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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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COFFEE TALK [with Dominic Pandiscia]

Q: Everyone in the music industry has a few favorite “industry moments;” What are a few of your yours?

I've been very blessed to have a long career and have the opportunity to work with countless amazing artists. That said, I thought it best to respond to this question with the moments that first came to mind. I was lucky enough to work with The Rolling Stones over 13 years so having the opportunity to interact with them and see how they operated was an incredible experience and taught me alot about how to treat people the right way. At some point over that time I was granted a "band entourage" laminate status for several tours which gave me the opportunity to watch them soundcheck amongst other points of access. I'll never forget standing on-stage behind Charlie's kit watching them walk on-stage and open a show at Giants Stadium including the roar of the crowd, energy of the band, and explosion of light. Equally gratifying to me has been to have the chance to be a part of the team that's helped develop and expose some incredible artists. To have an artist such as Ben Harper play in your conference room as a new signing...then seeing him go from a club act, to an opening act, to a headliner is incredibly gratifying. I also took Katy Perry to one of her first-ever promotional events playing for the Apple/iTunes team in San Francisco while she was still writing her first record. She had star power even then and performed with just an acoustic guitar.

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

This playlist might be 1,000 tracks long so I figured I would list tracks that when they come on, I'm basically "gone"....lost in the song no matter the environment I may hear them:

- Lay Lady Lay - Bob Dylan - Lover, You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckley - Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell - Golden Lady - Stevie Wonder - Place to Be - Nike Drake - That's The Way - Led Zeppelin - Sound & Color - Alabama Shakes - Crystal - Fleetwood Mac - Fountain of Sorrow - Jackson Browne - Acadian Driftwood - The Band - Wild Fire - Laura Marling - St. Dominic's Preview - Van Morrison - Night Still Comes - Neko Case - To Love Somebody - The Bee Gees - I'd Have You Anytime - George Harrison - Something - The Beatles - Beast of Burden - The Rolling Stones - Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Magnolia Mountain - What's Going On - Marvin Gaye - Weeping Willow - The Verve - Protection - Massive Attack - The Life You Chose - Jason Isbell

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace.

Too many to speak of and that's the heartbreak of this business. I often think to myself that in a perfect world (at least MY perfect world!), there are any number of artists that would be household names driving millions of streams and sales because they are so deserving. As one example, I still get mad with I listen to the "Borderland" album by The Chevin. I worked with them when I was President of Caroline and it's a record I still go back to as it's so strong. Coyle Girelli is a great writer and we've stayed in touch so I have no doubt he will be blessing us all with some amazing new material soon. "Love is Just a Game" would be in my "Global Top 50" if Spotify reflected just my listening habits!

Q: Who was your mentor?

I've been lucky to work with some incredibly inspiring people over my career so this is tough to answer. The two people that come to mind immediately are Joyce Castagnola who was the head of sales for Virgin Records and recruited me into the company. I truly felt empowered by her and she always provided any additional air-cover needed to help get the job done. She gave the room to grow and taught me alot including how to have some fun along the way despite the pressure The other person that comes to mind quickly is Jason Flom. From his ears, to his humanity, to his political and human-rights advocacy (not to mention sense of humor), he is someone I've looked up to as both an executive and human being. I would also put Billy Mann into this category...sorry, I don't have just one!

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

I get to think like a fan everyday. PledgeMusic is all about creating a deeper relationship between the fan and artist and we are at our best, when we are delivering a great value to the fan in terms of experiences, and unique items/bundles. There is no rule book so we get to write another chapter in that book everyday. PledgeMusic addresses the most overlooked segment of the market...the passionate fan so it's fun to immerse yourself in that mindset everyday. It's a place where you get to be extremely creative as an employee on brainstorming ideas that help make for a great campaign then work with amazing artists and the people around them to bring them to reality. It's truly the perfect storm of an incredible business opportunity coupled with a fun, creative, collaborative culture. That's all anyone can really ask for in my book.

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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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COFFEE TALK [with Ken Gullic]

I am Vice President of sales and acquisitions at Entertainment One Music. I guess that means I get them coming and going by sometimes signing what I’ll eventually be selling. In the past few years that has included everything from the Bush comeback album, to singer songwriters as varied as Bucky Covington and Heather Nova. Not to mention a few rock and roll hall of famers with the first Bun E. Carlos solo album and a multiple album deal with Ace Frehley.

Q: What are a few of your favorite “industry moments?”

