Strategic Advisor. Artist Manager. Policy Advocate.

Strategic counsel at the intersection of music, technology, and policy.

Companies at every stage, from emerging platforms to publicly traded enterprises, engage me when they need someone who understands the full landscape: the business, the relationships, the regulation, and what actually moves this industry forward.

Inquire about working together
$2.4B+
Gross sales via atVenu, pre-revenue to $200M+ exit
100M+
Bandsintown users, early investor & advisor from inception
1M+
Tickets sold on Moment House, led to Patreon acquisition
20+ yrs
Artist management, platform building & regulatory advocacy
Randy Nichols, Music Industry Strategist and Advisor

Regularly quoted by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Billboard, Pollstar, Hollywood Reporter, Business Insider and Rolling Stone. In print, on air, and on record.

About

I provide strategic counsel to organizations navigating the evolving intersection of music, live entertainment, and technology. Over two decades, I've advised companies from pre-revenue through $200M+ exits, helped scale platforms to 100 million users, guided Grammy-nominated artists to global careers, and engaged at the highest levels of regulatory and legislative process, including the DOJ, FTC, state and federal legislators, and the White House.

My counsel is sought by executives, investors, and operators who require not just industry knowledge, but the credibility, relationships, and access that come with having built, advised, and advocated within this space at every level. I work with a deliberately small number of engagements at any time, bringing the same depth of focus to each one. I also serve as Adjunct Professor at Hofstra University, teaching the Music Business capstone course, bringing real-world practice into the classroom for the next generation of industry professionals.

Current Work
Artist Management
Sikarus
Managed in partnership with Fly South Music Group, Sikarus is the debut signing to Crow Records, the label launched by HARDY and Big Loud Rock. In fall 2025, joined HARDY on the Jim Bob World Tour, performing at arenas including Madison Square Garden.
Advisory
Music Tech & Platform Companies
Active advisor to a select group of music technology and live event companies spanning AI-powered marketing, digital platform strategy, and fan engagement, across stages from early investment through institutional scale.
Industry Advocacy
NITO Board Member
Board member and chair of the anti-ticket-scalping committee at NITO. Actively engaged with the DOJ, FTC, state and federal legislators, and providing backchannel guidance to the White House on live entertainment market reform.
Current Advisory Clients
Live Entertainment Technology
Quantizr
AI-powered operations platform built for the touring business. Quantizr's show settlement tool transforms contracts, deal memos, and settlement statements into clear, standardized financial data, giving managers, agents, and business managers the clarity to make smarter decisions at every stage of a tour.
Fan Experience & Live Events
Fanfeed
Live event memory platform that automatically builds a personal journal of every concert, game, and show fans have attended, using their own photos and proprietary technology. A new layer of fan engagement at the intersection of live entertainment and shared experience.
Social Impact & Culture
Propeller
Digital marketing platform operating at the intersection of social impact and culture, inspiring activism and helping artists, brands, and organizations build movements for change. Propeller connects music's cultural influence with meaningful audience action.
Areas of Engagement
01
Strategic Advisory
Senior strategic counsel for organizations operating at the intersection of music, technology, and live entertainment. Engagements are structured around what the organization actually needs, market positioning, executive access, product strategy, or a combination. Appropriate for both early-stage companies and publicly traded enterprises seeking specialized industry perspective.
02
Ticketing & Live Event Strategy
Specialized counsel for organizations navigating the live event and ticketing ecosystem, from competitive and regulatory positioning to product strategy, partnership development, and market access. Informed by direct engagement with the DOJ, FTC, state and federal legislators, and the White House on the structural dynamics of this market.
03
Merchandise & Commerce Strategy
Merchandise and direct-to-fan commerce represent one of the most significant and often underleveraged revenue layers in live entertainment. I bring both the artist management perspective and the platform perspective, having built and advised on commerce programs at scale across touring, direct-to-consumer, and retail channels.
04
Market Entry & Strategic Partnerships
For organizations entering or expanding within the music industry, access and credibility are as important as strategy. My relationships span labels, management companies, agencies, platforms, and investors accumulated over two decades. Introductions made from within a trusted network move differently than those made from outside it.
05
Speaking & Moderated Panels
Available for conference panels, moderated discussions, and executive briefings on live music innovation, ticketing reform, AI in entertainment, and the future of live artist entertainment. Prioritizing forums where the conversation is substantive and the audience is consequential.
06
Investor & Board Advisory
For institutional investors, family offices, and corporate development teams evaluating the music and live entertainment space, as well as boards seeking an independent voice with direct operating experience. I have been on both sides of significant early-stage and growth-stage music technology transactions.
Selected Work & Exits
atVenu
Advisor 2013–2024
Engaged as strategic advisor from pre-revenue through the company's $200M+ exit to Sixth Street Growth. Shaped go-to-market strategy, secured foundational distribution partnerships across all major labels, and guided commercial positioning across venues, festivals, and touring artists at scale. Platform reached 13,000+ clients including Coachella, The Forum, Ed Sheeran, and Drake, settling over $2.4B in gross sales.
$200M+
Sixth Street exit
Bandsintown
Early investor & advisor 2011–2020
Early investor and advisor from inception. Drove partnership strategy across Ticketmaster, Live Nation, AEG, AXS, all major labels, and leading management companies. Sourced and personally closed the platform's inaugural advertising partnership with American Express, generating over $1M and establishing the commercial model for the business. Grew from 500,000 to over 100 million users and artist participation from 30,000 to 550,000.
100M+
users reached
Moment House
Strategy & Partnerships 2021–2022
Led music strategy and institutional partnerships following a landmark $1M live streaming event for Underoath. Originated the Cinematic Album Moment format, now the industry standard at Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Disney+. Drove over 1 million tickets sold across campaigns with Justin Bieber, Kygo, Underoath, St. Vincent, Halsey, and Aurora in partnership with Capitol, Atlantic, BMG, and Concord.
Patreon
acquisition
Artist Management
Force Media / Fly South 2005–present
Managed Grammy-nominated, gold-record artists including Underoath, The Starting Line, Say Anything, Bayside, Vacationer, The Almost, Beach Slang, and Aaron Gillespie. Built careers across global touring, major institutional brand partnerships, and scaled merchandise programs, bringing artists from unknown to gold-certified, Grammy-nominated acts with audiences across six continents.
Gold+
certifications
Press & Speaking

