SPEAKER

Alma Ernst

Agent / Mentor/ Tutor

Little Big / Quiet Loud

Alma Ernst has been active in the music industry for over 30 years, beginning in the late 1980s with punk and hardcore concerts before moving into electronic music and artist representation.

In the 1990s, she worked with Groove Magazine and founded her own booking agency, representing artists like âme, Metro Area, Todd Terje, KINK etc. She later managed Ian Pooley, including his international album release on V2 Records, and co-founded a record label.

Since 2019, Alma has been a Senior Agent at LittleBig Agency, focusing on a selective roster and long-term artist development.

In 2019, she founded Quietloud, combining education, consulting and mentorship. Her work today extends beyond artist representation, as she works to empower the next generation of music professionals, advocating for a more sustainable, inclusive and long-term approach to careers in the music industry.

Website

Session

The Essential Role of a Booking Agent in an Artist’s Career

Booking agents in electronic music act as the key link between artists and live performance opportunities. They secure gigs by negotiating contracts, coordinating logistics like travel and technical needs and maintaining strong relationships with promoters, venues, and managers. Beyond booking, agents help build artists’ careers by strategically planning tours and promoting them to the right audiences. Their work allows artists to focus on performing while agents handle the complex organisational and business side of live shows. Learn how booking agents work, what their tasks include, when an artist should apply to join an agency, and what benefits can be gained from this partnership.

Fishbowl

🇬🇧 English

BUSINESS

Global Market Access

Artist Academy

Speakers

Alma Ernst
Roya Firoozbakhsh
Michael Müller

Moderators

Felton Cortijo

Music Hall 4 – nhow Berlin

Nov 4, 2026,

3.40 PM –

4.30 PM

Beyond the Booking

Agents do much more than confirm dates: they decide which artists to take on, shape how careers are positioned, maintain business relationships and have a unique overview of the whole ecosystem. Most of their work is invisible – including to their own artists.

This 90-minute session will expose the operational reality of the role, from what goes on inside an agency to how they interact with promoters on the other side of the table. This session will deconstruct what actually happens inside an agency and explore different agency models. It will also explore the various approaches to work including how agents choose artists and build healthy working relationships. The session will teach how agents can position themselves and develop their own tastes, networks and goals.

Participants will leave with a clear picture of where the agent sits in the electronic music ecosystem, where their own work sits alongside it, how to build an agency and what they should be asking next.

Workshop

🇬🇧 English

BUSINESS

Global Market Access

Convention

Moderators

Alma Ernst

Music Lounge 1 (8.OG) – nhow Berlin

Nov 4, 2026,

12.00 PM –

1.30 PM