About Us
Mintaka was founded by Graham Lawson and Janine Lawson in 1992, as a platform for 30 years experience in the music business. Graham began promoting concerts in London when he was only 24, for instance, at The Roundhouse and Queen Elizabeth Hall. Janine used to work for renowned impresario Bill Graham in San Francisco.
Today, the company is comprised of Graham and associate Duncan Inglis.
Mintaka initiates business opportunities in music, links the participants, negotiates terms, producse events and follows the process all the way through to satisfactory completion.
Mintaka’s activities today include:
CONCERT PROMOTION
We have self promoted concerts at the Roundhouse, Piccadilly Theatre, Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Union Chapel, ICA and Purcell Room in London, St. George’s Church – Bristol, St Patricks Cathedral – Dublin & North Cathedral – Cork, IRELAND and The Bottom Line, New York.
TOURING
Mintaka has developed a large set of contacts with music talent buyers in clubs, concert halls, theatres and festivals worldwide. One-off concerts and tours have been organised directly by the company in Europe, US, Australia and New Zealand.
WOMAD are regular clients every year and other festivals and venues have become good friends and regular buyers. They include London Jazz Festival, Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, UK; Salle Pleyel and Cite de la Musique, France; North Sea Jazz, Holland; Rikksconcerten, Norway; Leverkusen Festival, Germany; Montreux Festival, Switzerland; Umbria Festival, Italy; La Mar de la Musicas, Spain; Sines Festival, Portugal; Chicago Festival and San Francisco’s Stern Grove, USA.
Mintaka constantly initiates new contacts and develops its existing contact database to benefit growth patterns in their Artists’ profiles.
MANAGEMENT
For clients who require a full line service, the Company has been providing management services since its inception.
RECORDED MUSIC
Despite the well known downturn in recorded music sales, our artist clients still enjoy making their music available outside their live performances. Mintaka offers a bespoke executive production service bringing special guests and producers from its contact base.
Many clients need recordings to be released as downloads and in shops to assist their media profiles while the company is touring them – the company’s record label, Mintaka Records, was established thus enabling our clients’ recordings to be available across the world.
PUBLISHING
Our artist clients write music for Film & Television and the company has its own skill sets in place to negotiate rights and has experience with Nic Roeg, Robert Altman, Ken Russell as well as other Hollywood productions.
MUSICIANS
Mintaka Music is involved worldwide in the World Music scene, and besides the current roster, has worked with many artists such as: Trilok Gurtu, Ronu Majumdar (India), Mor Karbasi (Israel), Jan Garbarek (Norway), Oumou Sangare, Salif Keita (Mali), Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Claude Chaloub (Lebanon), Huun Huur Tu (Tuva), Al Di Meola (USA), Omar Sosa (Cuba), TIGRAN (Armenia) and Brona McVittie.
From our roots we have relations with Jack Bruce (Cream; and sadly missed), Steve Winwood (Traffic), Mike Oldfield, Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson); Stomu Yamasht’a; Michael Shrieve (Santana) and Andy Summers (Police).