Ministry Of Sound’s Soapbox Artists merges with 360 Agency

Sydney-based talent agency Soapbox Artists have announced that they will merge with Melbourne’s 360 Agency today, combining to become Australia’s premier electronic music agency.

Under the umbrella of Soapbox Agency, which was formed in 2006 as part of Ministry of Sound Australia, the two businesses will represent some of Australia’s most well known DJs. Their roster includes the likes of Timmy Trumpet, Havana Brown, Ruby Rose and the Stafford Brothers.

As a result of the merger, Soapbox Agency will have offices in both Sydney and Melbourne. General Manager Trent Grimes, as well as Pete Sofo, Managing Director of 360 Agency, will be helming Soapbox.

“This is a big step forward for Soapbox Artists and we are so excited to be joining forces with 360 Agency. The combination of our artist rosters and team of expert agents is going to make Soapbox the go-to agency in Australia,” said Grimes.

“We will now be able to deliver an even broader selection of acts to the promoters and venues we work with around Australia and internationally.”

Since its founding in 2006, Soapbox has built a highly successful international touring profile, partnering with record labels and brands such as Dirtybird, Defected, MTV, inthemix and Ministry of Sound. They have worked with some of Australia’s busiest touring DJs and leading dance music exports including MaRLo, Uberjack’d and Tommy Trash.

TMN chats to Ministry Of SoundAustralia's Chief Operating OfficerDuncan Collinsabout the merger.

How will Ministry benefit from the merger?
In a few major ways. We will develop deeper relationships with more talented artists, we will gain excellent new staff, and we will have a second base (in Melbourne) from which to A&Rnew talent and opportunities. It’s pretty major for us.

What's the general consensus from Soapbox's artists on the new merging?
It’s been positive across the board. Our artists trust our judgement. When they can see the extra opportunities that will be thrown up in Melbourne particularly, the varied relationships and contacts that the 360 staff bring to the table, as well as the hunger from Trent, Tim and myself to grow their own businesses and billings, it’s been a constructive set of conversations.

How will the day-to-day operations of the two companies now run, with offices Sydney and Melbourne?
When we’re fully integrated, we’ll run the support departmentsfrom Sydney, such as finance and legal, with agency and logistics running out of both offices. It will be fully staffed in both offices from that point of view.

When did discussions start about the merger, and what sparked those discussions?
We’ve been friends for many years, although obviously competitive to each other in various areas of the business – however, we’ve also been colleaguesin booking eachother’s talent into events that we run, for instance Pacha – we’ve also collaborated on recordings, so overall we’ve maintained a great relationship. Conversations have been around over the years, but it felt a good time now in the market to provide a bigger offer, for artists, promoters and for us.

Apart from gaining more exposure to your artists and giving them more touring opportunities, what else do you hope to achieve with this merger for the future?
We hope to develop a broader international profile, particularly with a view to Asia and the US, from which to provide bigger and better opportunities to our artists. Asia has been a particular focus over the last 12 months, and the business of events is very different in many areas – there are huge brand opportunities, for instance – and it’s important to have a broad and large profile to attract those openings to the table.