Watch where the money's moving
mainThe opera singer who suffered agent abuse in last week’s leaked email has left Universal Music to join Jack Maistroianni at IMG. Two more singers are talking of quitting Universal, leaving the corporation’s agency wing in a parlous state ahead of an impending merger.
When artists leave, finances take a big hit. ‘That’s £300,000 ($465,000) in commissions going out the door,’ said one insider when Joyce DiDonato’s agent, Simon Goldstone, took her and 19 others out of wobbly IMG to the medium-sized London firm, Intermusica. An even bigger sum went walkies when Gustavo Dudamel switched agencies – twice this year, so far.
These shifts, usually infrequent, are happening now on an almost weekly basis. They are a sign that the classical music business is in total flux, morphing beyond recognition.
More to come.
Actually, these figures are all wrong. First of all, when an agent leaves, none of the income goes (particularly in the opera world)
for 2-3 years because contracts are already in place. Secondly, the figures are incorrect.
Simon Goldstone has only client of financial value and thats Joyce Di Donato. The rest are relatively unimportant
NL replies: Actually, the figures are right. They have been confirmed to me by two independent sources. Exactly how Goldstone managed to free 20 singers from their IMG contracts is not yet known, but he brings a decent dowry.