Season 1 · Episode 6
The son of Louis Parker, founder of Concorde International Artistes - the agency that eventually represented Nirvana. Spent eight years at WME as Vice President, working with The Prodigy, Lady Gaga and Take That. Moved to Coda in 2015, which became Wasserman Music. Won Live Agent of the Year. And it all started with a father who held six Guinness World Records, handcuffed a beauty pageant winner to the gates of Buckingham Palace and accidentally became a music agent.
Solomon Parker, known throughout the industry as Sol, is one of the most respected live music agents in the UK, a former winner of the Live Agent of the Year award and an agent at Wasserman Music. His father Louis Parker founded Concorde International Artistes, an agency that eventually represented Nirvana - and whose culture, relationships and institutional knowledge shaped Sol's entire understanding of what the live music business is and how it works.
Sol grew up backstage at Imagination concerts and on tour for dates with Shakatak, finished his A-levels in North Wales, got in a Beetle convertible and drove to London. The engine exploded on the motorway. He arrived anyway, became the office receptionist at Concorde, made tea for Kurt Cobain, and was eventually given a caravan in the middle of the office and told he was an agent. He left Concorde in January 2007 to join the William Morris Agency's London office, rising to Vice President with a roster that included The Prodigy, Lady Gaga, Take That, Cheryl Cole and Rita Ora.
In August 2015 he joined Coda Agency as Senior Agent, bringing his roster with him. Coda was later acquired by Paradigm and became Wasserman Music in 2021. He has been at Wasserman Music ever since, working with artists including Lady Gaga and The Prodigy, and is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable live music figures operating in the UK today.
Duration: 75 minutes 05 Seconds
Season: 1 · Episode 6
Also available: Audio only on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Acast
The most extraordinary origin story in live music
Sol Parker does not begin this conversation with a conventional music industry story. His father Louis ran a hotel and nightclub in North Wales, booked acts through a London agent, and when that agent emigrated to Dubai offered him the entire business. Louis Parker had previously held six Guinness World Records, the most people in a phone box, the most people in a Mini, the longest non-stop rock and roll band, the largest tiers on a wedding cake, started the Miss Wet T-Shirt Competition, held a beauty pageant to find a bride for Prince Charles, drove the winner to Buckingham Palace, handcuffed her to the gates and drove off. He got arrested several times. The agency he took over eventually represented Nirvana. Sol grew up in this world, backstage at Imagination concerts, a few dates on tour with Shakatak, and when he finished his A-levels he got into a Beetle convertible and drove to London. The engine exploded somewhere near Watford. His St Christopher medal is presumably still there protecting someone else.
Making tea for Kurt Cobain and the caravan office
Sol's first months in the music industry were spent as the office receptionist at Concorde, being put through it by the rock agents and making tea for whoever came through the door - including, on several occasions, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. He cannot confirm Kurt's tea order with certainty. "Memories can be hazy," he says, "but I'm fairly sure it was two sugars." About eighteen months in, his father summoned him over to a caravan in the middle of the office. Inside: a sofa, a desk, a phone, a notepad and a pen. "Congratulations. You're an agent." Then he shut the door. Sol's first signing was Bassomatic, featuring William Orbit before he went on to produce Madonna, whom he booked for several shows including a rave in Middlesbrough called Butterology. They then rang on the Monday to say they were going with another agent. Five weeks between first signing and first firing.
WME, Coda and building one of the great live rosters
Sol left Concorde in January 2007 to join the William Morris Agency's London office, where he rose to Vice President. His roster at WME included The Prodigy, Lady Gaga, Take That, Cheryl Cole and Rita Ora, and through his team built a reputation for long-term artist relationships and serious commercial live work. In 2015, he joined Coda Agency as Senior Agent, bringing with him Take That, The Prodigy and others, having previously won the Live Agent of the Year award. Coda was subsequently acquired by Paradigm and became Wasserman Music in 2021. Throughout these transitions, Sol's roster and relationships moved with him - a reflection of the trust that defines long-term live music agency work
TikTok, The Prodigy at Milton Keynes Bowl and British music
The emotional heart of this conversation is The Prodigy, specifically a show at Milton Keynes Bowl for 65,000 people that Sol describes as the perfect day. His father Louis managed The Prodigy during the Fat of the Land era before passing away in 2000. Sol has looked after them ever since. That 25-year relationship is the clearest example of what the best live agency work looks like: sustained, personal, built on trust and never mistaken for a transaction. On TikTok and live music, Sol is direct: "No way you can have a Top 40 hit these days without a sizeable TikTok moment." The platforms drive the demand that live music fulfils. He ends with a call to arms, he wants British music to reclaim the global influence it has historically held, and believes it is possible.
"No way you can have a Top 40 hit these days without a sizeable TikTok moment."
Sol Parker - Live Agent of the Year, Wasserman Music
"My dad opened the caravan door. Inside was a sofa, a desk, a phone and a notepad. He said, 'Congratulations. You're an agent.' Then he shut the door."
Sol Parker - on how he became a live music agent
"For a tiny island, our contribution to music history has been extraordinary. I want British music to reclaim that influence."
Sol Parker - on the future of British music
The Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast is hosted by Mark Adams - founder of Blinding Talent and former Director of Music Programming at Channel 4, where he launched the Official YouTube Chart (2015) and Spotify's first ever Streaming Chart (2016). Each episode is an in-depth conversation with a senior music industry figure - equal parts campfire stories and practical insight.
If this episode resonated, Blinding Talent works with independent artists across the UK and internationally - helping them build the kind of profile, audience and momentum that makes conversations with live agents like Sol Parker possible.
From artist development with Mark Adams to digital marketing campaigns across Spotify, Meta and TikTok, everything we do is built around getting artists closer to the music industry.
Sol Parker, full name Solomon Parker, is a live music agent at Wasserman Music and a former winner of the Live Agent of the Year award. He spent eight years at William Morris Endeavour (WME) as Vice President before joining Coda Agency as Senior Agent in 2015, bringing artists including The Prodigy and Take That with him. Coda subsequently became Wasserman Music in 2021. He grew up in the family live music agency founded by his father Louis Parker - Concorde International Artistes, whose roster eventually included Nirvana - and has spent over 30 years as one of the most respected live music agents in the UK.
Sol Parker's career roster has included The Prodigy, who he has looked after continuously since his father Louis Parker managed them during the Fat of the Land era, Lady Gaga, Take That, Cheryl Cole and Rita Ora, among many others across three decades of live music agency work at Concorde, WME, Coda and Wasserman Music.
Sol Parker is direct on this: a Top 40 hit now requires a sizeable TikTok moment. The platform has become a prerequisite for the kind of audience momentum that translates into sold-out shows and genuine touring power. TikTok discovery does not replace the live experience - it creates the demand that the live experience then fulfils. The two have become more connected than the live music industry sometimes wants to admit.
The Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast is hosted by Mark Adams - founder of Blinding Talent and former Director of Music Programming at Channel 4. Guests include Sol Parker, Colin Barlow, Judd Lander, Jacqui Quaife and many others from across the music industry.
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