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No. 57
Dennis Arfa
President/CEO
Artist Group International
Consummate Showman…
Need a concert tour gift-wrapped as a special event? Call Dennis Arfa. The president/CEO of Artist Group International has a knack for packaging. Long before multiple-act bills re-emerged as a way to reignite the concert business (Billboard, Sept. 30, 2011), Arfa had the strategy down cold. He teamed longtime client Billy Joel with Elton John for a 1994 stadium tour and the piano men have done multiple tours since, most recently grossing $20.4 million for a 2010 run, according to Billboard Boxscore. AGI clients on the road in 2011 included Rod Stewart, who grossed $35.9 million counting 13 packaged dates with Stevie Nicks, while Mötley Crüe grossed $17.4 million with special guest Poison. And veteran AGI agent Adam Kornfeld’s Big Four tour (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax) reported $10.2 million. No wonder AGI was acquired last month by Y Entertainment Group, part of Ronald Burkle’s investment firm Yucaipa. Arfa, who founded AGI 25 years ago, says his staff will remain intact and AGI will continue to operate autonomously with a strategy that will “become clear in the coming months.”
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