I guess one would have to go with being invited to sit next to Ace Frehley as he was being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Front row. Best seats in the house. It was as absurd and sublime as it sounds… even with the 45 minutes of E-street band acceptance speeches that the TV audience didn’t have to endure. I didn’t think that event could be topped until we shot the “Fire and Water” video with Ace and Paul Stanley, last year, on Sunset. After lots of false starts and numerous last minute venue changes, including the shoot being sandwiched between two cross country red-eye flights for Ace, it came together, and there I was, escorting the Starchild into the Roxy… spending the day with them as that shoot went down. Paul was a saint, the entire day. Stayed for 8 hours plus. They were very sweet and respectful to each other. What I like most about it was that it was a nice new slice of history for them both. Even though it was for Ace’s “Origins Vol.1” project, one that seemingly looked backwards… nothing like that video had ever happened to either of them. It stands alone.

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

I have a playlist of 28 songs on Spotify I call the “kg supreme” ~ ones that stop me in my tracks every time. But if I were to list a sweet 16 of those, here, they would be (in loose chronological order… starting with the first song that excited me, and proves I was into Alex Chilton when I was in kindergarten!) · The Letter – The Box Tops · Lay Lady Lay – Bob Dylan · Hold Your Head Up – Argent · Shambala – Three Dog Night · Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds – Elton John · Cross Country – The Godz · Your Number or Your Name – The Knack · More Than This – Roxy Music · Truth and Bone – Heather Nova · Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve · All I Need – Air · Rest Of The Day Off – Neil Finn · You Said Something – PJ Harvey · Straight Lines - Silverchair · Sand in My Shoes – Dido · Sedona - Houndmouth

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace. I loved The Dancing Hoods… during the guitar hero period with Vai and Satriani when I was at RED/Relativity circa 1988, they signed that awesome slice of Americana Power Pop. Their “Hallelujah Anyway” album deserved a real shot. Lots of albums do… most of them don’t get it.

Q: Who was your mentor? Why?

At this point there have been more than a few… a couple of folks plucked me from situational obscurity, at various times, in a relative sense. Those being David Counter, who first hired me at his record store in ’84, then later at RED in ’88; putting me eventually in a position where Sal Licata, the President of RED in ’95, was able to more than coax me to move to New York. Something that terrified me at the time, and I thought was a horrendous mistake for maybe 18 months. Of course it turned out to be the best move ever. You don’t always know. Both of those men have since passed, sadly… not sure where I’d have been without them. But as far as someone I’ve turned to over and over, for years… in a personal sense, for the best professional advice, that would be Mark Pearson at HITS Magazine. He’s kept me sane when my life sometimes wasn’t. That said, anyone that ever hires you is a mentor of some sort, and I’ve always been appreciative, or tried to be.

Q: What’s the best part of your job? Being allowed to influence some of the creative decisions made by an artist you grew up listening to is beyond the beyond. I sometimes have to stop myself and take it in. It’s a validation of sorts when the artist embraces an idea, then their audience accepts and enjoys it.

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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS [by Ari Herstand]

