Italian music group Artist First has launched a new live music promotions division called Artist First Live.
Artist First Live will be headed by Alessandro Fabozzi, the founder of Milan-based artist management company 432 Srl and digital agency Officine Orange, both of which sold majority stakes to Artist First in recent years.
Fabozzi will work alongside Artist First Founder and CEO Claudio Ferrante, who said in a statement announcing the launch, that the new division “brings [Artist First] closer to our aim of being the only Italian music company to offer an authentic 360-degree service to artists and rights holders.”
Artists exclusively promoted in Italy by Artist First Live include Le Vibrazioni, Alfa, Francesco Gabbani, Zero Assoluto & Mace.
The company has also announced a series of Italian arena dates by UK artist Blue, which will include performances in Rome, Milan, Bari and Padua, with what the company says was “35,000 tickets sold in less than an hour on pre-sale”.
In addition to its expansion into the live music promotions sector, Artist First also offers distribution, record labels, brand divisions, digital marketing, artist management, talent booking, music publishing and merchandising.
The company was launched in 2009 and has 50 employees in Milan.
Artist First works with various popular Italian artists alongside a number of global acts.
The company also distributes a wide range of labels and has its own roster, which includes Gazzelle, Fulminacci, Alfa, Dardust and Zero Assoluto among others.
“This new division builds on the great work we are already doing in other areas of the industry and brings us closer to our aim of being the only Italian music company to offer an authentic 360-degree service to artists and rights holders.”
Claudio Ferrante, Artist First
Claudio Ferrante, founder and CEO of Artist First said: “We have launched Artist First Live to work with great artists, domestic and international, who want to perform to Italian audiences.
“This new division builds on the great work we are already doing in other areas of the industry and brings us closer to our aim of being the only Italian music company to offer an authentic 360-degree service to artists and rights holders.”
Added Ferrante: “We are going to be very selective about who we work with to ensure we can fully focus on their individual needs and to offer a bespoke, transparent, collaborative service.
“Unlike some of the bigger promoters in Italy who have built their businesses purely on volume we are passionate about music and are approaching things in a much more artist-focused way.”Music Business Worldwide
