Morgan Wallen’s longtime agent, Austin Neal, is taking over as his manager, multiple reports confirmed Thursday.
Wallen and Neal are launching a new firm called Sticks Management, where the “Last Night” singer will be the sole client, according to MusicRow. Wallen was previously under the wing of Big Loud Management. Wallen’s relationship with the firm’s leader, Seth England, remains intact, the outlet reports, and Wallen’s former co-manager, Kathleen Flaherty, is the new executive director of the Morgan Wallen Foundation.
The move comes after back-to-back years of insane success from Wallen, both in his music and his business development. In April 2023, he announced his first major brand partnership with Ryl Tea after his almost-cancellation from the mainstream music industry in 2021. The product sold out within hours of its launch a month later.
Morgan Wallen Makes Insane Historical First During World Tourhttps://t.co/gMvQ2S8D7i
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 10, 2024
Wallen expanded in November 2023 with a potential seven-figure multi-year deal with Ethika clothing for a signature line of production. (RELATED: Even While Sick, Morgan Wallen Breaks Another Country Music Record)
By May 2024, Wallen was deep into the launch of “This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen” on Nashville’s notorious Broadway. The 30,000 square-foot venue boasts food, drinks, live music and probably more. He did all this while maintaining his position as one, if not the top-selling artist in the country with back-to-back No.1 albums and allegedly throwing a chair off a roof.
NASHVILLE, TN – APRIL 08: In this handout photo provided by Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, musician Morgan Wallen poses in a booking photo on April 8, 2024 in Nashville Tennessee. Wallen, 30, was booked on 3 counts of felony reckless endangerment and 1 count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct for throwing a chair from the rooftop of Chief’s Bar Sunday night. The chair landed on Broadway, close to 2 MNPD officers. (Photo by Metropolitan Nashville Police Department via Getty Images)
INDIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 28: (L-R) Morgan Wallen and Eric Church perform at the T-Mobile Mane Stage during the 2024 Stagecoach Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 28, 2024 in Indio, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MAY 3: Attorney Worrick Robinson appears in court representing country music artist Morgan Wallen at Justice A. A. Birch Building on May 3, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. Wallen was arrested and charged with one count of disorderly conduct and three counts of reckless endangerment after allegedly throwing a chair off the roof of Chief’s in downtown Nashville on April 7, 2024. (Photo by George Walker IV – Pool/Getty Images)
While I initially thought it was a bit weird for Wallen to switch up his management in the thick of becoming a mogul, now I’m having second thoughts. Perhaps now is the perfect time for Wallen to restructure to foster even greater growth. Change is typically good and forces you to evolve. (RELATED: Morgan Wallen’s 2023 Shares Emotional Reel Teasing His Plans For 2024)
Or, and this is the worst case scenario, the change might have something to do with the legal case surrounding Wallen’s suspected chair-throwing incident. Wallen is due in court in August in relation to allegedly throwing a chair off the roof of Eric Church’s bar, also on Broadway, according to Billboard. He faces three felony counts for the incident in which, thankfully, no one was hurt.
