The history of Columbia Artists Management Inc. (CAMI) is the history of the concert business in America. When contracts were signed on December 12, 1930, forming Columbia Concerts Corporation (the original name of CAMI), everyone concerned with the musical life of the country, from local manager to concertgoer, was aware that something of vital importance had just taken place.

One of the world’s leading music management firms, CAMI is celebrating its 75th anniversary in the 2005/2006 season. Through the years, CAMI has worked with many of the greatest artists that have performed on the concert stage, such as sopranos Leontyne Price, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and Renata Tebaldi; mezzo-soprano Rise Stevens; contralto Marian Anderson; tenors Mario Lanza, Jussi Bjoerling, John McCormack, Richard Tucker and Lauritz Melchoir; baritones Paul Robeson and George London; pianists Van Cliburn, Vladimir Horowitz, and Serge Prokofieff; violinists Jascha Heifetz and Yehudi Menuhin; and conductors Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Herbert Von Karajan, Otto Klemperer, and Igor Stravinsky.

Columbia Concerts Corporation was organized in 1930 when William S. Paley, the head of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), enlisted the help of Arthur Judson to merge seven leading independent concert bureaus in order to pool the musical knowledge, commercial acumen, and booking facilities of the key figures in the concert-management business.

Columbia Concerts Corporation consisted of managers whose lists represented the most famous artists of the day and whose activities covered all of North America. The companies that merged were Concert Management Arthur Judson, the Wolfsohn Musical Bureau (the oldest American concert bureau), the Metropolitan Musical Bureau, Evans & Salter, Haensel & Jones, Judson Radio Program (a pioneer in radio as an entertainment form), and Community Concerts Corporation (which booked concerts in towns throughout the country).

William S. Paley became the first Chairman of the Board of Columbia Concerts Corporation. Arthur Judson, called by The New York Times “the leading American concert manager,” managed both the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York Philharmonic at the time of the merger. He became the first president of Columbia Concerts Corporation. Other officers of the new corporation included Frederick C. Schang, Jr., a former young journalist of the New York Tribune who later became President of CAMI, and F.C. Coppicus, who was the founder of the Metropolitan Musical Bureau. Subsequent Presidents of CAMI have been Lawrence Evans, one of the founding fathers, Kurt Weinhold, who started with the company as a salesman, and Ronald A. Wilford, who came to CAMI to form its theatrical division. Mr. Wilford remains Chairman of the Board of CAMI, as well as Chief Executive Officer, while Tim Fox is CAMI’s President.

The concept of cooperation among independent managers that first inspired the merger is still in place at CAMI after 75 years. Today, there are 25 managers active worldwide, with offices in New York and Berlin. CAMI’s corporate headquarters is located at 1790 Broadway in New York City.

Columbia Artists Management is proud of its rich history as well as its growth, success and worldwide recognition. CAMI continues to expand and develop new and diverse artist management and live performing arts activities throughout the world. CAMI’s highly experienced and talented management team, along with its Board of Directors and senior management staff, is in place to lead Columbia Artists Management Inc. into the future.