At this year's Women In Music Awards, we celebrated the achievements of game-changing executives and artists as the industry came together to honour their work. Music Week has spoken to the winners in all 14 categories to tell their stories. Here, Live Music Inspiration winner Summer Marshall takes us inside the life of a music agent…
Summer Marshall has much to celebrate. As well as approaching two decades at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the music agent is riding high from recent live success stories, including Olivia Dean and Maisie Peters, and, of course, the honour of picking up the Live Music Inspiration award at Women In Music Awards 2026.
Evidently taken aback by the win, Marshall keeps using the phrases “Oh goodness” and “I feel very grateful” when Music Week quizzes her about her triumph. She’s had remarkable achievements of late, including breaking Olivia Dean stateside, securing Maisie Peters’ sold-out show at The O2 in 2027, and launching Jorja Smith’s first-ever arena tour. All of these artists have been championed and guided by Marshall from the very start of their careers: proof that playing the long game delivers great results. Earlier achievements, meanwhile, have seen Marshall and her CAA team deliver sold-out shows at The O2 for Sam Smith in 2023, as well as bringing US singer-songwriter Ava Max to the UK for sold-out Shepherd’s Bush concerts that same year.
Marshall’s diverse roster also spans Tems, Ava Max, Shaboozey, Celeste, Koffee, Omah Lay, Kojey Radical, Enny, Nick Mulvey, Orla Gartland, Rachel Chinouriri, Tom Walker, The Temper Trap and Girl Group.
Before joining CAA in the late ’00s, Marshall ran independent club nights and took on roles in A&R, PR and marketing. She credits the “wonderful industry here in the UK” for allowing her to explore different sectors of the music industry before realising that “live music was where my passion sat”.
A keen student of maths and English at school, Marshall believes that drew her towards settling in the live sector.
“Those two things are such a key part of it because it's about communication and running into the budgets, ensuring that at the start and the end of a tour a successful live career is built for an artist,” she says.
And, clearly, Marshall loves her work just as much as she did nearly 20 years ago.
“I find my job deeply fulfilling,” she says. “I can honestly say I love my job – it’s that saying, ‘If you love it, then you’ll never do a day's work in your life.’ I do feel incredibly fortunate that I found a career and path that I love, that sustains me, and that I seem to be very good at.”
As she reflects on her career so far, Marshall lays out some core principles that have got her to where she is now.
“I'm not someone who gives up easily,” she says, referring to the times when roadblocks are thrown up for artists on her roster. As an agent, she needs to be “more organised than I could ever have imagined”, especially considering the amount of work that needs to happen across multiple time zones.
Now it's time to speak to Marshall and hear about her proudest achievements, the economic evolution of live music, her work championing talent from the get-go, and her advice for other women trying to break into the live industry...
Congratulations! How does it feel to win the Live Music Inspiration award?
“Oh goodness, I feel very grateful to everyone. I'm quite overwhelmed with the love, and I’m grateful for all of my colleagues, clients, the artists I work with, the teams, labels. I'm very grateful to be elevated to win something like this. I do feel like my journey is extraordinary. I'll have been doing this more than 20 years as we go into next year, and yet I feel like I have so much I want to do. There's so much I want to achieve for my clients and for the artists I represent. So, if anything – looking at all the incredible women who have won this over the years – it in turn makes me feel very inspired.”
Can you reflect on some of your recent key successes at CAA?
“For me, it can be just as exciting and fulfilling selling out the first 100 tickets as it is selling out 100,000 tickets. I'm immensely proud of the team and the wonderful story that we've built for Olivia Dean. That’s such a huge testament and celebration of British music. She's such an incredible artist, and we have a great team that has brought all of that to success. The story of Maisie Peters is also phenomenal. I've worked with her since she was busking as a teenager, and now we've just sold out The O2. It's meteoric. I would say that a clear thread through all of my clients is that they are very brave, and I feel very blessed that they trust me to be brave in their business. We love taking a chance and we love trying new things.”
