rick Roskin as the new co-heads of its global touring business.

The trio will oversee the department’s 340 employees across music, comedy and podcast touring, brand partnerships, tour marketing and private events. Banks is promoted after co-leading CAA’s London music office, while Eaton and Roskin have been co-heads of contemporary music for North America, running the day-to-day operations of that key regional touring department.

CAA represents touring talent like The Weeknd, Harry Styles, Katy Perry, Dua Lipa, John Mayer, Rüfüs Du Sol, Jelly Roll, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen and David Guetta.

The new triumverate at the major talent agency follows Rob Light, who spent 25 years as head of global touring, recently being elevated to CAA managing director, working alongside CAA co-chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd, co-chairmen Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett and president Jim Burtson on strategic business and operational matters.

Creative Artists Agency on Thursday announced the appointment of Emma Banks, Darryl Eaton and Rick Roskin to Co-Heads of Global Touring.

Going forward, the trio will jointly oversee the department’s continued global growth and its more than 340 employees across music, comedy and podcast touring, brand partnerships, tour marketing, private events, and crossover opportunities in film, television and books.

Each of the three is a senior member of CAA’s leadership team who has helped drive its run as the world’s #1 music and comedy touring agency. They will build on the 25 years put in as Head of Global Touring by Rob Light, who was recently appointed as CAA Managing Director, and is now working alongside other company leaders in guiding the agency’s overall strategic direction.

“With the most talented team of agents ever at one agency, and serving the most influential artists in the world, we see unlimited opportunities ahead,...

Creative Artists Agency has reintroduced managing directors, naming nine today, and announced a big expansion of its agency board as its leadership structure evolves.

Managing directors, a group reintroduced after years, include leaders across select areas, who will work alongside CAA Co-Chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd, Co-Chairmen Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett, and President Jim Burtson on a wide range of strategic business and operational matters.

Named Managing Directors are: Rob Light (music), Howard Nuchow (sports), Joe Cohen (TV), Michael Levine (sports) , Joel Lubin (motion picture), Maha Dakhil (motion picture), Chris Silbermann (TV), Tiffany Ward (TV), and Paul Danforth (sports). Of the nine, all but Silbermann come from the CAA side of the company.

CFO Carol Sawdye and Chief Legal Officer Hilary Krane continue to serve in their leadership roles.

CAA’s expanded Agency Board will now hone in on specific goals. It will work with the CAA Co-Chairmen and...

Creative Artists Agency has appointed nine managing directors and changed up its agency board membership.

The new managing directors include Rob Light, Howard Nuchow, Joe Cohen, Michael Levine, Joel Lubin, Maha Dakhil, Chris Silbermann, Tiffany Ward and Paul Danforth. CFO Carol Sawdye and chief legal officer Hilary Krane will continue in their roles.

The managing directors will work alongside CAA co-chairman and CEO Bryan Lourd, co-chairmen Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett and president Jim Burtson on varying strategic business and operational matters.

The agency board will work with the CAA co-chairmen and president “on ensuring the continued strength of the company’s highly regarded culture of service, collaboration, and opportunity, built for personal client service,” including dealmaking, training and development and innovation. The move marks the latest rework for the agency since its sale to Artémis, the investment firm controlled by François-Henri Pinault, last September.

Members of the agency board include Katie Anderson,...

YouTube and Google’s global head of music Lyor Cohen has been confirmed to receive City of Hope’s highest honor, the Spirit of Life Award, at its fall gala.

The veteran music executive will receive the shine on Oct. 18 at West Hollywood’s Pacific Design Center. The Spirit of Life Award is “presented to an esteemed community of industry leaders around the world who have made a significant commitment to improving the lives of others through the advancement of research and clinical innovation and the delivery of personalized, compassionate care,” per City of Hope.

Once he takes a spin at the podium, Lyor will join a list of previous recipients that includes Shelli and Irving Azoff, Edgar Bronfman Jr., Coran Capshaw, Eddy Cue, Clive Davis, Lucian Grainge, Allen Grubman, Quincy Jones, Rob Light, Monte and Avery Lipman, Doug Morris, Mo Ostin, Bob Pittman, Jon Platt and Sylvia Rhone, among others.

