The job of the agent is to oversee and orchestrate the live music careers of performing artists.

In her first video, Stefanie Purificati, Agent at APA Canada, outlines the main responsibilities of the agent. At its core, the agent is responsible for booking live music performance opportunities for the artists they work with - for Stefanie, this is for 25-30 different artists. It’s the job of the agent to liaise with venues of all shapes and sizes, and sort out all of the administrative details that come with scheduling a concert. In particular, the agent is responsible for negotiating how much the artist will be compensated for their performance. Stefanie also discusses the process of discovering new talent, and why this is a part of the job that she’s particularly passionate about.

Listen to Stefanie as she breaks down what booking a show actually entails. She positions the job of an agent as a salesperson; it’s the agent’s job to sell the artist to prospective venues or festivals of all sizes, which will in turn generate revenue for the artist.

In her final video, Stefanie talks about how she got her start in the industry in Timmins, ON. She also gives advice to young people who are interested in building a career as an agent, from being comfortable talking to strangers to being a strong and persistent salesperson.

Stefanie Purificati began her career as an agent in 2010 and recently helped open the Toronto office for APA Canada. She is a music industry veteran who got her start as the in-house talent buyer at the Drake Hotel. Her current roster includes Virginia to Vegas, iskwē, Shawnee, Jamie Fine, Bettye LaVette, Riit, and many more. A highly active member of the community, Stefanie has sat on the Board of Directors for the Country Music Association of Ontario, worked for the Polaris Music Prize for a decade, and is a frequent panelist at conferences like Canadian Music Week, Halifax Pop Explosion, Line Check (Milan, Italy), Canadian Country Music Week, and many more.