Margin Walker Presents, the booking agency that brought touring acts to San Antonio's Paper Tiger and other independent Texas music venues, has closed, blaming the pandemic's halt to live events.
Over the past four years, Austin-based Margin Walker has booked thousands of concerts into club and hall-sized venues that also include Austin's Mohawk and Barracuda and Dallas' Club Dada. The agency was also tapped to handle booking for San Antonio's rebranded Sunset Station.
However, once the pandemic hit the U.S. in March, touring all but dried up.
"Even with strategic changes in the business, painful staff cuts, and taking loans and grants, sadly, we at Margin Walker Presents have not been immune, and it breaks our hearts to announce that this wild ride has come to an end, and we are closing the business, as of this week," reads a statement on the agency's website.
"We’ll see you on the dance floor again soon," it concludes.
That promise seems likely. Margin Walker founder Graham Williams has been a longtime fixture in Texas' live music scene, founding Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest and playing a key role in the Transmission Entertainment booking group. He also worked at storied Austin venue Emo's for more than a decade.
“If every three days your tour takes you someplace where you can’t book a show, you’re going to say ‘Let’s just push this back until February of next year,’” Williams told the Current in June about the pandemic's effect on live music.
Paper Tiger, which raised the bar for live music on the St. Mary's Strip with Margin Walker's help, tweeted "No words" in response to the announcement. "We love you, @MarginWalkerTX - thank you for everything," the club added.
No words.
— Paper Tiger (@papertigersa) December 14, 2020
We love you, @MarginWalkerTX - thank you for everything. https://t.co/BKE8mpbLnk
In its statement, Margin Walker directed anyone who purchased tickets for its 2021 shows or rebooked 2020 shows to contact ticketing company Eventbrite. It also recommended fans email venues directly for more information on the future of specific shows.
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