Roc Nation's Chris Knight

What was the first concert you ever attended?

Counting Crows at The Roxy, December 1993, just after the release of their first album, August and Everything After. I won tickets on the radio to another concert, but I called the station back and asked if I could trade them for Counting Crows. You gotta ask, right?

You can go back in time and see any concert. Whom would you see, and when?

Either Live Aid or The Beatles on the rooftop of Apple Corp.

What’s the single biggest change in a manager’s responsibilities since you started in the biz?

Today, revenue for an artist may come from something other than music: e.g., their lifestyle brand/sneaker/skincare line/Fortnite emote/TV competition series/movie career, etc. Please hold, I need to call Hypebeast.

Name a manager not in your company whom you admire.

Tim Sexton. A manager who wears many hats and helped create some of the biggest moments in music history. His integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to making the world a better place is truly inspiring.

Describe your all-time-favorite photo, memento or tchotchke from your job.

I have a plaque I walk past every day that reads, “Either you grow with music, or music outgrows you." It’s a radio-station advertisement from KMET-FM.

You’re made czar of the concert industry. What’s the first thing you’d change?

Some of the best shows I’ve ever seen didn’t need all the production or theatrics; it was about the artists connecting with the audience and pouring their hearts out. Let’s protect the little venues so artists have time to develop a live show that is worth paying to see when they get to an arena.

Tell us about a mistake you’ve made in the biz and what you learned from it.

Probably agreeing to give HITS answers to these questions. My bad.