Booking agencies have been labelled everything from “the new A&R” to “second managers”, but there’s no denying their influence in the modern music industry. As record sales have declined, the live sector has thrived, giving agents a seat at the top table.

“We’re involved in far more parts of the process,” declares Emma Banks, one of the most respected agents in the game and co-head of CAA’s London office. “When I started [in 1990], there wasn’t the internet and there ...