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will play host to an all-star concert that will be broadcast and streamed worldwide as part of a global effort to inspire confidence in Covid-19 vaccines and encourage people to be inoculated, organizers announced today.

Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World will be pre-taped at SoFi Stadium and air May 8 as part of a worldwide event broadcasting on ABC, CBS, Fox, YouTube and on iHeartMedia radio stations. Selena Gomez will host the event, which will include performances by Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin and H.E.R.

“I’m honored to be hosting Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World,” said Gomez in a statement. “This is a historic moment to encourage people around the world to take the Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them, call on world leaders to share vaccine doses equitably and to bring people...

CAA’s longtime leaders had a lot on their minds on the sunny afternoon in late October when Kevin Huvane, Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett sat down with Variety for a no-holds-barred conversation in Lourd’s Holmby Hills backyard.

The trio talked about their unique partnership and why it has endured, the state of the talent representation business, how they’re thinking about succession plans for the agency and why they chose to speak out now.

How have the three of you made your partnership work for so long?

Bryan Lourd: We really do all know each other so well. We all have some sixth sense about what our individual strengths are, and we figure out a way to harness this in an egoless way. And it’s not just us. There are 35 people [at CAA] behind us and next to us that are exactly the same.

Richard Lovett: We have been uniquely in sync,...

What makes CAA tick? How do top agents see the dealmaking environment? How deep are the wounds from the WGA battle? What has it meant to have private equity in the house for the past decade?

Nine senior CAA agents and executives and the co-ceo of parent company Tpg opened up to Variety on these questions and more. Here are highlights from those conversations.

On CAA’s competitive advantage:

Maha Dakhil (co-head of international film group and co-head of motion picture talent): I did not think I could possibly fit in by all that I had read about (agencies). I did not see myself as a natural fit, but what’s true is that this is not a monolithic place. The communication and the way we share information make people on the outside feel that we’re all so connected, and that we’re of the same mind — but we are truly a rambunctious,...

If one is an anomaly, two are a coincidence and three are a trend, then Ron Howard might strictly become a music documentarian after “Pavarotti” hits theaters.

The documentary about the world-famous Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti comes on the heels of Howard’s “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week” and “Made in America,” a look at Jay-z’s music festival of the same name.

“Look at the way music has become so important in the medium in general, whether it’s scripted or documentary. I think it’s something to rally an audience around. Technology is such that we can offer a kind of concert experience,” Howard told Variety at a screening of the film on Wednesday at CAA in Los Angeles. “Our intention was to make this as much of an opera as it a human-interest story about Pavarotti.”

The director remarked that last night’s screening was the...

Pharrell Williams will host the Oct. 11 City of Hope gala honoring Warner/Chappell Music CEO and chairman Jon Platt. The publishing veteran is being awarded with the organization’s Spirit of Life Award.

City of Hope, an independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases, houses its own Music, Film and Entertainment Industry Group, which was founded in 1973 and has raised more than $118 million for City of Hope by honoring top executives like Coran Capshaw, founder of Red Light Management, Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge; Shelli and Irving Azoff, chairman and chief executive officer of Azoff Msg Entertainment; Eddy Cue, senior vice president of Apple’s Internet Software Services; and Rob Light of Creative Artists Agency.

Said Williams: “I’m honored to join my good friend Jon to support the groundbreaking and life-saving advances at City of Hope. O’ve had the pleasure of working with this amazing organization before,...

Bon Jovi is set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight in Cleveland, Ohio, and the entire state of New Jersey is celebrating, as Governor Phil Murphy has declared that April 14 as Bon Jovi Day.

The announcement was made on Friday night during a private event at the the historic 925 Building. It was a surprise for the group members in attendance: Jon Bon Jovi (with his wife and four children), David Bryan, Tico Torres, Hugh McDonald, Richie Sambora, and Alec John Such (who will be inducted tonight).

In a formal letter declaring April 14 “Bon Jovi Day,” Murphy wrote: “Five musicians from New Jersey communities believed in their dream and used their talents to form Bon Jovi, one of the most famous, enduring rock bands of all time.”

