Booking agents at Billboard summit point to thin margins and tours planned for 2028
Booking agents told the Billboard Live Music Summit that touring is getting harder for mid-sized acts, and that some of them are already working on tours for 2028 and 2029. The panel took place on Tuesday, November 10, at the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood, California.
Six agents took part: Jbeau Lewis of UTA, Cristina Baxter of THE•TEAM, Robby Fraser of WME, Jarred Arfa of Independent Artists Group, Josh Mulder of TBA and Shirin Nury of CAA. Billboard senior editor Taylor Mims moderated the discussion, which Billboard published on its website.
Booking agents find venues and dates for artists and negotiate the fees. The panel covered the squeeze on the middle of the touring market, where acts are big enough to fill rooms but not big enough to absorb every rising cost. It also looked at rising production costs and at tour packaging, the practice of putting several acts on one bill to share the cost and the crowd.
Margins are tight. Baxter said a sold-out tour can still fail to make money. The difference often comes down to a couple of decisions, such as how many show days are booked or what one part of the production costs.
Planning is also running far ahead. Some agents said they are already looking at 2028 and 2029, which means fans may hear about dates years before the shows happen.
Artificial intelligence came up as well. Baxter said AI tools make their suggestions from the data they are given, but much of the information behind tour routing and timing, meaning the order and schedule of cities, is not public. She said she does not expect AI to change touring and booking in the same way it may affect some other industries. Several agents suggested that new technology and AI do not pose a major threat to their careers.
Nury put the point in human terms. "We have the great privilege of being in a human industry, a social industry," she said.
That line helps explain the day's discussion. Every tour route, date and budget is set by people weighing a long list of small choices, and the panel spent most of its time on those choices.