Regularly quoted by and featured in the music industry's most consequential publications and broadcast outlets, in print, on television, and as a recurring guest on leading music industry podcasts. A consistent voice in national coverage of live entertainment, technology, and market regulation.

Wall Street JournalNew York TimesBillboardRolling StoneHollywood ReporterPollstarBusiness InsiderForbesCNBCHypebotMusic TectonicsDecibel & Docket

Also featured in cable television news coverage of the live entertainment and ticketing reform story.

Randy Nichols speaking at Pollstar Live 2025 on ticketing reform and the secondary market
2026
SXSW 2026
Music industry innovation & live entertainment
2026
Music Biz 2026
Forthcoming, to be announced
2026
Pollstar Live 2026
Live event industry & ticketing
2025
Aspen Live Conference, Panel Moderator
Moderated "The Future of Ticketing" with David Marcus (Ticketmaster), Dean Dewolf (AXS), and Shaun Stewart (StubHub)
2025
Pollstar Live 2025
Ticketing reform & the secondary market
Prior
SXSW · LAUNCH Music Conference · Montauk Music Festival
Multiple appearances on music technology, artist management, and industry innovation
Selected Podcast Appearances

A selection of conversations that go deeper, on ticketing, artist management, music technology, and the future of live entertainment.

Promoter 101, Episode 240
Artist Management & the Troubles Facing the Ticketing World
A wide-ranging conversation on the realities of artist management today, structural problems in ticketing, and a special Pollstar Live preview, with hosts Dan Steinberg and Luke Pierce.
Listen →
The Live Music Industry Podcast, Ep. 37
Fighting Ticket Scalping in the Live Music Industry
Host Matt Ford and Randy cover the full arc of the ticketing reform fight, from DOJ meetings and legislative complexity to the historical rise of Ticketmaster and what a fan-first future looks like.
Listen →
Decibel & Docket, Ep. 6
Meeting with DOJ Antitrust Chief Gail Slater & the Live Nation Ruling
A firsthand account of the DOJ antitrust roundtable, the nuances of the Live Nation case, and why the vertical monopoly problem is more complex than most coverage suggests.
Listen →
Music Tectonics
Stealing Back the Scalpers' Playbook
A deep dive into the data behind ticket scalping, including undercover research at a scalpers' convention, the mechanics of bot networks, merch strategy, and the broader state of the live music economy.
Listen →
Get in Touch

Let's determine if there's a fit.

I take on a small number of engagements, selected for fit and not volume. If your organization is operating in or entering the music, live event, or entertainment technology space and requires counsel with genuine depth and access, I'm open to a conversation. No pitch decks required.

Conversations are always exploratory. No clock, no obligation.

randy@forcemm.com linkedin.com/in/randynicholsny