Pollstar 2026 Impact 50 Honoree: Frank Riley

FRANK RILEY
Founder
High Road Touring

WHAT KEEPS HIM SANE: “Swimming, every day that I can. My life line to sanity…”
BY THE NUMBER: 5. The shows Mitski played at Hollywood High School’s auditorium, the first concerts at the venue since 2013.

There’s one thing Frank Riley — the highly-respected veteran indie agent and head of High Road Touring — wants you to know.

“High Road is very proudly a development agency,” he says, noting his proudest work is assisting other agents on the team.

“Wilson (Zheng) with Mitski, Dave (Rowan) with Phoebe Bridgers, Brian (Jonas) and Dave with Jesse Welles, Matt (Hickey) with Houndmouth,” he says. “And then watching the younger agents, Tom Conrad with Prewn and Saturn, Sam (Gans) with Model/Actriz and Sugar, Alessandra (Cotten) with Goldie Boutilier, Dan (Hickey) with The Barr Brothers. There are many, many others.”

Riley, who launched High Road 25 years ago and was instrumental in the formation of the National Independent Talent Organization during the pandemic, says he’s “always optimistic” about the future.

“New artists, new audiences, new frontiers and the continued growth and development of the agents and agents-to-be at High Road who all have their own ears, vision and ways of working,” he says. “It is important to support and celebrate new voices, new audiences and to make the independent music community stronger, more viable, understanding its influence and effect in the development of popular music.”

Optimism doesn’t mean being unrealistic, though.

“Maybe there can be and should be more restraint on unleashing marginal tours, especially in these times. And maybe there could be some restraint on putting up tours that should not be playing,” he says. “But there are clearly other business needs and opportunities that impact that. Eyeballs and warm bodies in a venue mean sponsorship money. Ticketing generates its own system of capitalism and growth.”

Ticketing is, of course, a minefield, but Riley says he’s encouraged by new products that aim to make ticketing “work in a better way, for artists, promoters, buildings, of course, but most importantly for the audience.”