Mammoth Expands Into Artist Management With ‘Kindred Spirits’ Challenger Artists

When Peyton Marek and Hank Wiedel unveiled their caller absorption venture, Challenger Artists, earlier this year, the determination marked much than conscionable a rebrand from Wiedel’s Core Management. It besides signaled a deeper concern with 1 of the astir influential autarkic promoters successful the U.S.: Mammoth Concerts.

Challenger Artists, co-founded by Marek and Wiedel successful precocious 2024, is built astir the benignant of artist-first ethos some developed successful the Kansas City scene. Wiedel, who has spent astir a decennary arsenic a Mammoth endowment buyer, and Marek, who antecedently managed artists done Backbeat Management, joined forces aft Marek near her erstwhile steadfast and brought breakout indie enactment The Rex with her. Soon after, the brace struck an statement with Mammoth that allowed them to motorboat a absorption limb wrong the larger company’s infrastructure.

For Mammoth co-founder Josh Hunt, the concern fits squarely into the company’s DNA. “We’ve ever been an creator development-first company,” Hunt tells Billboard. “From booking 50-cap shows to 50,000-seat events, that autarkic tone has guided everything we do. Peyton and Hank are kindred spirits successful that sense. It made cleanable consciousness to harvester forces and unfastened our infrastructure to them.”

Founded successful the mid-2000s by Hunt and longtime spouse Jeff Fortier, Mammoth has grown from a determination Midwest promoter into a nationalist and planetary player, operating 11 venues crossed the U.S. and launching a planetary touring associated task with European powerhouse CTS Eventim. The institution besides maintains offices successful Portland, Nashville, and New York, allowing Challenger to pat into resources ranging from venue relationships to selling and accumulation support.

“We didn’t privation to instrumentality connected this immense undertaking alone,” Wiedel explains. “Mammoth has ever championed creator development, and joining their household gave our artists contiguous entree to resources, networks, and a doctrine that aligned with our own.”

The sanction “Challenger” reflects the company’s outlook. Marek, a self-described tennis fan, drew inspiration from the ATP Challenger Tour — the proving crushed for players who yet scope the sport’s apical tier. “We wanted a sanction that felt competitive, energetic, and rooted successful advancement,” she says. The duo besides cited taste influences ranging from the Trent Reznor–scored movie Challengers to the Blur way “Song 2,” which shaped their archetypal logo design.

Their roster includes acts similar The Rex, Valley Boy, Toledo, Post Sex Nachos, and Capital Soiree, with a absorption not conscionable connected accepted absorption but besides connected representing artists’ songwriting and accumulation work. “We negociate our clients successful a existent 360 sense,” Marek notes. “If they’re penning oregon producing for others, we’re close determination helping them grow those opportunities.”

Hands-on touring enactment is cardinal to Challenger’s model, reflecting some Marek and Wiedel’s backgrounds connected the road. “Being contiguous connected circuit — whether it’s a nine enactment tally oregon an arena headliner — is simply a precedence for us,” Wiedel says. Marek adds, “We some started retired circuit managing for our artists erstwhile they couldn’t spend crews. That acquisition makes america amended managers today. We cognize the grind and we cognize however to physique sustainable careers from it.”

Mammoth’s scope successful touring lone strengthens that approach. The promoter has produced U.S. tours for acts arsenic varied arsenic “Weird Al” Yankovic, Rod Wave, Lauryn Hill and the Fugees, and the Stardew Valley performance tour. With CTS Eventim, Mammoth besides provides Challenger artists entree to planetary touring infrastructure. “The cardinal is keeping it artist-first,” Wiedel emphasizes. “We don’t privation to make an anti-competitive situation — we privation what’s champion for the client, whether that’s with Mammoth, AEG oregon Live Nation.”

Challenger is present focused connected expanding and diversifying its roster. “Right now, it’s nary concealed our roster is each male,” Marek says. “We privation to alteration that and enactment our wealth wherever our rima is. We’re looking astatine indie-pop, Americana and different spaces wherever we spot maturation and opportunity.” The duo is besides unfastened to bringing successful caller managers erstwhile the timing feels right, but for now, the extremity is to fortify their foundation.

For Hunt, the caller task is different motion of Mammoth’s content successful staying autarkic portion broadening opportunities for artists. “We’re not present to tally Challenger’s concern for them,” helium says. &...