Rock Star Agent Strikes Chord in Music Travel

Travel agent Kristi Gordon got her start in the travel industry 15 years ago, while also working nights at a local rock club in her home town of Seattle.

Today, the 34-year-old Gordon plans travel for some of the biggest rock music acts in the world, including The Pixies, Animal Collective and Fleet Foxes. Her home-based agency serves dozens of clients, many of whom are on the road at the same time. The agency’s sales volume is in the hundreds of thousands.

Travel Market Report spoke with Gordon about how she first made her move into music travel, and how her agency, Fuzed Travel, has grown over the years.

How did you start booking travel for bands?
Gordon: I was booking adventure trips and honeymoons for four or five years and also working at a music venue in Seattle while doing travel for some friends’ bands. I didn’t like booking honeymoons, it wasn’t my preferred clientele. I’d always been interested in the music industry and had never got my foot in the door.

My business partner and I came up with the idea [for a music-focused agency]. My employer at the time wasn’t interested, so I quit my job about seven years ago and started Fuzed Travel.

Was it a challenge breaking into this niche?
Gordon: My business partner is very well-connected in the music industry; he manages bands and owns a music festival. I got my start when he made an announcement he was starting this side business with a massive email and from word of mouth. We’ve only done one advertisement, when we first opened.

We only work with music executives and touring bands. When a band is on tour I book all their tours and flights for the entire world, even if they are on the road for six months at a time.

I’m a part of Travel Leaders, they’re my host agency. I use their support so when I go through vendors of hotels, I can represent myself as Travel Leaders. For certain festivals, I put about 50 rooms on hold every year. I’m lucky because I get to know the lineups in advance.

How is your agency structured?
Gordon: I charge fees for service tickets and airline tickets. I charge fees for us to book an entire tour, depending on the need of the band the rate varies. When I get calls or emails after hours, I respond saying it will cost them $35 for me to do the work, otherwise they can do it themselves for free. A lot of the stuff, they can handle.

Right now I have about 18 bands on the road. I have an average between 15 and 30 bands touring at any time. There’s three of us in the office. I have one employee who handles check-in and checkout, credit card authorization and billing. I have another who books all the hotels. I tend to do flight bookings.

Have any of your clients behaved badly on the road?
Gordon: I have one newer band that causes a little trouble, but lately they’ve been behaving. Once in a while you have a band having fun for an evening, but it’s not too bad, not like back in the day. When there is a problem, I call the band to let them know the situation and that they’ll potentially be paying damages.

Usually, a band’s emergency is not a real emergency. Half the time it’s just a room that isn’t ready.

How has your agency grown, and what do you see looking forward?
Gordon: I’ve grown a lot this past year. I have four bands nominated for Grammys. I started doing trailer tours and now I’m doing tours with seven whole buses. I think in the next five to 10 years I’ll grow more and work on cool projects with major festivals.

I love my job and have a big passion for it. It’s something I’ve been doing since I graduated from high school. I started when I was 19 years old. If I didn’t do this job, I’d be a sales manager at a hotel. I’m in it for the long run.