Eva Alexiou-Reo - Owner, Booking Agent, and Artist Manager at FATA Booking on the State of the Industry, Working with an Agent, and Teaching Music Business

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On November 21, 2020, the touring side of the music industry is still completely shut down due to COVID-19. It has been shut down since March of 2020. 9-months with no revenue has forced venues to shut down and close it’s doors forever. Thousands of personnel in the industry are out of work with no end in sight. In some states, venues and artists are taking risks with outdoor shows, drive-in shows, and limited capacity shows. In 2019, the touring industry had a record year. It’s been steadily climbing for the past 20-years, and now 2020 is one of the worst years since the artists started touring. The industry is basically near zero revenue with no end in sight. There is speculation as to when we can go back to a touring schedule as in recent years, but this could be months or even until 2022 or beyond. 

Thankfully there are some organizations and people on the ground fighting to keep the industry alive. Eva Alexiou-Reo is a member of NITO the National Independent Talent Organization, for which she is the chairperson for the Touring and Live Streaming committee. NITO is an organization that was founded by a group of like-minded US-based independent talent agencies and independent management companies for the purpose of promoting the welfare of our members and their represented artists.  NITO advocates for the direct benefit of our members as well as for the indirect benefit of associate members represented in a broad coalition of entities in the live touring ecosystem. NITO is currently advocating for congress to pass the RESTART Act, Save Our Stages Act, and the HITS Act to save our music industry. As a member of NITO, Eva is one of the leaders in our industry trying to fight to keep businesses alive and for an income for the thousands of workers who are out of a job. 

Eva Alexiou-Reo is also the owner of FATA Booking since 1996, which is a booking agency and artist management company based in Philadelphia, PA. During a time where the industry is completely shut down, this is a great time for learning. There are many great music business programs, podcasts, YouTube channels, books, and much more out there to help prep people for this industry. Eva is one of those educators as a Music Business Professor at Northern Vermont University and also thought for 7 years at Drexel University. In this conversation, we talk about her journey in the music business, starting FATA Booking Agency, what she looks for in artists, teaching, and her work with NITO to help save our music industry. 

To learn more about Eva Alexiou-Reo, FATA Booking and NITO visit http://fatabooking.com/ and https://www.nitolive.org/