There’s some seismic activity Down Under, where experienced live music professional Joel Siviour launches a new booking agency with a stacked roster.
Unveiled today, Seismic Talent Agency goes live with Alison Wonderland, The Presets, George Maple, Running Touch and many more on its books.
Based in Sydney, the independent booking agency begins life as “the culmination of almost a decade’s experience and development as an agent,” explains Siviour, who learned the ropes with domestic agencies including Archery Club, Select Music and Falcona.
Seismic’s philosophy? To work with ambitious, unique and groundbreaking domestic talent, Siviour explains, and to develop “bespoke touring strategies that prioritize each artist within their individual space” across the APAC region.
What sets the company apart from others is its diverse roster. More specifically, it’s one of the first agencies to boast gender parity, Siviour notes. “It’s definitely something I’ve been making conscious progress towards over the last few years,” he tells Billboard. “Diverse representation is both important to me as an individual and as a cornerstone to the company-culture at Seismic Talent; it was certainly purposeful but far from a tokenistic approach.”
The launch comes on the eve of the 2020 ARIA Awards, and amid mounting, positive signs for a restarted live sector.
Australia’s east coast borders are re-opening, and flights between Sydney and Melbourne, the country’s two biggest cities, resumed this week.
Arena shows are scheduled for Sydney later this month and early next, and Australia’s first international stadium tour post-COVID, featuring Guns N’ Roses and produced by TEG Dainty, is set for November 2021.
Also, the federal government has just announced its “Roadmap” for the safe return of live entertainment in the months ahead, along with funding to back it up.
Launching a live music enterprise during a pandemic is “complicated absolutely, but far from impossible,” muses Siviour. “For each disappointing cancellation at the start of the pandemic, we’ve been fortunate enough to encounter equally as many exciting opportunities in this part of the world.”
Those opportunities include ShockOne’s biggest headline show of his career, George Maple is booked for the Sydney Opera House next month, and QUIX is nailing headline slots on festival bills in his homeland, New Zealand.
All the signs seem to point to a full-scale restart for concerts and touring. “I feel incredibly fortunate to be operating in a region of the world that has contained the pandemic,” adds Siviour, “and I hope that easing of restrictions continues along this positive trajectory.”
