Wasserman Music Launches Artist Marketing & Digital Strategy Department, Further Cementing Their Role As A Full-Service, Artist-First Agency
Photo ID: Sam Benfey (top left), Mary Pryor (top right), Sam Alpert (bottom center)
Today (8.4), Wasserman Music announces the expansion and reorganization of its services with its new Artist Marketing & Digital Strategy department. Comprising expertise in the areas of Tour Marketing, Digital Strategy, Ticketing and Live Streaming, the new department is led by SVP, Marketing Sam Alpert, and combines Wasserman’s outstanding tour marketing team with new employees Mary Pryor (Senior Director, Strategy, focused on Web3) and Sam Benfey (Director, Digital Strategy, focused on a variety of digital opportunities). Wasserman will continue to expand this team in the coming months.
The department will continue to provide unparalleled access to information and opportunities for both Wasserman Music’s agents and their roster of world-class musicians across four key areas: Tour Marketing, Digital Strategy, Ticketing and Live Streaming.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Mary Pryor and Sam Benfey into the fold, and to have their expertise and connections available to our agents and artists,” says Wasserman Music’s SVP, Marketing Sam Alpert. “Using Wasserman Music’s successful tour marketing model, this expansion into digital strategy, ticketing and live streaming allows us to continue to super-serve our roster. The integration and internal collaboration between departments will open the door for countless new opportunities and provide additional resources, knowledge and perspectives for our artists in their touring careers and far beyond.”
Sam Benfey joins Wasserman Music as Director of Digital Strategy. Previously, at Paradigm Talent Agency, Benfey worked as an Executive of Business Development and an Agent of Digital Media and Brand Partnerships. He specializes in podcasting, video games, AR and VR, blockchain and NFTs, apps and emerging platforms.
Amongst her colleagues, Mary Pryor is known for being a trendsetting, innovative, passionate and strategic problem solver. Pryor, one of SXSW’s Innovators of the Year in 2014, has worked for major brands across the music, media, technology, and marketing industries including Sony Music Group, Viacom, Essence Magazine, Rolling Stone, Sean Combs Enterprises, and numerous others. She has been an early adopter, educator and advocate in the areas of cryptocurrency, blockchain, the metaverse and other Web3 advancements. She will focus on educating and empowering Wasserman Music staff and clients, facilitating the tools, insights and connections to engage in the space in an impactful way.
Here’s more on Wasserman Music’s Tour Marketing, Digital Strategy, Ticketing and Live Streaming Services:
- As an expansion of an existing Wasserman Music service, the Tour Marketing team will continue to collaborate with management, labels, agent teams and promoter partners on overall marketing strategy, digital ad execution, data collection, content creation, social media, radio and more with the primary objective to drive ticket sales, effectively & efficiently use marketing budgets, and guide our artist teams to achieve their marketing initiatives on the live touring end.
- The Digital Strategy division will focus primarily on social media, Web3/NFT/Crypto, Gaming/Esports and podcasting. From maintaining relationships with individual platforms to exploring new paid activations for their roster, this team is on the frontlines of expanding and maximizing their artist’s digital footprint. Working in tandem with Pryor, this service will offer “white-glove” treatment of web3/NFT/Crypto initiatives within the music division.
- The new Ticketing wing of Wasserman Music will serve as the resident expert in both primary, and secondary ticketing, guiding agents and clients on the different opportunities within the ticketing space to maximize revenue and/or move inventory when needed. In collaboration with the tour marketing team, their goal is to be a day-to-day resource available within the agency of best practices within primary ticketing, VIP, and working hand and hand with our promoter partners to build strategy to prevent or exploit secondary ticketing activity within the marketplace.
- Wasserman Music will continue to drive new and unique opportunities within Live Streaming. With a finger on the pulse of the latest trends and innovations in this area, the live streaming team will drive new partnerships with pay-per-view (PPV) platforms and mass audience platforms to ensure maximum exposure and revenue for their clients.
From Billie Eilish earning the distinction of youngest-ever Glastonbury Festival headliner to Coldplay hitting $1 billion in career touring grosses, Wasserman Music is renowned for empowering an ever-growing top-shelf roster of artists. In June, it was revealed that a multitude of Wasserman Music artists charted on Pollstar's 2022 Mid Year Top 100 Worldwide Tours and 2022 Mid Year Top 100 North American Tours, plus Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem brought home a combined two 2022 BET Awards and four executives were recognized as Billboard's 2022 Country Power Players. In addition to their industry accolades and success, Wasserman Music recently partnered with the Black Music Action Coalition & Tennessee State University for the inaugural Music Accelerator Program, a three-week educational program which provided an intensive curriculum of all-things in the music business.
ABOUT WASSERMAN MUSIC
Wasserman Music represents a world-class roster of artists for live performance, touring, brand partnerships and beyond, empowering them to create culture and impact audiences globally. The passionate, entrepreneurial agents at Wasserman Music are long-term artist development strategists who build significant, global platforms for the world's most impactful artists. Wasserman Music is a division of Wasserman, a partner to the world's most iconic sports figures, musical artists, brands, and properties.
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