Senior Talent Agent, Chelsea Carrington Gives Us A Heaping Scoop Of Inside Info Into Her World At CyberGroove Agency
Beginning in 2000, CGAgency has ‘been serving up proper bass to the globe‘. In those 22 years, the world has been a witness to their increasingly widening scope of services, artists, and grasp on business in the ever-largening music industry we see today.
With a roster of talent garnering such notable names as Tyro, Viskus, Kenzi Sway, Architekt, Walter Wilde, KJ Sawka, Shank Aaron, Notixx, and so many more, which features genres in the field of dubstep, DnB, electro, breakbeat, and others, we can get an idea they are not messing around when it comes to clients they see fit to represent.
In addition to artist management, the folks at CGAgency also serve the industry via tour management,which can all be found on their About Us page.
See what we had to ask Chelsea from CGAgency and what she had to say back in this exclusive interview below.
Interview by: Garth Jones | Tate Beumel | Gabe Hamad
Q1: Rewind the clocks and expand on what brought you into the dance music scene for us and then what led you to become a talent agent?
A1: Years ago I started working with a promoter in San Diego. I was working on getting email addresses from the clubgoers to use for future marketing. This started my journey within the EDM scene. Since then, I have worked on every level in this industry from throwing my own shows to running a record label. I have always enjoyed the business side of the industry and once I started to learn more about booking artists, it just felt right. From there, I sought a meeting with the company I currently work with and set up an in-person meeting at EDC with our agency owner, and here we are today.
Q2: How much fun do you have doing your job? What aspect makes it rewarding?
A2: I enjoy most aspects of this job!. It’s fulfilling to hear from the talent and the promoters that a show went well. Seeing that I helped artists get closer to their goals is a great feeling. Also knowing that we helped an event in a city be successful brings me a smile. This is a hard industry to be in, but it is nice to see that we are making a positive difference. There are struggles and challenges as in most jobs, but the positives outweigh the negatives every time.
Q3: Are there any sizzling tips or advice you could share with the aspiring talent in the audience?
A3: Ahh, the magic question. I think it’s important for an artist to decide if this is a career or a hobby and then be okay with the answer. If this is your chosen career, then treat it as nothing less. Do not show up and play your set if you are intoxicated. Send contracts when hired. Be professional and courteous at all times. Connect and engage with your fans, their love and support is a key to your success. Watch how you act on socials; always choosing to show support to others rather than bringing others down. Never underestimate the positive value of meeting someone who works in the scene in person.
Q4: What do you see as your greatest business/industry achievement thus far?
A4: There are a lot of personal goals that I have achieved with bookings, whether it be a festival or promoter that we have worked with.
One of the neatest bookings that I have done was to write a personal letter to the talent buyer for a festival. It was this personal touch over metrics and stats that led to a booking for the artist. The festival was the Ultra Music Festival in 2006. Fast forward to today, even though the talent buying landscape has changed immensely, it is that personal connection and positive attitude that I continue to carry with me in my work and the relationships that I cultivate.
Q5: What makes CGAgency sustainable in this industry with internal/external hurdles such as the pandemic, rising airline prices, or other influential causes?
A5: It’s our ability to adapt and be flexible when we see hurdles. During the pandemic, we opened up a weekly DJ mix series and invited the community to participate. This helped us stay engaged and give an outlet for artists to play some tunes. Airline cost increases are something that a lot are dealing with at the moment. I don’t think it’s something that just means we raise artist prices, but more looking to work with the promoter to come up with a different fee structure that makes sense to both. It will undoubtedly take the entire community working together to get through some of the challenges we are all facing as a whole.
Q6: Where do you see CGAgency or yourself in five years’ time? Give us a snapshot of that ideal position.
A6: I wish I could look in the future to see what things will look like, but what is the fun with that! I know that I will still be an agent, there really isn’t another role that I enjoy. CGAgency works with Dubstep, DNB, Breaks, and Multi-genre artists, I think with that kind of diversity; the needs of the community will be met. I can see us expanding into more genres as well as Artist Management, Talent Buying, and Consulting.
Q7: What is it like in the day of the life of a talent agent? Sunup to sundown, what happens in your shoes?
A7: It’s a combination of responding to emails and messages or reaching out to promoters for tour/show stops. There is always something to share on socials from the artists as they are constantly working on cool new things. Phone calls and meetings are continuous as well as always checking in on the team to make sure everyone is doing well. I also take time for myself to ground and reflect, this helps me keep energized with the pace and demand of the job.
Q8: Who inspires you the most? What sort of influence and imprint did this person or people have on who you are today as a talent agent?
A8: I get inspiration from my team. Between all of the artists and managers, there is so much creativity, so much love, and laughter and so much coming together to make sure things run smoothly that it’s easy to be inspired and easier to keep going when things are rough. I hope that they get that inspiration from me as well. I would be doing a disservice by equating where I am today to the influence of just one person. However, I would also not be where I am without the agency owner, Scott, taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to curate and run our bass music team.
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