Spalding Entertainment Teams With Maverick Managers

Clarence Spalding

Clarence Spalding’s Spalding Entertainment, management for Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Kix Brooks, Terri Clark and Seth Alley, is joining a new powerhouse music managers consortium called Maverick. The group is led by Guy Oseary, manager for U2 and Madonna, and is also affiliated with Michael Rapino-led Live Nation, according to Billboard.

On board with Maverick are Quest Management’s Scott Rodger (Paul McCartney, Arcade Fire), Laffitte Management’s Ron Laffitte (OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder, Alicia Keys), I Am Other’s Caron Veazey (Pharrell), Blueprint Group’s Gee Roberson and Cortez Bryant (Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, T.I.) and Reign Deer’s Larry Rudolph and Adam Leber (Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus).

Billboard reports, “All nine will be joining their companies and rebranding them and their respective employees as ‘Maverick’…The Maverick managers, including leader Oseary, will report to Rapino and Live Nation’s Artist Nation management group…Oseary, Laffitte, Quest and Reign Deer already moved into Artist Nation’s spacious new headquarters in Beverly Hills earlier this year, while Blueprint will maintain its New York office and Spalding will stay in Nashville.”

Guy Oseary

Live Nation’s Artist Nation management division has more than 50 managers and 200 artists. Nashville managers already affiliated with Artist Nation include Ken Levitan’s Vector Management (Trace Adkins, Trisha Yearwood, Hank Williams Jr., Kenny Rogers, Love And Theft, Aaron Lewis, Blackberry Smoke, Drake White, Justin Adams, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Buddy Miller, Kings of Leon) and Virginia Davis’ G Major Management (Jewel, Thomas Rhett, Danielle Bradbery).

Maverick will have connections across the members’ vast networks, ranging from live events and touring (Live Nation) to technology (Oseary’s A-Grade tech fund with Ashton Kutcher and Ron Burkle has investments including Shazam, Uber, Spotify, Soundcloud, Pinterest).

The name Maverick comes from Madonna’s Maverick Records, which Oseary previously headed.

Bucking the trend, earlier this year Morris Management Group (Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Jake Owen) and Artist Nation parted ways, and the company reconfigured as Morris Higham Management.