High Road Touring

What High Road Touring does

High Road Touring is a privately held, independent booking agency that represents hundreds of indie and alternative music artists for live performances. Founded in 2001 by Frank Riley and headquartered in Sausalito, California, the firm operates additional offices in Austin, Texas, and Brooklyn, New York, supporting artist representation across North America, South America, Australia, and Asia. Its single core product is artist booking and talent management, delivered through dedicated agents who book venues, festivals, and concert halls on behalf of represented musicians such as Phoebe Bridgers, Wilco, Mitski, Interpol, Yo La Tengo, Brittany Howard, and Joan Baez.

The agency's revenue model is transaction-based: it earns commissions on each live performance it books for its roster, with no publicly disclosed pricing schedule. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with each artist assigned a named agent (e.g., frank@, dina@, zachary@, kevin@, matt@, sam@, al@, morgan@) handling direct negotiations with promoters and venues. The underlying technology stack is described as a "Music touring and live event booking platform" with no proprietary features, no API surface, and no mobile applications; the value proposition is anchored in agent relationships and industry reputation rather than software differentiation.

High Road Touring is structured as High Road Touring, LLC, a California LLC with no disclosed parent company, no institutional investors, and no funding rounds. The firm is founder-led, with Frank Riley recognized on Pollstar's 2026 Impact 50 list. It maintains a formal presence across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and has positioned itself within the indie booking community via Riley's leadership role in forming the National Independent Talent Organization during the pandemic. No AI/ML capabilities, patents, certifications, regulatory actions, or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

High Road Touring

Legal name

High Road Touring, LLC

Website

https://highroadtouring.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

High Road Touring is a privately held indie music booking agency representing hundreds of alternative and indie artists for live performances worldwide. Founded in 2001 by Frank Riley, it earns commissions on bookings from offices in Sausalito, Austin, and Brooklyn.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Booking Agency

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (71113)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Booking Agencies (Live Performance) (MPAIAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tour & Artist Management Services (HSACAHAN), Artist Booking, Talent Buying & Agency Services (MPAGAAAF), Tour & Road Management (MPAIAGAC)

Keywords

• Live music booking
• Talent representation
• Artist booking agency
• Tour management
• Independent music booking

Headquarters

HQ city

Sausalito

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Booking Commissions: High Road Touring generates revenue through commissions from booking live music performances for their represented artists at venues, festivals, and concert halls across the globe.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

High Road Touring operates as an independent booking agency that represents indie and alternative music artists and books them for live performances at venues, festivals, and concert halls across North America and international territories. The agency provides artist booking and tour coordination services through a roster of dedicated agents who manage artist careers and secure live performance engagements. Revenue is generated through commissions on booked performances.

Product overview

High Road Touring operates as a single, unified talent booking agency dedicated to the growth and development of successful live music careers. Founded in 2001 by Frank Riley, the agency provides artist booking and talent management services, representing a diverse roster of touring musicians and coordinating live performances across North America, South America, Australia, and Asia. The company has three office locations in Sausalito, CA, Austin, TX, and Brooklyn, NY.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artist Booking & Talent Representation Booking and talent representation services for live music performances, representing a roster of hundreds of indie and alternative touring musicians and coordinating shows across venues, festivals, and concert halls in North America and internationally.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Independent Talent OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Frank Riley was instrumental in the formation of the National Independent Talent Organization during the pandemic, indicating a leadership role in the independent music talent community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Monterey International: Independent booking agency representing a roster of established indie, alternative, and roots artists. Directly comparable as a mid-sized indie-focused booking firm with a similar artist-development ethos and Pollstar-recognized principals.
• Madison House: Boutique booking agency representing artists in the indie, jam, and Americana spaces. Comparable as a similarly-sized indie-focused booking firm with a development-oriented approach and multi-region U.S. presence.
• Little Big Agency: Boutique booking agency representing independent artists across genres. Comparable as a small, relationship-driven booking firm with a development-focused approach serving the indie music segment.
• Ground Control Touring: Independent talent booking agency founded by a former Windish agent, representing a roster of indie and alternative artists. Comparable as a boutique booking firm of similar scale focused on artist development in the indie segment.
• Artist Group International (AGI): Independent booking agency with a roster spanning rock, alternative, and indie artists. Comparable as a similarly-sized boutique firm focused on live music booking and artist development in the indie/alternative space.

Broad incumbents

• United Talent Agency (UTA): Global talent and entertainment company representing artists, athletes, and content creators. Competes for booking representation in the indie/alternative segment as part of a much larger, diversified agency portfolio.
• Creative Artists Agency (CAA): One of the largest diversified talent agencies globally, with a significant music touring division. Competes with High Road Touring for established and breakout indie/alternative artists who cross over into mainstream commercial success.
• Paradigm Talent Agency: Major full-service talent agency with a substantial indie and alternative touring department (which absorbed The Windish Agency). Overlaps with High Road Touring on indie/alternative booking but offers a much broader portfolio across film, TV, publishing, and brand partnerships.
• William Morris Endeavor (WME): Global entertainment agency representing talent across music, film, sports, and events. Represents the largest competitive threat for breakout indie artists and competes in the live music booking space that is High Road Touring's core business.

Others

• National Independent Talent Organization (NITO): Industry trade organization co-founded by High Road's Frank Riley during the pandemic to represent independent talent agencies. Comparable as an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor — its strength or weakness directly affects the bargaining position of High Road Touring and its independent agency peers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/highroadtouring
• Facebookfacebook.com/highroadtouring
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highroadtouring
• Instagraminstagram.com/highroadtouring

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about High Road Touring