New platform backed by major industry promoters Bohm and TEG - as well as artists like The Veronicas and Megan Washington - promises to cut out middlemen fees.
Australia’s entertainment industry is taking a stand against the exploitative fees imposed by intermediary agencies. A new booking platform called acta has been launched by the biggest names in the industry, claiming to represent 90% of Australian talent.
acta charges talent bookers a platform fee per booking that is separate to and above the talent’s fee. This fee allows the talent booker access to the marketplace, where they can search artists or engage with acta’s talent curation team that recommends talent to suit any brief or budget. acta says this initiative aims to ensure that 100% of booking fees go directly to the talent and their management, bypassing the middlemen who typically take 25-50% of each booking without adding significant value.
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Since its beta launch in mid-2022, the platform has onboarded over 2,000 vetted talents and facilitated more than $4.7M in direct talent payments from 725 booking contracts. acta say 2,500+ talents are already available on the platform. More than 700 talent bookers are already using acta.
Creative Australia’s recent national study highlights the importance of this initiative, revealing that nearly half of Australia’s professional talent earn less than $10,000 a year from their creative work, and two in five are unable to meet basic living costs.
“The Australian events and entertainment industry is worth $4.4 billion, and unfortunately that attracts a lot of people wanting to make a quick buck without adding any real value,” said Harris Meitanis, Founder & CEO, acta.
“If you search for LeBron James or Bruno Mars’ representatives online, you’ll encounter hundreds of people claiming to be their agent or manager, but none of them are. Their real agents appear on the 7th and 11th pages of a Google search. The same issue arises when trying to book Australian talent like Jimmy Barnes, Samantha Jade, Hamish & Andy, David Campbell or Julia Morris. This confusion not only wastes time, but it also results in costs blowing out for talent bookers, and reduced fees for talent.”
“These intermediaries also add a complicated layer that often leads to mistakes arising from miscommunication. These intermediaries are more focused on securing their fees rather than ensuring a smooth talent performance execution – of which, they are never a part of.”
Find out more about acta here.
