Booking agent Jon Ollier, whose roster includes Ed Sheeran, has unveiled more details about the new independent agency he is launching, which will be called One Fiinix Live.
Ollier announced last month that he was departing CAA, the talent agency where he'd been based for nearly six years. He will be joined at One Fiinix Live by his CAA colleague Emma Davis, and will launch with his existing roster of artists, which also includes Anne-Marie, Lauv, 2Cellos and JC Stewart.
Formally launching his new business, Ollier said: "After almost six years at CAA, where I learned a huge amount from some inspirational colleagues, I felt it was time to launch my own venture and realise the vision I had for a forward-thinking, innovative agency that could empower artists and help them reach new audiences".
Booking and talent agencies have faced huge challenges this year, of course, because of the COVID shutdown. And one long-term outcome of the pandemic, when it comes to this strand of the music industry, will be an increasingly competitive marketplace.
After years of market consolidation, where many independent agencies merged with the big US talent firms, a number of new independent businesses have launched in recent months, some by agents made redundant by the big agencies, and others by agents who see all the shifts currently occurring in the live sector as, ultimately, an opportunity
The latter group includes Ollier. "It may seem counter-intuitive", he added when announcing One Fiinix Live, "but I think this is uniquely good time to launch a new business as we enter the next phase for live music. There will be huge opportunities as we create new ways of thinking and I believe One Fiinix Live is poised to play a leading role in that positive disruption".
"We are keen to turn the current challenges we are all facing into possibilities", he concluded, "and I encourage anyone who feels they have the same kind of mindset to reach out; now is the time to embrace the change".