THE MANIFESTO

First and foremost, we at The Billions Corporation honestly believe that no other agency is as truly artist-centric as ours. All of our efforts are targeted at the creation and maintenance of long-term mutually rewarding associations, not only between us and the artists, but between the artists and promoters as well. Because of this philosophy, it is absolutely essential that, prior to considering working with any artist, we establish that our thinking runs parallel with theirs.

We thrive on communication, honesty, and common sense and strive to be as flexible and responsive to artists' needs as possible. That is perhaps the most pronounced advantage to a competent smaller agency: the artist's confidence that, in their agent, they have a dedicated long-term consultant who will represent them as they wish to be represented.

We are ruthlessly direct and treat our clients as responsible adults who do not need to be fed platitudes and distortions in order to preserve or enhance the relationship. If we make a mistake, the affected client will hear about it from us. If we feel that an artist is making a poor decision, that artist will be advised of that opinion. Naturally, once we have been heard on any such issue, we will always faithfully do our best to execute the client's wishes regardless of any misgivings we may have.

We have never played the game of attempting to promise to outperform other agencies financially because that creates very unhealthy and destructive motivations within the company. Every deal that we strike on behalf of a client is one that we feel is as equitable to all parties involved as possible. Recognizing the damage that can be done to an artist's career by such strategies, we will not extort artificially high prices through the use of threats and bidding wars. We seek to place the show in the right room with the most honorable and reliable promoters available at an appropriate ticket price with a fair fee for our client.

In addition, we strive to maintain excellent relationships and open communication with most agents at small, medium and large agencies alike, both here and overseas, in order to maximize the opportunities for our artists. Our activities abroad on behalf of our clients and ourselves have steadily increased over the years. We sell shows to promoters in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South America regularly and in 2000, our founder launched Billions Australia, a full-service international touring company in partnership with an Australian promoter.

Unlike most agencies, we do not divide responsibilities geographically within the company because we feel this practice leads to distortions in the way the artist is presented to promoters and lessens the control and communication that should be available to the artists and their management. At The Billions Corporation, your agent is your agent and he or she handles each and every deal personally. Furthermore, that agent and others within the company are always available to our clients after hours via mobile and home phone numbers.

The validity and effectiveness of our sensible and patient approach can be seen in the careers of many of our current clients who, generally speaking, are able to tour profitably when and how they see fit independent of label tour support and often outside of industry routine. We have enjoyed extraordinary loyalty from the artists with whom we have worked over the years and, while we are grateful for having had the opportunity to be associated with such people of character, we feel it is no accident. We take on new clients infrequently and only after careful consideration. The number of times that we have declined to represent artists that, while offering guaranteed profitability, seemed like a mismatch for our philosophy and methods are too numerous to count.

Perhaps the most fundamental truth we can relate about The Billions Corporation is that we will not seek to represent any artist whose music has no real fans within the company. It is not healthy to divorce music from passion no matter how much of that is in evidence these days. We believe that real music is extraordinary art with a substantive and enduring social value. This is not to say that it is not entertainment but that it is entertainment that transcends the momentary diversions of pursuits like today's video games and extreme sports because it speaks to something elemental in people. Reducing it to shallow, disposable product manufactured by faceless and interchangeable musicians is to plot an indefensible course toward disaster. While this is epidemic throughout the music industry right now, you won't find any of it here at The Billions Corporation.

We, like you, are music fans, plain and simple. Our tastes run into many genres so do not be surprised as we continue to demonstrate that our methodologies apply equally well across many stylistic lines. The next year always promises to fascinate.

Thank you for taking an interest in the extraordinary artists we represent; it means more to us and to them than you'll probably ever know.

Good Luck and Good Health,

David T. Viecelli
Founder and President

 
THE PEOPLE

MARY BRABEC
Agent
brabec@billions.com

Mary came to us from her own Seattle-based MB Booking Agency and continues to work out of the Queen City. She represents The Asylum Street Spankers, Eleni Mandell, Erin McKeown, Jim & Jennie and the Pinetops, Jim Lauderdale, Jon Rauhouse, My Brightest Diamond, The Red Stick Ramblers, Sometymes Why, Uncle Earl, The Waybacks, and The Wilders. She’s also our most frequent and most ebullient ambassador to conferences around the nation. All inquiries regarding Mary’s artists should be directed to Mary or Shannin.

