Forty years in the live music business. More than 200 headline stadium shows across every continent. A roster that has included Gorillaz, Blur, New Order, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Robbie Williams. Ian Huffam, Partner at London's X-Ray Touring, is one of the most respected agents in the international live music industry: one who prioritises quality over quantity and the long-term development of a live career over the quick win.
In this conversation, Huffam reflects on four decades of change—the consolidation of agencies, promoters, ticketing companies, and venues into multinational structures, and what that means for everyone else. How has the agent–promoter relationship evolved? Where is the industry heading? And crucially: how do regional artists, promoters, venues, and music export offices find room to flourish in a landscape where matching the financial muscle of the multinationals is simply not an option?
Interviewed by Nick Hobbs, Founder of Charmenko, Charmworks & Charm Musics