|
For immediate release:
November 20, 2025
| |
STAGE LEFT GLOBAL
LAUNCHES ALL-NEW INTERNATIONAL, INDEPENDENT TOURING AGENCY
INCLUDING ARTISTS SUNGAZER, LAU NOAH, SAM GREENFIELD,
2X GRAMMY AWARD-WINNER TAYLOR EIGSTI, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARRANGER BUTTON MASHER, AND MORE
LED BY ANDREW FRIEDMAN
WITH OFFICES IN FRANKFURT & PHILADELPHIA
| | |
Stage Left Global–a Philadelphia-based, fully independent, international touring agency–announces their official launch today. Led by veteran agent Andrew Friedman, the agency is proud to share a distinguished roster that spans genres, cultures, countries–from jazz innovators and pop experimentalists to rock disruptors, committed to an artist-first, DIY ethos.
The illustrious roster includes GRAMMY winner Button Masher, two-time GRAMMY winner Taylor Eigsti, Sungazer, Jojo Mayer / Nerve, Lau Noah, Lau Noah x Adam Neely, Michael Wilbur, Night Talks, Sam Greenfield, SAULTS, Thundersmack and continues to grow. The agency is one of the few in the U.S. that books globally and encourages artists to maintain full creative control. From club stages to festival stages, Stage Left Global is both a defiant statement and a promise — proof that independence and scale can coexist, and that real artistry deserves to move freely across borders.
Friedman is thrilled to bring his vision to life and sees Stage Left Global as a movement. “This new chapter has reinforced what matters most — strong relationships, shared vision, and long-term strategy rooted in genuine belief of artists. I’m more committed than ever to growth, success, and the very exciting road ahead.”
Beginning in 2013, Friedman has advocated for artists and aimed to expand their reach, first with Out of the Beardspace and Beardfest, the band’s now-renowned multi-day festival. In 2017, he founded Candlewick Artists, a boutique that quickly drew attention for its adventurous roster and independent ethos and was later acquired by Royal Artist Group, Now, through Stage Left Global, boasting a notable list of musicians, Friedman is excited to continue to bring artists around the world with care and intention, alongside Peter Bozem in Frankfurt, Germany.
This is just the beginning for Stage Left Global. Connect via Instagram and stay tuned for more.
| | |
ABOUT STAGE LEFT GLOBAL
Where scale and independence aren’t mutually exclusive.
Founded by Andrew Friedman, Stage Left Global is a worldwide independent touring company built on the belief that artistry and autonomy can coexist. In an era where the corporate machinery of the music industry often overshadows the art itself, Stage Left Global stands as proof that success doesn’t require compromise — just clarity, conviction, and the right team.
Friedman, alongside Peter Bozem in Frankfurt, leads a company defined by its independent spirit and global reach. Together, they’ve built an agency that provides artists with a comprehensive worldwide touring strategy from day one — something even major firms struggle to deliver at the individual level.
Stage Left Global represents a roster as eclectic as it is intentional: Taylor Eigsti, Button Masher, Jojo Mayer / Nerve, Lau Noah, Lau Noah x Adam Neely, Lill Twinn x Mizzy Coke, Michael Wilbur, Night Talks, Phoebe Katis, SAULTS, Sungazer, and Thundersmack. These artists share a common thread — authenticity, innovation, and a relentless dedication to their craft. Genre is secondary; substance comes first.
“Everyone always asks what kind of music I work with,” Friedman says. “But it doesn’t matter the style — what matters is that it comes from a place of authenticity and connects to my sense of taste. That’s the through-line.”
Stage Left Global was founded on a simple truth: every artist today has the potential to operate like their own record label. With the right infrastructure, strategy, and guidance, independent artists can now access the same opportunities once reserved for those within the corporate machine. Stage Left Global exists to help them do just that — to empower artists without diluting their vision.
The company’s name speaks to its core philosophy. To stand stage left is to stand with the artist — close enough to feel the energy, but never in the spotlight. It’s a commitment to partnership, to collaboration, and to the belief that the best art is built on trust.
At its heart, Stage Left Global blends modern creative precision with the spirit of independent music — fluid, fearless, and deeply human. What began as one agent’s mission to elevate the independent touring space has evolved into the launch of a boutique powerhouse with a truly global vision.
For Friedman, independence isn’t a limitation — it’s a luxury. And the artists they work with are proving that freedom, when paired with strategy, can move the world.
Stage Left Global isn’t chasing the industry — it’s rewriting what independence sounds like in the modern era.
| | |
ABOUT ANDREW FRIEDMAN
From Barbaresco to backstage, Andrew Friedman has built a career on passion, precision, and rebellion. The former sommelier traded cellars for soundchecks after a life-changing weekend at Lockn’ Festival in the inaugural 2013 year— walking into work the next week to tell his Italian mentor he’d found a new calling. Ten years later, that leap still defines him: an agent who moves through the industry with taste, conviction, and the swagger of someone who never forgot what it feels like to believe in something pure.
Friedman cut his teeth with Out of the Beardspace and their festival Beardfest, helping it evolve from a backyard gathering into a community’s celebration of the underground. He went on to found Candlewick Artists, later acquired by Royal Artist Group, where he spent nearly a decade discovering and developing artists who rewrite genres instead of following them.
Now, he’s launched Stage Left Global, a worldwide independent touring movement — and a declaration that independence still matters. His roster reflects his rare curatorial vision and includes Taylor Eigsti, Button Masher, Jojo Mayer / Nerve, Lau Noah, Lill Twinn x Mizzy Coke, Michael Wilbur, Night Talks, Phoebe Katis, SAULTS, Sungazer, and Thundersmack — artists united by innovation, authenticity, and fearless musicianship.
Stage Left Global takes its name from the promise at the heart of Friedman’s work — that he’ll always stand beside the artist, not in front of them. He still studies wine in his spare time, chasing his Level 3 certification — proof that mastery and obsession are one and the same.
Andrew Friedman is the kind of agent who reminds you why the whole thing matters — someone who never lost the plot, because for him, it’s always been about the music.
| | | | |
