It’s been two years since longtime agents Emma Banks, Darryl Eaton and Rick Roskin were elevated to co-heads of global touring at CAA. In that time, the trio has galvanized the nearly 200-member agent team by presiding over the signings of such acts as Adele, ADÉLA, Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, Clipse, Drake, Florida Georgia Line, Ms. Lauryn Hill, ROSÉ and Stella Lefty, and bringing in industry-leading agents including Lucy Dickins, Tony Goldring, David Bradley, James Simmons, Devin Landau, Maxim Karlik and Beth Morton.

Working in conjunction with managing director Rob Light, co-head of contemporary music Mitch Rose and agency board member Katie Anderson, the CAA leaders oversee a touring roster that boasts many of the most influential artists in the world, including Anyma, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Charli xcx, Harry Styles, Iron Maiden, Lady Gaga, Mumford & Sons, My Chemical Romance, Post Malone, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Sabrina Carpenter, System of a Down, the Eagles, The Weeknd and Usher.

Here, Roskin reflects on the co-heads’ 20-plus years together and what it means to do things the CAA way.

You and your co-heads in the division go back a long time. Say a little bit about those relationships and how they’ve informed the collective leadership style.

Roskin: CAA has such a unique culture, and there are so many of us who’ve been here a really long time, literally our entire careers. The culture of the company, the leadership of the company, provides a comfort and an honesty and a heart that I think doesn’t necessarily exist everywhere. That does inform our leadership and our style of leadership. We’ve always been a culture of collaboration; that’s been preached from the ’70s when the company started. To lead is to serve, and you have to put yourself second, put everybody else first.

The quote from the company is, “When you take good care of each other, great things happen.” And I think that is instilled in everybody here.

ROSÉ

STELLA LEFTY

What about the connection between you, Darryl and Emma?

I started in the mailroom. Tom Ross hired me. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. Although I would prefer if it had been a little shorter.

Darryl and I both started here as assistants. We can draft off one another. We have totally different styles, but kind of the same ethos. Our joke is that he’s a Mac and I’m a PC. And it works for us. And the same goes for Emma; we’ve worked together for 20-plus years now.

What I love about our leadership team is we all bring different perspectives and strengths to the table while sharing the same commitment to our clients, our managers, our team and to delivering the best possible results. Our partnership is built on trust and collaboration, and it’s a privilege to lead this business alongside them.

What makes it unique as a brand in the music world?

Everyone who’s come up in this company has witnessed exceptional examples of leadership, mentorship, unselfishness. I grew up under Tom Ross, Rob Light and Mitch Rose. I saw how the job was done, and I saw how it was done well. We expect excellence, class and teamwork in everything we do.

You don’t have to bang the table hardest or scream the loudest for people to know what we’re capable of.

ADÉLA

(Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images)

How has your role, the role of the agent, changed in the past couple of decades?

Consolidation has changed everything. We’re all big companies who’ve taken on private equity, and the business has changed. When I started at CAA, there were eight agents in the department. We were a mom-and-pop shop. Now you’re managing a business as opposed to a small operation. We’re all running P&Ls. My joke is I didn’t even know what EBITDA was before I got involved in running the overall business of the business.

The actual artist development part hasn’t changed. Having a plan hasn’t changed. The day-to-day job and being a strategist and advocate for talent is still the same. We’re just doing it in a different box that happens to be bigger.

You’re on the record about being very mindful of the pace at which careers are developed and artists are leveled up in terms of their touring. Can you expound upon that a little?

The velocity from zero to arenas has never been faster. And that is because of social media. Artists can be discovered faster and music can be delivered through so many different ways. You have to slow the process down, because ultimately we’re still in a business of career development and longevity. You try not to skip steps. It’s still critical that you develop a show. I still believe in 10,000 hours, and I still believe in the power of no, and I still believe in taking the time to develop not only as a recording artist but as a live performer. Those are very different things.

The jump from a Palladium to a Forum is a much bigger step than a Fonda to a Palladium. It’s not only just the ability to sell tickets; it’s also the ability to play to a bigger room. To play to 12,000 people is a lot different than playing to 3,000 people.

Iron Maiden

(Mauricio Santana/Getty Images)

What about festivals? Where do they fit into the plan?

I love festivals. It’s not only a development tool for artists, but also a financial tool for artists. My philosophy on festivals, because I’m a fan, you just have to ask yourself, “Is the festival working for me?” You could be in the middle of a career and say, “Okay, how am I gonna use the festival to amplify my position?” I’ve seen acts do that where they’ve got a festival slot, and it’s the 6 p.m. slot at Coachella and the sun is setting and they just kill it. And it changes the trajectory of a career.

Some of the artists you’ve been working with for a long time are legendary. What goes into planning for them and what they’re telling you about working at this point in their careers?

You’re trying to protect the integrity of what this artist has accomplished over a 50-year career. I take that very seriously. There are artists who say, “Okay, what can I do differently? What can I do that is gonna flip it on its head?”

When they ask how to flip it on its head, what do you tell them?

I was in Canada with Iron Maiden last week; they celebrated 50 years this year. We’re moving into stadiums and playing cool places that they’ve never been before. We’re still thinking about growth: How do we take this legacy and make it even bigger?

The true measure of an artist’s longevity is that it transcends generations. In the live business, decades-long careers are built on passionate fan bases, rediscovery through nostalgia and brands that introduce artists to new audiences and create opportunities to extend their reach into the live space.