Speaking of Maisie, she presented you with your award at this year’s ceremony. Alongside her landing another No.1 album this year, as you mentioned, she has sold out The O2 next year. How do you reflect on her growth?
“We’ve shared lots of crying and heart emojis this year! It’s emotional, but it's so deserved. It's been a lot of hard work. And Maisie has got a brilliant manager, Bobby [Havens]. I also look after Jorja Smith and it's a similar story. We've worked together since she was a very young teenager. And, now, we've launched her first arena tour. I feel very grateful and fortunate to work with them. The majority, maybe 95% of my roster, I have worked with right from the beginning – from the embryonic stages of starting to tour in the UK, to full on global touring campaigns.”
Like with Sam Smith, some of those working relationships must stretch back 10 years, maybe longer. What is the benefit of having such established connections?
“You develop a deep knowledge of likes and dislikes. There is a real nuance: everyone's an individual, everyone has different priorities, everyone has a slightly different way they would like their business communicated and their deals structured. My job is to ensure it's done accordingly.”
Everyone goes through setbacks in their jobs. How do you respond when that happens at CAA?
“A big part of my job is turning ‘no’ into ‘yes’. I don't give up lightly – and that's probably the sign of a good agent. It’s something I've learned from working with some of the best: Emma Banks, Mike Greek and Jenna Adler. We have a brilliant team. It’s perseverance, persistence, but always in a very gracious way. There is a time where you have to look at something and go, ‘You know, this is as good as it's going to get.’ And then you weigh up the pros and cons.”
A big part of my job is turning ‘no’ into ‘yes’. I don't give up lightly – and that's probably the sign of a good agent
Summer Marshall, CAA
Can you reflect on the turbulent economics of touring in the last few years?
“As a good agent, you have to think, ‘How do we look at best practices, overcome [things] from the artist’s perspective, how do we be really careful with how we're structuring deals? How many personnel are on tour? I'm very vocal on people being paid fairly. One silver lining from Covid is that we are seeing incredibly talented and experienced staff on the production, tour manager and logistics side now being paid a proper wage. Pre-Covid, it was quite tough in that sector. A lot of people were working on a day rate of £50-£100. A plus side is that some of those staff members are being recognised and perhaps that's the cost of touring generally. Everyone's got to be conscious of how we're looking after each other, ultimately. So there's that broader perspective and then it's a case-by-case [scenario] of me being on the artist side. I'm always going to fight for them to be paid fairly by a promoter. There’s more scrutiny on capacities, on costs, on everything important that benefits everyone when a show sells out. So, it’s about finding ways to structure in bonuses whereas, historically, pre-Covid, a lot of events, festivals, one-offs, tours, you would have to ask for the bonus. Now, as an agent, it's really important to prioritise finding even more opportunities to benefit everyone.”
And what are your thoughts on ticket prices and the increase in costs to the consumer?
“It’s really important for the fans to have a choice. I'm a big fan of having options across multiple ticketing tiers so that there really is a sense of choice. It’s about being able to spend £100 to see your favourite artist, having that choice, but, equally, if you only have £35, you also have the option. Or it’s finding ways to build inside fan clubs or through Laylo or a co-brand or something, where you've got direct-to-fan communication, so that those super fans do get a fair opportunity to attend a show – rather than all the bots – that they get a fair opportunity to purchase tickets at a lower price point.”
When working with your artist roster, do you look at and suggest key initiatives to them to support, such as the LIVE Trust Levy?
“Yes – every tour. I'm a patron of the Music Venue Trust, too. The key responsibility for an agent is to make sure the artist and the artist’s team are aware of all the options that exist. And the LIVE Trust Levy is an important discussion to have. Again, I do think it's case-by-case, because occasionally you have artists who have their own foundation or they have a particular cause or a particular charity that they really want to champion. Or perhaps there has been something particular in the news that's sparked where people need urgent relief. A great example at CAA is for Olivia Dean. We did all of our touring for the independent music venues and the LIVE Trust in the UK, Europe and Australia. And then in America, we actually pivoted to put that levy towards a Jamaican relief fund, because there'd been a crisis at that time. We wanted to ensure we were being conscientious about an area she really cared about. You’ve got to keep reviewing these things. Hopefully, in one campaign you can consider multiple areas of where the artist would like to give back.”
