NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — IMG Artists, one of the world’s largest classical music management companies, is reportedly in talks with International Creative Management to acquire its classical music division.
The New York Times is reporting that sources close to the discussions is confident that the negotiations are reaching a serious stage. ICM and IMG have had many contacts in the past, but this time, according to the paper, a deal may officially be in the works.
The two agencies, along with Columbia Artists Management, are the three most prominent managers in the classical music business. Combining the two rosters would be a significant consolidation and give IMG more influence in promoting its artists.
IMG represents major artists such as Renée Fleming, Karita Mattila, Deborah Voigt, Rolando Villazón, Lang Lang, Itzhak Perlman, and Joshua Bell, as well as orchestras including the Dallas Symphony and the Oslo Philharmonic.
ICM Artists, whose division is run by David Foster, represents Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg, Wynton Marsalis, Daniel Baremboim, and major city orchestras such as Cleveland, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Despite the important names, the classical division has always been a small fraction of the business of ICM, whose main interests are the movie business, book publishing, television and popular music – categories in which it represents thousands of artists. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
