Independent booking agencies Arrival Artists and ATC Live are merging, the companies announced on Tuesday, in a move that creates one of the largest independent booking agencies in the music business.
The combined company will be called ROAM, and together represents about 800 artists. Arrival, based out of the U.S., started in 2020 amid the pandemic with Sufjan Stevens, Car Seat Headrest, Andrew Bird and Khruangbin among the agency’s clients. ATC Live launched in 2011 out of the U.K., handling bookings for the likes of Nick Cave, the Lumineers, Big Thief, and Fontaines D.C. among others.
ROAM declined to detail any financial details of the merger, though in an interview with Billboard, the company confirmed it was structured as a 50/50 ownership split between the two companies. The companies had worked closely together before the merger, they said, beginning with an A&R initiative that started after Arrival’s founding in 2020.
“Our work with ATC Live has been rooted in a commitment to developing careers with care,” Erik Selz, a co-founder of arrival and a Partner/Agent at ROAM, said in a statement. “Over time, that partnership evolved into a vision for something far greater. ROAM blends a personal, hands-on approach with the strength of deep, far-reaching industry relationships, unlocking opportunities in every corner of the touring world.”
The new company’s leadership will consist of a joint committee of partners from the former agencies’ leadership. Arrival’s six co-founders Selz, Ali Hedrick, John Bongiorno, Karl Morse, Ethan Berlin and Matt Yasecko all remain on ROAM’s leadership, running the company alongside ATC Live Founder Alex Bruford and ATC partners Clemence Renaut, Colin Keenan, Ed Thompson, Olivia-jane Ransley, Sarah Joy, Skully Sullivan Kaplan and Will Church.
“We’ve proven our ability to take artists from clubs to festival headlines and arena touring, and to add value to established artists of all levels through diligent and strategic work,” Bruford said in a statement. “The creation of ROAM significantly enhances the choices artists have for worldwide representation.”
With the two agencies’ combined rosters and resources, ROAM hopes to offer a competitive alternative to an agency business run by the likes of WME, CAA, UTA and Wasserman. ROAM has offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, and Glasgow.
“ROAM is about adapting, exploring new opportunities, and creating lasting cultural impact – on our own terms and alongside the artists who inspire us,” Yasecko said in a statement.
As Ransley, a partner and ROAM’S director of operations adds: “We’ve built companies and cultures we’re proud of, and ROAM takes that to the next level. “We’ve created an environment where agents can confidently prioritize long-term career success for their artists, supported by the infrastructure and expert departments to break into new markets, expand audiences, and sharpen ticketing strategies.”
