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Chris Dalston Exits CAA After More Than 30 Years
February12
Chris Dalston has departed Creative Artists Agency after more than three decades with the company, stepping down from his role as Co-Head of International Touring.
Dalston left CAA’s Century City offices on December 12, marking the end of a tenure that spanned the agency’s expansion into a major force in global live music booking. He has indicated that he plans to take time off before determining his next professional move.
“I’ve made the decision after 30-something years at CAA that it’s time to go,” Dalston said to Pollstar. “I’d rather go a little early than a little late. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
During his time at CAA, Dalston represented a roster of high-grossing international touring acts, including AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Lionel Richie, Queen, Rammstein, Kraftwerk, Maroon 5, Sting and Tom Jones, among others.
Dalston joined CAA following earlier roles at Triad Artists and William Morris, where he began his career in the late 1980s. After William Morris acquired Triad in 1992, he later moved to CAA, recruited to help build what was then a developing international touring department.
At the time, cross-border booking between the U.S. and Europe was far less common than it is today. Dalston’s mandate was to strengthen CAA’s international capabilities, helping shift industry norms around territorial booking divisions and positioning the agency to operate more globally.
Over the years, Dalston became closely associated with several legacy touring brands, including Queen, which has continued touring with Adam Lambert decades after the death of frontman Freddie Mercury.
His departure marks the exit of one of the agency’s longest-serving senior music executives and a key architect of its international touring strategy.
Dalston has indicated he will consider future opportunities in early 2026.
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