Other VIP guests included sports icons Robert Kraft, Jerry Jones, Bill Belichick, and Charlie Weiss; music executives Irving Azoff,...

The fallout from agents Caroline Yim and Zach Iser leaving ICM for CAA began to settle this week, as Sza, Future, Anderson.Paak, Daniel Caesar, Rae Sremmurd, ScHoolboy Q, Jhené Aiko, Kehlani, The Internet and Willow Smith all officially joined CAA, a source close to the situation confirmed to Variety. The acts join an already formidable roster that includes Beyonce, Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, Cardi B, Logic, A Tribe Called Quest, Fetty Wap, and such emerging artists as Kyle, Smino, Jorja Smith, and GoldLink, among others. The news was first reported in Billboard.

Meanwhile, Migos and Lil Yachty will remain with ICM. Coach K, the two acts’ manager and label head, is said to be loyal to ICM’s Yves Pierre, who will handles those artists with Jacqueline Reynolds-Drumm.

Competition for Yim and Iser was heavy last month as the bicoastal pair, who work together closely, negotiated with virtually every major agency.

SiriusXM announced Monday that veteran artist manager and industry executive Irving Azoff’s new radio show, “Unmanageable,” will premiere with special guests Jon Bon Jovi, director Judd Apatow and CAA’s Rob Light on the network’s Volume channel Wednesday (April 4) at 7 p.m. Et/4 p.m.

The premiere episode features tasty chat about Bon Jovi’s history, film and the music industry — several minutes of which you can hear in this exclusive preview.

In the first, Bon Jovi talks about his long friendship with the network’s star Howard Stern, and the cloak-and-dagger technique he used to persuade Stern to induct Bon Jovi into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this month; and in the second, he looks back on the years when MTV dominated the business: “Think of the careers that were broken because of a bad video choice!” he says. “Even our heroes had to...

Kanye West has returned to CAA for worldwide representation after departing the agency for UTA in March 2015, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter have confirmed. Although he played a handful of festival dates in the past year, his last tour was 2013-14's Yeezus Tour. This February the rapper released his latest studio album, The Life of Pablo, as well as Season 3 of his Yeezy fashion line. West's new team at CAA comprises managing partner and music head Rob Light, Darryl Eaton, Emma Banks, Marlene Tsuchii and Jenna Adler. He was previously repped at CAA by veteran agent Cara

read more...

Adam Brill, Ben Buchanan, and Brian Hill have joined the music department at CAA, where they’ll be based out of the agency’s Los Angeles, Toronto, and Nashville offices, respectively. “Adam, Ben, and Brian are proven successes in discovering and nurturing the careers of emerging artists. They will thrive within CAA’s collaborative model of client service,” said Rob Light, managing partner and head of CAA Music. Brill comes to CAA from Apa, where he was an agent for the past six years. Among the clients joining Brill are Awolnation, Capital Cities, Finish Ticket and Alec Benjamin, among others.

Britney Spears and Usher were among the music stars who joined the Summer of Hope campaign benefiting City of Hope.

Related: New Music Releases

"Join me & @cityofhope in the fight against terminal diseases this summer. #BritneyArmy -- Let's do this! #summerofhope," Britney Spears tweeted on June 21.

The Summer of Hope campaign seeks to spread awareness of those suffering from terminal diseases, while City of Hope (ranked as one of "America's Best Hospitals" in cancer by U.S.News & World Report) is a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

Rob Light, managing partner and head of music at uber agency CAA, heads up this unprecedented digital awareness campaign, which has already reached 328 million people on Twitter and Facebook.

Other participating artists include Selena Gomez, Adam Levine, Pitbull, David Guetta, Psy, One Direction, Rita Ora, Gavin Rossdale, Nicole Scherzinger and Jared Leto.

For more information, visit www.cityofhope.org or...

