Robert Coran Capshaw is an American music industry executive and entrepreneur. He is the manager of
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and bac ...
,
Phish
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...
,
Lady A
Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), ...
,
Trey Anastasio
Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish o ...
and
Chris Stapleton
Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to ...
among others. Capshaw founded Red Light Management and co-founded
ATO Records. He is also a real estate developer.
Biography
Capshaw got his start as a music manager in the early 1990s when he was the owner of a bar in Charlottesville, VA called "Trax". In 1992, he gave the Dave Matthews Band their first weekly gig (which lasted from 1992 to 1993). From there, he began managing Dave Matthews Band and helped launch their career, bringing them from local bar band to international fame.
Capshaw has won the Pollstar Magazine's "Manager of the Year" award five times in 1998, 2003, 2010, 2018 and 2019. He has been nominated for the award eighteen times.
In 2017, Capshaw was the recipient of the City of Hope ''Spirit of Life'' Award.
In 2011, Capshaw became the first artist manager to receive Billboard's Humanitarian Award in recognition of his commitment to local, national, and international community efforts and philanthropy.
Capshaw was also named "International Manager of The Year" by the Music Managers Forum Roll of Honour in 2007.
Business developments
In 2005, The Charlottesville Pavilion, a $3.5 million joint endeavor between the city of Charlottesville and Capshaw opened on the downtown mall. The pavilion serves multiple uses in the community including hosting the Fridays After Five free concert series. Since opening the Pavilion has been renamed the Sprint Pavilion.
The Pavilion has hosted concerts by Earth Wind and Fire, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Chris Stapleton, Alabama Shakes, Beck, Jack White, Alanis Morissette, The Smashing Pumpkins, Snoop Dogg, Loretta Lynn, Arcade Fire, The Avett Brothers, and Trey Anastasio among others. In addition to concerts, the Pavilion has hosted appearances by Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama, and Bruce Springsteen.
Jefferson Theater
Capshaw owns the historic
Jefferson Theater in downtown Charlottesville, and oversaw an intensive renovation beginning in 2006. The Jefferson Theater reopened on November 27, 2009 after a comprehensive restoration that highlights the theater's vintage architecture while modernizing its facilities. The Jefferson Theater was established in 1912 as a live performance theater that played host to silent movies, vaudeville acts and a historic list of live performers, ranging from Harry Houdini to The Three Stooges.
Real Estate
Capshaw has been heavily involved in real estate development in the Charlottesville area including the addition of the
Charlottesville Pavilion and the ongoing plans to add a nine-story building near the
Downtown Mall
The Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, Virginia is one of the longest pedestrian malls in the United States. Located on Main Street, it runs from 6th St. N.E. to Old Preston Ave., where it extends to Water St., for total length of eight blocks. It ...
.
Capshaw also owns restaurants on the Downtown Mall such as Ten.
He is a graduate of the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
.
[UVA Magazine]
Rockin' the Grounds
Retrieved January 22, 2012
Starr Hill Presents
Capshaw also founded sister company Starr Hill Presents to promote live music on a regional and national level. The company has an equity position in large-scale music festivals including the
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in ...
,
Outside Lands
Outside Lands was the name used in the 19th century for the present-day Richmond District, San Francisco, California, Richmond District and Sunset District, San Francisco, California, Sunset District in San Francisco, California. With few roads an ...
,
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
,
Austin City Limits
''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show t ...
and
Wanderlust Festival
The Wanderlust Festival is a yoga summer festival first held in Squaw Valley in July 2009. The event, announced in May 2009, featured a musical lineup featuring Michael Franti, Spoon, Broken Social Scene, and Girl Talk, and featured a yogi line ...
.
In 2012, Starr Hill announced a partnership with the Southern Café & Music Hall, a venue on South First Street in Charlottesville.
References
External links
Coran Capshaw, Business Genius
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capshaw, Coran
Businesspeople from Charlottesville, Virginia
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
American music people
Dave Matthews Band