UTA Acquires Circle Talent
LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — United Talent Agency on Tuesday announced that it had made an aggressive push into the somewhat arcane of world electronic dance music with the acquisition of EDM powerhouse agency Circle Talent.
“The acquisition of Circle Talent Agency is a tremendous addition for UTA as we continue to build momentum in our music business,” said UTA Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Zimmer. “Electronic music is now a multi-billion dollar business and one of the fastest-growing genres. Having Circle, its talented agents and incredible roster under our umbrella, immediately establishes a major connection for us with the next generation of music fans, and UTA as a leader in the dance space. We are thrilled to have this agency and its great artists joining our company.”
Circle co-founders Steve Gordon and Kevin Gimble will serve as UTA's co-heads of electronic music, working closely with UTA's global head of music, David Zedeck.
Circle Talent represents a roster that includes some of the top names in electronic music, including Marshmello, Kaskade, Excision, Illenium, and more.
The addition of the Circle Talent team brings UTA's music division up to 90 agents in six offices around the world. Circle Talent's artists join a UTA roster that already features acts such as Guns N’ Roses, Muse, Die Antword, Lenny Kravitz, G-Eazy, Mariah Carey, DJ Khaled, Paramore, Ms. Lauryn Hill, X Ambassadors, Toby Keith, Bush and Bring Me The Horizon.
Gordon and Gimble said, “We have watched UTA evolve into a major entertainment company with global reach and we felt now was the perfect time to combine our resources to provide even greater opportunities for our clients. We’re excited to join a growing music team that shares our client-first values.”
David Zedeck, UTA global head of music added, “Steve, Kevin and the team at Circle started a business in a niche genre that has gained cultural relevancy around the world. They have done a tremendous job developing their artists into international touring superstars. I look forward to working with them to expand our global business and offer their clients a broad scope of opportunities across the agency.”
The acquisition marks electronic music's arrival as an increasingly vital part of the live music ecosystem. The format has grown from illegal one-off parties in warehouses produced by underground promoters in the early 1990s, to a thriving international festival and club scene, generating some of the hottest tickets in town.
However, EDM remains a somewhat idiosyncratic and insular scene, with fans that crave a sense authenticity and independence, factors that doesn't always mesh with the realities of corporate music culture. This was evidenced most recently by the exit of Gary Richards, founder of EDM producer Hard Events, from Live Nation last year. It's this authenticity that UTA seems to be after with the acquisition of Circle Talent – a company that has been active in the space since it was founded in the 1990s. Both Gimble and Gordon have long experience in the format and have long-established relationships with key EDM artists.
The acquisition is also the latest in a string of similar buys for UTA. Last year, UTA acquired Greater Talent Network, one of the world’s most influential speakers bureaus, and in 2016, the company launched UTA Fine Arts
Over the past several years, UTA has scaled its global representation business in multiple key areas including music, broadcast news, live speaking, and more. Last fall, UTA acquired Greater Talent Network, one of the world’s most influential speakers bureaus, establishing UTA as a market leader in live speaking engagements and in 2015, acquired one of the top botique agencies in the world The Agency Group, which substantially expanded UTA's music division.
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