In 2026, is the balance being redressed enough for female-identifying acts on festival line-ups?
“We're definitely seeing progress, even if we’ve still got some way to go. I do feel that women, female artists can often be underestimated. But we're seeing some brilliant success and there really is proof behind all these incredible artists who are selling out festivals.”
What advice would you give to young women interested in pursuing a career in the live music sector? Where do you suggest they start?
“I love an organisation called The Cat's Mother. They are wonderful and I would encourage anyone young who's wanting to start to look there. The music industry is such a niche area of expertise. There are so many different roles and so many jobs, but they're all very bespoke. So finding a mentor, whether it's through The Cat's Mother or She Said So – find your community. The other very positive, beautiful thing about the UK music industry, and globally, is that it’s a very special community. Go out there and find the people you connect with.”
Finally, what is next for you at CAA and personally?
“I simply want to keep achieving the dreams for my artists. I want to keep elevating them to reach their potential. And I love mentoring within CAA and outside in various organisations, such as The Cat’s Mother network. It’s really fulfilling and I really enjoy it. So it’s growing that side, too.”
Upon learning of Summer's Music Week Women In Music Awards 2026 win, a host of her closet colleagues and collaborators from across the business personally reached out to us to share their thoughts on why she was such a deserving winner in their eyes. You can read some of their moving testimonials below.
"Summer you are so incredible. Thank you for your endless support. You have always gone above and beyond for me. You are literally the best agent ever and I’m so lucky to work with you. You deserve this and more."
Jorja Smith
“I am continually inspired by Summer's tenacity, creativity and uncompromising approach to her business. Kindness is always at the centre of everything she does and collaborating with her is always a joy! She is unyielding but she’ll always deliver with a smile. Summer by name, Summer by nature!”
Emily Braham (Manager, Olivia Dean)
“It isn’t often that you come across people who have the same values, work ethic and professionalism in our industry as Summer. She has pushed the envelope so far beyond what constitutes a traditional agent, that this recognition is just one of many that she deserves. I’m tremendously inspired by her, and both of us being women, is the smallest denominator. A complete and incredible powerhouse of our times.”
Sarah Grill (Tour Director, Olivia Dean)
“Summer is both an exceptional agent, and an exceptional teammate. She’s driven, decisive, passionate and proactive. We are lucky to have her.”
Girl Group & Holly Manners
“Summer, congratulations on this hugely deserved award. I cherish you so much. I’m so grateful for all your work and support and so lucky to have you as an agent. Thank you for everything you do. Have a fantastic evening.
Sending you all my love Sam x”
Sam Smith
“Working with Summer is always an absolute pleasure. Her dedication, vision, and tireless support for her clients set the standard in the industry, and we couldn't be happier to see her recognized with this award. On behalf of myself and Tems, a massive congratulations to Summer on this incredible and hugely deserved achievement!” - Muyiwa Awoniyi (Manager, Tems)
“Summer, isn’t just an amazing agent and person, she’s an architect. She’s helped build the story and the journey from scratch, from 50 people to thousands. So much of who I am is because of her. And I know a few folks who have a similar story. Thank you for seeing the vision before some of us even could. Your hard work, dedication, and instincts make you the absolute best in the world. Congratulations on this honour!”
Jacob Lusk
“Summer is the best agent in the industry and a true Live Music Inspiration ! We’ve worked together now over 10 years – with her live expertise in the team we’ve reached a No.1 with Maisie Peters new album Florescence this month in both UK & Australia and sold out the London O2 and been booked for our biggest international festival appearances ever. Maisie Peters has a solidified global touring business which has taken time, care and attention to detail. Summer pioneers an ethical business approach in all areas of live – from ticketing to marketing to deal making itself”
Bobby Havens (Manager, Maisie Peters)
PHOTOS: Louise Haywood-Schiefer/Panni Renner
