Tony Goldring
Formative Years
Testimonials
There are agents who focus on instant gratification and there are people who represent an artist and their best interests. Tony is a special man. He represents artists in a careful and powerful way. Janet Jackson
The first time I worked with Tony Goldring was in 2007, on the occasion of the invitation of Whitney Houston to Mawazine festival, Rabat, Morocco. In 2007, Morocco was not yet considered a market for major artists and I appreciated the openness of Tony, who had no bias or preconceived notions against unknown territories. It is primarily this sense of entrepreneurship that I appreciate in him. After Whitney Houston, we worked together several times for many artists such as Rihanna and Justin Timberlake. I’ve always appreciated Tony’s professionalism and sense of serene discussion. With him, the exchange never took a tense turn. He takes the time to explain the problems and is committed to protecting the interests of both parties. He is one of the agents with whom I most appreciate working. His professionalism should be cited as a model for all those who are setting out to be an agent. Aziz Daki – Mawazine festival
Tony has helped take John Legend’s global touring to a new level. We’re happy to have him on our team.
Ty Stiklorius – manager of John Legend
Tony is a great agent and due to the fact that he was also a promoter, he has a good understanding of what it feels like to be on the other side of the fence. Tony is a gentleman and has showed a great deal of patience and respect towards me as a promoter during our many years of negotiations, which have included the Eagles, Jay Z and most recently John Legend. Congratulations to him on his 25th anniversary in the music business – we look forward to working with him again soon.
In another part of the world, in his pre-LA life, Goldring inhabited the other side of the fence, working initially for Derek Block Concert Promotions as a receptionist and gofer. The son of a show business accountant father, Goldring quickly came round to the music industry, having entered it with the modest ambition of working for a few months to earn travelling funds. “When I started off, the first thing Derek got me to do was put me downstairs in the garage to tidy it up, and I came across all these incredible posters of bands they represented: U2, The Police, Eurythmics, The Clash, Ian Dury. I thought, wow, this is fantastic.” On an auspicious first day in the music business, Goldring recalls, he also met his future wife, proving that he had luck on his side from the outset. It wasn’t to be the only useful connection he made, as Derek himself points out. “We represented the William Morris Agency for personal appearances outside the US for the world, which is how Tony first got to know people there,” says Block. “He was a very, very nice guy – always very courteous, no downside at all. And of course, he was in the right place at the right time, and the doors of opportunity opened to him.” Goldring freely admits the value of an education at Block’s stable of companies in Soho’s Richmond Mews. “One of the last things I remember us doing was the greatest hits of the Bolshoi Ballet at the Albert Hall,” says Goldring. “It was excerpts from different ballets: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker. Everyone said he was completely crazy and it would never work, and the whole thing sold-out. “Derek had some very good, creative ideas. He had been around a long time and he had worked very closely with William Morris and represented a lot of acts before acts were booked out of the US. As a promoter, he had a good team around him, and there’s so many people still in the business who worked for him at some point.” After seven years there, working directly under director Jef Hanlon, Goldring followed Hanlon out the door for four more years promoting acts from the reformed Culture Club to Joaquin Cortés to the Everly Brothers. Hanlon, now retired, remains a Goldring fan. “He is a very good negotiator,” says Hanlon. “He was from day one, when he came as a dropout from university. He must have been only about 20 then, if he was that, but he was always great at getting good deals, right from the start. “I remember one of my clients wanted a Mercedes, one of the new models, and they were really hard to get hold of. I sent Tony off wandering the dealerships of Greater London,
Attie van Wyk – Big Concerts International
Tony Goldring’s knowledge of the international touring market, his attention to detail and professionalism, is unsurpassed in the industry. Tony Bennett
Goldring client Justin Timberlake at a recent show in London
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IQ Magazine September 2014