ATC Live’s Alice Hogg On Going Independent & Breaking Artists In The Digital Age

– Alice Hogg

Alice Hogg recently joined London booking agency ATC Live, where she currently represents Durand Jones & The Indications, VC Pines, Merk, St Woods and the Grammy nominee and Pollstar Hotstar feature artist Black Pumas.

Hogg comes to ATC from Live Nation, where she worked as a global talent buyer on European tours including Post Malone, Billie Eilish, and Lizzo. Hogg began her booking career at United Talent Agency, working with the likes of FOALS, Chvrches, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Tom Misch, and Glass Animals among many others.

Pollstar: Has your experience made you more sympathetic for or at least understanding of both the buyer and seller side of the trade?

Alice Hogg: At Live Nation I worked across Europe to buy tours as a whole, and it was crucial to rely on local promoters’ knowledge, as the expert in the territory.

Having the understanding of the risk that a promoter has to take, the small margins and huge volume of acts that they deal with on a daily basis has given me a greater understanding.

So as an agent having a promoter toolkit, I can have clear and transparent conversations with promoters, and together we can make the best decision for the artist.

There are a lot of jokes about agent versus promoter (which we can all identify with!) but it’s important to remember that we are all on the same team, with a shared goal; to deliver the best live experience for the artist and the fan.

Can you describe what needs to happen for you to want to work with an artist?

Music is about emotion for me. If it connects with me and makes me feel something, it’s likely to connect with others too.

After falling in love with a song there will be a number of tick boxes which an agent would generally look for that may help indicate things could move for a new act, including having a good team, label interest, radio plays, playlisting etc.

I think in this day and age, it can be too easy to look at streaming numbers and Instagram likes, rather than following intuition, but if I love it and the stats back it up that others do too, then it’s an easier decision to make when taking on a new artist.

Frank Hoensch/Redferns – Black Pumas
One of the acts on Alice Hogg’s roster.

Has it become easier to break an artist in the digital age?

It is possibly harder to break an artist in the digital age. I think getting your music out there as a new artist is much easier but it also means the market is saturated with new music.

The job has become more about making sure your artist can cut through the noise; if they get an early buzz, be able to ride the wave with a well-planned strategy; not going for things too early and planning ahead on campaigns.

Of course data has helped us all understand audiences better and look at who possible fans could be, where they live, what they do – and try and warm a ‘cold audience’ up, into a super-hot audience who would buy tickets at 9 a.m. on fan-presale! In terms of geotargeting audiences, stats can help but it’s hard to tell if the listener in their bedroom will want to see the artist live.

We are still at the stage that there is no definite algorithm or data service that can show exactly how these stats correlate to ticket sales, so there is still a fair amount of guessswork involved until you book the first headline gig, get your audience physically in the room – and in turn harness the data from that show to build on for the next show.

What are the most important factors to maintaining a sustainable live business? In other words: what is your business philosophy?

Good Music! It will always win. However, it’s more necessary than ever for artists to build a story and stay consistent, keeping a steady amount of activity online and on tour, but knowing when to stay out of markets and let demand build, and not overplay. It’s a fine balance and there are different strategies to take for different types of artist.

For example, a pop act that wants to harvest a No.1 single quickly, would be booked entirely differently from a band who enjoy life on the road and dream of a 20-year touring career. My business philosophy is fully understanding the act, asking the right questions and working out the best strategy to deliver the artists vision for their live career.

How does it feel to be working with a true independent?

Passion and creativity is what drives me and I saw that mirrored within the culture at ATC; I feel the company has an ethos I can wholeheartedly get behind. Alex Bruford, who heads up the agency, is a well-respected agent in the industry and I have always felt his vision for the company is aligned with the goals I have for my career. … As an independent agency, ATC Live is able to be dynamic, versatile and forward thinking – all essential qualities in a fast-paced business such as live touring.

What is the most important thing to you in life?

Big question! Practicing gratitude. Agenting isn’t just a job, it’s a lifestyle – you are fully ingrained in your work and at times it’s hard to differentiate ‘you’ from your job. It’s so easy to sweat the small stuff and forget to find joy in things. How lucky are we, to be here, doing something we love every day?

What advice would you give those wanting to become agents?

Work hard and be kind to people! The industry is all about relationships, if you can show you are consistently good at your job, full of positive energy and great ideas – people will generally want you around.

I’ve been particularly fortunate to have amazing mentors, who have helped me up the ladder throughout my career. If you find yourself a great mentor, try to be of service, find a way to be useful, and if you can, be indispensable.

Finally, be honest. People will thank you for it. If you make a mistake; own it and sort it. Remember no one is perfect and we are all learning – every day!