Former WME Senior Assistant Dan Owens Launches Alternative Agency LOUD Artists

Dan Owens.
– Dan Owens.
Founder of LOUD Artists booking agency.

Dan Owens, former senior assistant at WME, has launched a new booking agency, LOUD Artists, which is based in London and specializes in punk, rock, metal, and everything alternative. 

In his almost four years at WME, Owens was booking assistant to Russell Warby and Kara James, respectively, and worked across global acts that included Foo Fighters, Faith No More, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, and Red Fang.
Prior to working at WME, Owens toured the UK and Europe with artists including Purson, Arthur Beatrice and Mulatu Astatke. 
He began his career working at Cato Music, the touring company founded by ex-Muse tour director and Neko Trust head honcho, Glen Rowe, who commented: “The industry is in dire need for a shakeup. It’s about time someone looked after the counterculture and Dan is the perfect person to lead the charge. I look forward to working with him on his new venture.”
LOUD Artists sees itself “firmly rooted in the alternative,” Owens’ current roster includes Palm Reader, Teeth, Blanket, SPQR, and Eloise Kerry with more to be announced shortly, according to the announcement.
Owens told Pollstar, “The live industry is going through a major shake-up with all the effects of the pandemic, plus the challenges that Brexit poses. There are new promoters and agencies forming, venues on the brink of closure and an insatiable thirst for live music to return. 
“We’re facing a bottleneck situation where there are more artists than slots so bands really need a committed agent in their corner to fight for them,” he said, adding that this held true for small and mid-level artists, in particular.
Despite the challenges, he thinks “there’s no better time to create an agency to stand-up for the counterculture.”
Questioned about reasons for major agents to go independent in these challenging time, he said, “I think the pandemic and consequent redundancies have affected people differently and each agency to start up in this time will have their own reasons for doing so. But for me, being made redundant was the catalyst to starting LOUD Artists, not the reason.
“One of the benefits of being an independent, and a new agency, is that we have very few overheads and nothing to recoup from the past year. 
“Working without that weight around our neck is liberating and allows us to put our undivided attention into our artists and to get creative, as it’s now more important than ever for agents to be adaptable and to wear numerous hats to bring opportunities to their bands.”
Commenting on his time at WME, Owens said he’d “learned from the best,” adding, “I’m grateful for the experience at WME and for the relationships I’ve made. I’ve received overwhelming support from contacts old and new and it’s energizing to talk about gigs in the future tense again.”
 
He told Pollstar, “It feels like the industry has hit refresh. At LOUD Artists, we are reenergized and are really entering the fray with the mindset that the shackles are off. It’s a very exciting time to be working in live music.”