Chip Hooper, head of music at powerhouse booking agency Paradigm, has died at 53

Chip Hooper, the head of music for the powerhouse talent-booking agency Paradigm, died of cancer on Saturday, according to his representatives. He was 53.

At Paradigm, Hooper oversaw a roster of more than 2,000 artists, including several he personally booked including the Dave Matthews Band and Phish. He also shepherded a substantial growth period at the firm, which in recent years acquired marquee talent agencies including the Windish Agency, AM Only, Little Big Man and Coda.

Hooper’s music career began in Minneapolis, and he moved to California in 1988 to work for the firm Monterey Peninsula Artists, which later became the source of Paradigm’s music division in 2004.

He helped develop the nascent ‘90s jam band scene into a live-touring juggernaut, and diversified Paradigm’s music roster into a 115-agent conglomerate across EDM, indie rock and myriad other genres. Hooper was a fixture on Billboard’s annual Power 100 list of the most influential music executives.

“Chip was one of the most unique and passionate people I have ever met,” Paradigm Chairman and CEO Sam Gores told Billboard. “His care for the artists he represented was surpassed only by the meticulousness of his efforts on their behalf.”

Hooper is survived by his son Max, daughter Val, their mother, Laura, and his partner, Tamara.

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