AMY BUTTERER
Agent
butterer@billions.com

Amy is the responsible agent for The Apples in Stereo, Gore Gore Girls, The Heavenly States, The Heavy, The Hentchmen, Idlewild, Lee Rocker, Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers, Liam Finn, Miracle Fortress, Nashville Pussy, The Paybacks, Pop Levi, Ross Bon and the Mighty Blue Kings, Scott H. Biram, SSM, and Supagroup. Amy is also responsible for handling Canadian immigration and taxation for our clients.

SHANNIN CARTWRIGHT
Agent / Senior Agency Associate
cartwright@billions.com

Shannin runs our agency associate department, coordinating essential day-to-day assistance for the four agents. In addition to working on holds, offers, and confirmations, she serves as the primary Billions liaison with labels and publicists, issues contracts, and helps to keep the material on our website up to date. She maintains regular communication with our clients as well as their managers and tour managers.  Shannin is also now the responsible agent for Bear In Heaven.

BETH DEMAKAS
Office Administrator
demakas@billions.com

Beth is the lynchpin of the Billions office. In addition to handling the phones, mail, shipping, and purchasing, she is responsible for contract and deposit administration and the production of artist tourbooks.

THERESA GHOLSON
General Manager
gholson@billions.com

Theresa has assumed the newly-created General Manager position here at Billions. She is responsible for a wide range of essential administrative duties including financial management, bookkeeping, payroll, benefit administration, IT development and maintenance, licensing, purchasing and public relations.

ALI HEDRICK
Agent
ali@billions.com

Ali, now based in Seattle, is the agent solely responsible for booking AC Newman, Archer Prewitt, Benjy Ferree, The Black Heart Procession, Bill Callahan, Calexico, Crooked Fingers, Destroyer, Eleventh Dream Day, Eric Bachmann, Fionn Regan, The Frames, Giant Sand, Glen Hansard, Howe Gelb, Joanna Newsom, The Lonesome Organist, Mirah, Neko Case, The New Pornographers, Nicolai Dunger, The Pernice Brothers, Redd Kross, Share This Place, Sufjan Stevens, The Swell Season, Tim Fite and The Wedding Present. All inquiries regarding these artists should be directed to Ali and/or Shannin.

JON HOOVER
Junior Agency Associate
hoover@billions.com

Jon is the newest member of our team, coming to us from Secretly Canadian in Bloomington, IN. He shoulders a wide and flexible range of duties including ticket counts, label and website updates, conference submissions and the tracking of show finals. Jon also assists agents with holds and confirmations.

DAVID T. VIECELLI
President / Agent / Manager
boche@billions.com

David is the founder and owner of The Billions Corporation. He manages Southern Culture on the Skids and is the responsible agent for the following clients: Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Antony and The Johnsons, The Arcade Fire, Beans, The Bell Orchestre, Blues Explosion, The Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet, Califone, Terry Callier, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, DeVotchKa, Dirty Three, Einstürzende Neubauten, Freakwater, Rebecca Gates, Jacob Golden, Jolie Holland, Jon Langford, Junior Boys, Laura Cantrell, Liars, Mahjongg, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Marah, Mekons, Nurse With Wound, Will Oldham, Pere Ubu, Preston School of Industry, Sally Timms, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, Six Organs of Admittance, Southern Culture on the Skids, Ken Vandermark, Laura Veirs, The Waco Brothers, Martha Wainwright, Jah Wobble and Wire. All inquiries regarding these artists should be directed to David and/or Shannin.

ADAM VOITH
Agent
adam@billions.com

Adam came to us in 2006 from his own respected Decorporated operation. He represents The Baptist Generals, The Black Angels, Black Mountain, The Cave Singers, Foreign Born, Bon Iver, Lightning Dust, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, The Mountain Goats, Pink Mountaintops, Silversun Pickups, Two Gallants, Vampire Weekend, David Vandervelde, John Vanderslice, The War on Drugs, The Weather Underground and Wilderness. All inquiries regarding these artists should be directed to Adam or Matt.

