Music agent Ian Copeland dead at 57
Brother Stewart in Police; brother Miles founded I.R.S. Records


LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Ian Copeland, a rock music agent and entrepreneur who represented The Police, R.E.M., Adam Ant, The Go-Go's and other seminal rock groups that emerged in the 1970s and 1980's New Wave and Punk scenes, has died. He was 57.

Copeland died Tuesday of melanoma, said Amy Grey, a family spokeswoman.

Copeland was one of three brothers in the family who became prominent figures in the music industry. Younger brother Stewart was the drummer for The Police. Older sibling Miles founded record label International Records Syndicate.

In the mid-1970s, Copeland moved to Macon, Georgia, where he worked for an agency booking tours for several Southern rock groups, including Charlie Daniels, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band.

Word of London's emerging punk rock scene excited Copeland, who sought to get the agency he was working for to bring the raw new British bands to U.S. venues.

It didn't work. But when his brother Miles signed the British band Squeeze, the two siblings arranged for the band to tour small clubs in the U.S. They used the same strategy to promote other bands, including The Police and the B-52s.

In 1978, Copeland moved to New York and launched Frontier Booking International. The young talent agency represented New Wave and punk acts such as Adam Ant, The Bangles, The Smiths, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and the Dead Kennedys among others.

Bummer. RIP.

i'm always a little ashamed with myself when the first time i hear about some of these people is when they die.

Don't feel too bad. The only reason I know him is because I used to be obsessed with REM and I read a book about them and they talked about him. Also, the Police Behind the Music.

RIP. Guy was invovled with some great bands.

I thought he was at least 60. Dude was connnected at a young age.

Me too.

I'm sorry to hear about his death. He and Miles really did some great things with lesser-known bands.

I've got his book "Wild Thing"...haven't read it in years, though. I should pull that sucker off the shelf.