Ticketek Entertainment Group (TEG) has hired Brad Turcotte as senior vice president of country for the company’s global touring platform, TEG Live.
Turcotte — who most recently worked in artist management at Vector Management, and who’s held senior leadership roles at UMG Nashville and Big Machine — will be based at TEG’s just-opened office in Nashville, where he’ll lead TEG Live’s country strategy across North America as the Sydney, Australia-based live entertainment company launches a dedicated touring brand in the genre. With roots in Nashville, he’ll work closely with TEG’s Australia and New Zealand teams on artist pipelines, partnerships and longterm touring development.
In a statement announcing Turcotte’s new role on Sunday (Feb. 15), TEG global head of touring Tim McGregor said, “Brad’s appointment is a major milestone for TEG Live. Nashville sits at the centre of the global country music ecosystem, and by deepening our presence in Nashville, we’re strengthening the bridge between North America and our home markets. This creates more opportunities for artists to tour, for fans to connect, and for new talent to emerge.”
“I’ve always considered myself a global ambassador for country music, working to build bridges between Nashville and audiences around the world,” Turcotte said. “I’m incredibly excited to now focus my efforts on delivering country music to fans across the Asia-Pacific region — especially Australia, a dynamic but historically underserved international market. I’m grateful to join Tim and his team, and we plan to be bold and aggressive in expanding the reach and impact of this genre we love.”
Turcotte is set to lead alongside Alex Kelsey (head of touring, country music) and Clay Doughty (head of strategy, country music) in TEG Live’s country division, as well as Vanessa Picken (global director, music strategy), who just joined the team earlier this month.
TEG — made up of Ticketek, TEG Live, TEG Sport, TEG Experiences and Ovation — says country music is a key pillar of its growth strategy, and that its expansion into the genre extends across traditional country, alt-country, Americana, folk and contemporary crossover formats.
During Turcotte’s time at Universal Music Group Nashville, he led international strategy and global campaigns for country stars including Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan and Keith Urban. At Big Machine Label Group, he oversaw international efforts for Taylor Swift’s 1989, Red and Speak Now albums.
Turcotte began his career in music as the founder of Compadre Records, which he sold to Mathew Knowles and Music World Entertainment in 2007.