DANIELLE WOLLER
Assistant Office Administrator
woller@billions.com

Becoming the first Billions intern to be hired full-time, Danielle now assists Beth with all aspects of the administration of our Chicago office.

MATT YASECKO
Senior Agency Associate
yasecko@billions.com

Matt works in close cooperation with Shannin Cartwright in essential day-to-day agency support efforts. This includes label and artist relations as well as holds, offers, confirmations and data management.

 
CONTACT INFO

THE BILLIONS CORPORATION
833 W. Chicago Ave.
Suite 101
Chicago, IL 60622-5497

tel: 312 997-9999
fax: 312 997-2287
web: www.billions.com

Office Hours:

Monday thru Friday
10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. CST

Please note that unscheduled office visitors cannot be received. If you wish to meet with one or more of us in person, please make an appointment at least one week in advance.

BILLIONS AUSTRALIA

AVAILS

UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS POLICY

While we appreciate your interest in The Billions Corporation, we regret to advise you that we no longer accept unsolicited material of any kind. In the past, we would allow people to send packages as they wished on the expressed understanding that we could not guarantee that any individual submission would be reviewed due to our very heavy workload for our current clients. Unfortunately, that policy generated so many rude attacks and criticisms from those who refused to accept that situation that we have been forced to adopt the frequently offered suggestion that we would do better to change our policy to one of outright refusal of all unsolicited submissions. While we wish we did not have to enforce such a stringent policy in this regard, we have little choice as a very busy small company. We trust you can understand and wish you luck in all of your endeavors.

STAFF PICKS

DeVotchKa – A Mad and Faithful Telling

MARY BRABEC
Agent

  • Daptone Records Remixed
    Scion CD Sampler Vol. 19
  • Bonnie ‘Prince’ BillyThe Letting Go
  • Bon IverFor Emma, Forever Ago
  • Giant SandChore of Enchantment
  • Jim Lauderdale & The Dream Players
    Honey Songs

AMY BUTTERER
Management Associate/Agent

  • The Heavy  - Great Vengeance & Furious Fire
  • The Heavenly States  - Delayer
  • The Silver Seas  - High Society
  • The Cult   - Pure Cult
  • SSM  - Break Your Arm For Evolution

SHANNIN CARTWRIGHT
Senior Agency Associate

  • Miles DavisThe Cellar Door Sessions – 1970
  • Young GalaxyEponymous
  • Glass CandyBeat Box
  • Black Mountain In The Future
  • Vandermark 5Beat Reader

BETH DEMAKAS
Office Administrator

  • Jacob Golden - Revenge Songs
  • Beach House - Devotion
  • Nick Cave - Dig, Lazarus, Dig
  • Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
  • Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming

ALI HEDRICK
Agent

  • Lewis Taylor - The Lost Album
  • Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
    The Dust of Retreat
  • Land of Talk - Applause Cheer and Boo Hiss
  • Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump
  • The Bird and The Bee - self titled

JON HOOVER
Junior Agency Associate

  • Destroyer Trouble in Dreams
  • Iron MaidenKillers
  • Tammar – s/t
  • Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
    Real Emotional Trash
  • Knyfe Hyts – Sword of the Lord

DAVID T. VIECELLI
President / Agent / Manager

  • Shearwater – Rook (advance)
  • Colin Stetson – New History Warfare, Volume 1
  • Chris Walla Field Manual
  • Eli “Paperboy” Reed – Roll With You
  • DeVotchKa – A Mad and Faithful Telling

ADAM VOITH
Agent

  • Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
  • The Cotton Jones Basket Ride
    - Paranoid Cocoon
  • Randy Newman - Sail Away
  • Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
  • Against Me! - New Wave

MATT YASECKO
Junior Agency Associate

  • Boredoms - Seadrum/ House of Sun
  • Black Mountain - In the Future
  • Arthur Russell - Another Thought
  • The Temptations - Ain't Too Proud to Beg
  • Battles - Mirrored