# Q Prime Artist Management Q Prime Artist Management is an Asset Manager based in New York, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Asset Manager - **Headquarters:** New York, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** New York, NY, United States - **Assets under management:** Undisclosed - **Website:** qprime.com - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/q-prime-artist-management ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About The firm was co-founded by industry veterans Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch, who came together after individual careers managing acts like AC/DC and Def Leppard. Their partnership model attracted top-tier rock artists seeking stable, long-term representation in an era when management firms frequently churned clients. Q Prime established itself as a permanent business partner rather than a transactional agent, a posture that helped them retain headline acts across decades. Q Prime's strategy concentrates on a small roster of global rock and alternative acts, providing full-service management including touring, recording contracts, and merchandise strategy. Its flagship client Metallica has generated over $1 billion in touring revenue alone across their career. The firm negotiated Red Hot Chili Peppers' $140 million Warner Bros. deal in 2021 and has guided Cage the Elephant's transition from club act to arena headliner. The firm operates across North American markets with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Boston, reflecting its history in both coastal music scenes. Beyond management, Q Prime founded and operates the record label Q Prime Music, which has released albums by artists including Keith Richards, giving the firm access to master recording royalties typically reserved for labels. Q Prime's team remains lean by industry standards, with a deliberate focus on fewer than 20 active clients at any time to ensure partner-level attention. In November 2024, the firm's client Metallica announced a 2025 North American stadium tour, continuing a multi-year touring cycle that Q Prime helped structure (per Billboard, 2024). The firm's co-founders remain actively involved in day-to-day client decisions, an unusual governance structure in an industry where founding principals often sell to financial sponsors or retire. Q Prime occupies a rare structural position in the music industry: a management firm that also owns a record label, creating an integrated business model where artist income from touring, publishing, and master recordings flows through one relationship. This dual-structure arrangement gives the firm visibility into revenue streams most managers never touch, while avoiding the conflict-of-interest concerns that derail similar ventures at larger agencies. The firm has never accepted outside investment or private equity backing, maintaining full partnership control since its founding. ## Sectors - Media & Entertainment ## Offices - San Francisco, CA - Boston, MA ## People - Cliff Burnstein — Co-Founder - Peter Mensch — Co-Founder ## Questions ### What is Q Prime's approach to client roster size? Q Prime deliberately maintains a roster of fewer than 20 active artists at any time, focusing each client on three major revenue categories: touring, recording, and merchandise. This concentrated structure means every client receives direct partner-level attention from Burnstein or Mensch, a model the firm has maintained since its founding rather than scaling through junior managers. ### How did the founders build their client base before Q Prime? Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch each built management careers independently before partnering. Their individual track records managing major rock acts across multiple decades gave them credibility with artists seeking long-term representation rather than project-based arrangements. ### How does the firm approach touring and live performance revenue? Q Prime structures touring as an integrated component of broader artist strategy rather than a standalone revenue stream. The firm negotiates tour routing, promoter guarantees, and venue deals alongside recording contracts and merchandise licensing to optimize total artist income across all revenue categories. ## Related profiles - [Boecore](https://altss.com/profile/boecore) --- Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/q-prime-artist-management Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology