The Core on Bailey Zimmerman’s Arena Jump and Why It’s the ‘Exact Right Time for This Move’

The CoreEntertainment’s co-founders/co-CEOsSimonTikhmanandKevin “Chief”Zaruklike to joke that were set up on a blind date by their mutual attorney,who felt they should meet.Zarukwas still at Nashville’s Big Loud, where he was a founding partner, andTikhmanwas a serial entrepreneur. “Our lawyer said, ‘I think you guyshave a skill set that could complement each other’s. At the end of day, you should just meet,”Zarukrecalls. “‘You’llprobably getalong and become friends.’”

The attorney was right on both counts, and a successful match was made. Shortly thereafter,in 2019—and with Live Nation as a partner— the pair formednew management companyThe Core Entertainment.(They decline to say how much Live Nation, which provides shared services such as HR, owns of their company.) When they started,TikhmanandZarukshared one desk, sitting side by side, in a one-room office. They have now expanded to 30 employees with expansive offices in Los Angeles and Nashville.

The Core’s management roster numbers more than a dozen artists, includingBailey Zimmerman, who heads out on his first arena tour later this month; CMA-award winning country duo Dan + Shay;and Nate Smith, whose 2023smash “World on Fire” spent10 weeksat No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chartin 2024, tying a record with Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof.” Other artists they handle include hot country newcomers Cameron Whitcomb and JoshRoss,formerFlorida Georgia Line member Tyler Hubbard, androck stalwarts Nickelback, whom fellow CanadianZarukhas worked with since 1998. TheBillboardCountry Power Players vets alsorepresentwriters and producers, including King Henry, who was nominatedfor a Grammyfor his work on Beyoncé’sLemonade.

In 2023, the pair launched The Core Records with Universal Music Group. Among their releases was November’s 19-trackNobody Wants This Season 2soundtrack, in conjunction with Interscope, featuring original songs from Selena Gomez, Chris Stapleton and Finneas.(Tikhman’swife, Erin Foster, created the show, which is loosely based on her courtship withTikhman.)

Sitting in their Los Angeles office in the Live Nation complex in Beverly Hills in late January,TikhmanandZarukdiscuss the delicate intricacies of building careers these days given that artists “are under a microscope,” because of social media and unrealistic expectations. “Nobody’sbuiltforthis,”Zaruksays.

Bailey Zimmerman starts his tour Feb.19. What was the key to making him an arena headliner so quickly after just two albums?

Zaruk: His growth has happened very quickly, but also it feels like this was the exact right time for this move. Wedidn’tforce it. His going out on the stadium tours [opening for] Morgan [Wallen] and developing a show was step one. And then step two [was] starting to headline fairs and festivals. Even thoughit’sa built-in audience,you’restill able to trackwhatthe valueis. Is the thirst there from the fans?You can tell day by day whatyou’reselling, sowe’reable to map it out in a way of being able to be safe and know when we can make this jump. And the numbers told us this was the time to make the jump. But also, I think with the Neal Agency [who books Zimmerman],we’renot biting off more than we can chew.

How important was Bailey’s feature onBigXThaPlug’s“All the Way,” which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100?

Zaruk: Massive. Not only did his own personal numbers grow as far asstreams and socialsand followers, but the opportunities that came out of it. Also getting played on a different radio format, the rhythmic format, getting put on playlists that you would just never, ever get. And I think the crazy truth of all that is nobody knew it. Everyone put up their hand and was like, “Oh, this isgonnabe really cool,” [but] nobody on this planet thought that song was going to be one of the top songs of the year.

Tikhman:BigXput it on his Instagram. One post and it just went. You can think about all the plans in the world and then the artist posts an unfinished version and there it goes.

Bailey has been openabout havingADHD. Taking care of one’s mental health has become so keytoartists and employees. The Core offers 10 free sessions a year with a therapist, lifecoachor business coach. What results have you seen from that implementation?

Tikhman: The biggest thing thatI’veseenthat’stangible with some of our employees that have donethe coachingis patience in communication.I’veseen employees [go], “Okay, I’m going to take this information, I’m going to dissect it, I’m going to think about it, and then I’m going to come to Chief and Simon with a real response that that isn’t impulsive.” We alwaysjokewe’renot inThe Pitt.We’renotperformingheart surgery. No one is dying, solet’sbe more mindful of our conversations. Wedon’tneed to respond in five seconds.

The most recent addition on the artist roster istopcountry duo Dan + Shay.What’stheir second act look like under your guidance?

Zaruk: They have hada great career, andthey’vebuilt an incredible fan base and an incredible catalog. But when we look at them and how music has changed, howit’sdigested, they ‘ve donesort of thebaseline social media stuff, but they haven’t reallydoveinto,like, “How are we going to release new songs?How are we going to release a new album? How are we going toputa tour on sale? How are we going to touch and get to an entire new fan base that is just going to discover us for the first time?” The guys have so much more room to grow.We believe [they] should be a stadium act with [their] talent and songs.New musiccould start as early as April and then tour and album in the fall.

What can young acts learn about longevity from a band like Nickelback, who Chief has worked with fornearly 30years?

Tikhman:I’llask Chief: Howmany shows has Nickelback ever canceled?

Zaruk: Next to none.

Tikhman: Consistency is so important. This is your job.Ifyou say yes to something,you’regoing to go to it on time andyou’regoing to be a professional. Inconsistency for young artists is where they can meet their demise when peopledon’tknow whatthey’regoing to get. But with Chad [Kroeger] and the guys, you know whatyou’regoing to get when you see them: a professional, incredible show. And whenthey’rethere to work, they work.

Zaruk: And staying true to yourself and your brand. If you look at some of these bands like Nickelback, AC/DC, or Metallica, they never wavered. You see a lot of artiststhat just chase trends and it becomes not authenticand the fansdon’tbelieve it. When you know who you are, what you are, your brand, your music, believe in it and then go sell it. They were Nickelback from day one. They never changed.

For the last few years, coastal labels have been signing country talent. As managers, how do you decide between a coastal label and a Nashville label for one of your acts?

Zaruk: A lot of people wouldprobably sayit depends on the artist. For example, if you have[neo-traditionalist]Zach Top,you’reprobably lessworried about a coastal label right now. You want tobreakin country, and you want the country label to do all the things like the Grand Ole Opry that are really ingrained in the community.There is definitely value to that.But if you have an act like a Megan Moroney or what Ella [Langley] is doing or Bailey, where you start being like,“Is this a global artist where we can do features with Big X?”BigX’s[duet] came from[Zimmerman’s label]Atlantic. That does not happen from a Nashville label. No one from Nashville is calling and going,“I’ve got aBigXsong.” If we have an artist that we believeis global, 100%we’regoing to have a better opportunity at success by bringing in a coastal label. Not even a question.

Nate Smith, who had been publicly apolitical, recently put on a MAGA hat a fan threw on stage and then later posted that it was his “proudest moment” to speak out on his beliefs. What advice do you give when an artist wants to get political?

Tikhman: We encourage our artists to not speak about politics.It’sdicey because youdon’twant to be censored, but I think thatit’sa very polarizing thing and sometimes people want to just go to a Nate Smith show and justhearthe songs and the music.We’relike, “Let’smake it about the music. The other stuff is going to distract from the thing that got you the platform in the first place.”

Zaruk: Ifyou’regoing to take a stance, thenyou’dbetter be very educated on whyyou’retaking that stance and why you feel like you need to.We’renever going to tell an artist what they can andcan’tdo, but we are going to then educate [them] on the negative consequences that might happen. So even though Nate’s got the biggest heart in the world and what he meant was to try to bring people together, it certainlywasn’treceived like that. Butlet’snot kidourselves;there’s people that are not Nate Smith fans because of that.

What does The Core Entertainment look like five years from now?

Tikhman: Chief and I have always said from day one that this company isway biggerthan just the genre, andwe’relooking at artists in different genres all the time.It’snot justcountry. We want to be global and that meansmusically,too. Cam Whitcomb is this kidwho’sgoing to be able to play Stagecoach andLollapaloozaand I thinkhe’sa real window into wherewe’retrying to spread our wings.

This story appears in the Feb. 7, 2026, issue ofBillboard.