Billboard's 14th most powerful woman in the music industry has joined Rob Light's team at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Cara Lewis, who was a top hip-hop agent at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (Wme) for 23 years representing Eminem, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Rihanna, B.o.B., Common and the Roots, among others, will be based out of CAA's New York office. Says Light, the agency's managing partner and head of music: “Cara has built a remarkable career cultivating the careers of some of the most acclaimed artists in music today. Her expertise of the urban market, ability to innovate, and keen eye for talent

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Update: CAA has confirmed the hiring of Cara Lewis. Release appears below original story. Exclusive: Cara Lewis, a dominant agent in the hip-hop sphere, has landed at CAA. Deadline revealed that she was leaving her longtime perch at Wme after that agency didn’t renew her contract. Lewis spent 23 years at Wma and Wme, and her client list includes Kanye West, Eminem, Rihanna, B.o.B, Big Boi, Common, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco, Nas, Ne-Yo, Pitbull, Soulja Boy, the Roots and Tinie Tempah. Los Angeles (January 3, 2012) – Music agent Cara Lewis has joined Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency. Lewis comes to CAA from William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (Wme), where she was a Senior Vice President. Lewis will be based in the agency’s New York office. “Cara has built a remarkable career cultivating the careers of some of the most acclaimed artists in music today,...

Harvey Weinstein, TV producer Steve Levitan, ICM’s Chris Silbermann, UTA’s Rob Prinz, manager-producer Jason Weinberg and talent managers Eric Ortner, Greg Mertz, Bruce Flohr, Michael Green, Steve Moir and Bill Silva were among Hollywood figures invited to meet with President Obama on Tuesday before he left for San Francisco. These ardent supporters were not hit up for donations, according to Tina Daunt, but were singled out for their perceived ability as “influencers” who could shape political debate as campaigning heats up in the months ahead. Invitees also included CAA music agent Rob Light and music industry bigwigs Craig Kallman, Karen Kwak, Livia Tortella, Tom Sturges, Livia Tortella, producer-songwriter Bruce Roberts, showbiz attorney Chuck Ortner and actor Kal Penn plus Idpr’s Kelly Bush and Mara Buxbaum.

Ron Baird, former head of CAA’s Nashville office, died in Nashville yesterday of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 60. Baird opened CAA's Nashville office in 1991, starting the first outpost in his garage as a one-man operation. It's now a 55-person team. In his 13 years as a CAA agent, Baird oversaw the careers of Clint Black, Billy Dean, Jennifer Hanson, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Barbara Mandrell, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Joe Nichols, Olivia Newton John, Little Texas, Jamie O’Neal, Julie Roberts and Shania Twain, among many others. He retired in 2004. He is survived by his wife Cheryl, their sons John (and wife Jenny) and Marc (and wife Kennon); and four grandchildren, James, Kate, Finley and Cooper. “Ron was an extraordinary man whose dedication to and passion for his clients and colleagues alike have long inspired us," said Rob Light, managing partner and head of the CAA music department.

CAA, through its deal to sell a 35% non-controlling minority stake to Tpg Capital, has secured the means to remain a competitor among the top tier of Hollywood talent agencies at a time of great economic and industry challenges.Reports that the money from the deal, announced Friday, will be used to expand into sports, TV, movies and entertainment production drew questions about how the powerhouse will remain a seller of talent without becoming a buyer of the same talent. There's also the matter of a separate $500 million fund for acquisitions, which is being created jointly by Tpg and CAA. It's a fine line.That isn't going to be a problem, a source close to the agency insisted. He said reports of conflicts of interest simply don't reflect the reality of the deal. CAA, the insider said, will not use the money to produce to a degree that could create conflicts with its all-star client base.

CAA, through its deal to sell a 35% non-controlling minority stake to Tpg Capital, has secured the means to remain a competitor among the top tier of Hollywood talent agencies at a time of great economic and industry challenges.

Reports that the money from the deal, announced Friday, will be used to expand into sports, TV, movies and entertainment production drew questions about how the powerhouse will remain a seller of talent without becoming a buyer of the same talent. There's also the matter of a separate $500 million fund for acquisitions, which is being created jointly by Tpg and CAA. It's a fine line.

That isn't going to be a problem, a source close to the agency insisted. He said reports of conflicts of interest simply don't reflect the reality of the deal. CAA, the insider said, will not use the money to produce to a degree that could create conflicts with its all-star client base.