Before we dig into everything there’s to know about Spotify playlists at this moment in time, you should remember that just because someone has a ton of streams does not mean they have a ton of fans. Streams are not equivalent to downloads or sales. Apples and oranges. When someone bought a song or an album it was because they were a fan of that song or artist. Fandom came first, typically, and purchasing came second. Now, streaming comes first, fandom comes second. “Consumer consumption no longer means fandom. It’s not hard to stream a song. And it’s not hard for a lot of people to stream a song [from] a popular playlist. That doesn’t mean that you have millions of fans- it means you have millions of people who happen to hear your song. Who knows if they even dug it.” – Nick Bobetsky, Red Light Management at Expert Conversations on the New Music Business Yes, some artists with lots of streams have lots of fans, but not all. Getting lots of streams does not mean you will get lots of fans. Just like one viral YouTube video does not make you a star (for more than 15 minutes) or give you a career – neither does a bunch of streams. This all being said, every Spotify stream pays. Yes, it’s about a half a penny. But it can definitely add up. And if you don’t have fans at this moment willing to support your career, you could earn some decent dough getting included on some hot playlists. It is now well-known that there are musicians that have gone from being able to quit their day jobs simply by getting included on enough hot playlists. These playlists generate enough plays which generate enough revenue enabling them to pay all their bills every month – even though they can’t get people out to their local shows. That also being said, you can acquire fans from getting your songs into playlists. Listeners, if they love your song, may save it to their library and come back to it over and over again and eventually may even take the next steps to actually engage with you on a deeper level – following your socials, attending a concert, supporting your crowd funding campaign, becoming a patron, etc. Spotify (and Apple Music) have a long ways to go at facilitating a fan-artist relationship. That’s not currently their M.O. They are currently focused on providing the best experience for the listener (and attracting more paying customers) – disregarding the fact that artists could use some help turning that listener into a fan. Showcasing artists’ concerts in your area is a start, but there is so much more that needs to be done (but that is another topic altogether). +Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal Miss the Point – This is the Future of Recorded Music Getting a song into a hot playlist can get you hundreds of thousands of streams in mere weeks. Depending on the popularity of the playlist, of course. So that all being said, how do songs get into playlists? How can you get your songs into playlists? Well, there are a few ways to go about this. First, you have to understand what kinds of playlists exist. There are 3 kinds of playlists on Spotify: 1) Spotify Curated Playlists The first category is something everyone is familiar with. These are the playlists “Created by Spotify.” Basically, there are people at Spotify who curate the playlists. They are called playlist editors. There are editors who curate both genre and mood based playlists (head of urban, head of chill, focus, workout, sleep, etc.) These people are pretty much the new music directors at radio stations. They have the power that the biggest DJs in the world did back in the day. However, Spotify has been more so relying heavily on their analytics to see which songs people are responding to. And Nick Holmsten, Spotify’s head of shows and editorial told Wired that artists/labels can’t beg, borrow or bribe their way into the Today’s Top Hits playlist: “There’s absolutely no way to push our team. It’s no one person’s feeling that matters.” You can kind of think of official Spotify curated playlists as a pyramid. At the bottom are all the various playlists with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers, like Taco Tuesdays, Funk Outta Here, Totally Alternative, Singer Songwriter Coffee Break, Folk Pop and Summer Heat. And as you make your way up, fewer playlists have millions of followers, like Dance Party, Are and Be, Hit Rewind, New Music Friday, Chill Singer Songwriter, Peaceful Piano, Rap Caviar and at the top of the pyramid are Today’s Top Hits with 16 million followers. No one person decides Today’s Top Hits. The songs that get included into that playlist have been relentlessly tested in less popular playlists. If they do well (users add them to their personal playlists, save the song, listen to the song longer, DON’T skip the song) they move up the pyramid. And eventually they could make it to Today’s Top Hits. It is very difficult to break into the official Spotify curated playlists without a label or a distributor who regularly talk to these editors. That being said, artists with no connections and no label representation do regularly get included in official Spotify playlists. 2) User Curated Playlists The second category are playlists created by users of Spotify (yes, anyone can create a playlist) or a company, blog, label, org, what have you. Spotify has stated that there are over 2 billion playlists (mostly created by users). The major labels also have curated their own numerous playlists (Topsify by WMG, Digster by UMG and Filtr by Sony). It’s the cool new thing to have a hot Spotify playlist. It’s like you’re the owner of a radio station. And if you run multiple hot playlists, it’s like you’re the owner of a radio network. 3) Algorithmically Generated Playlists And the third category are not human generated at all. These are the Discover Weekly, Daily Mix (which are actually customized per user) and Fresh Finds – which is generated based on tastemaker accounts. Spotify is monitoring about 50,000 user accounts who they have deemed “tastemakers” based on their listening history. Basically, if you start listening to a song weeks or months before it “breaks,” consistently, then your account is monitored as a tastemaker. If enough “tastemakers” listen to the same song at the same time, that song gets included into the Fresh Finds playlist (with 514,000 followers). If you get included in this playlist you’re almost guaranteed a couple hundred thousand plays. HOW TO GET INCLUDED Now that you understand what kinds of playlists exist and the current landscape, here are some ideas on how to get included: Get Featured in Blogs Most Spotify playlist editors read blogs and follow the Hype Machine charts. If you get written about by a top blog like Pigeons and Planes, Consequence of Sound, Stereogum, Indie Shuffle, Resident Advisor, Tiny Mix Tapes, Pitchfork etc. it can help your chances of getting included in playlists. Now, how do you get blog features? Well, the easiest way to go about this is to hire a publicist who believes in you, has a track record with your type of music/project with the outlets you’re looking to target. Don’t, though, I repeat, DO NOT, just hire the first publicist who will take your money. Make sure you get references (talk to other artists they work with) and make sure they truly believe in your project. Many publicists will just take your money. You can also go through SubmitHub to get in with blogs (I’ve heard very mixed reviews about this) or you can go the old fashioned way, hitting up bloggers directly. This works if done right. It does not work if done wrong. Pay For Play It has been reported that labels paying to get their songs included in big playlists is happening. It’s the new form of Payola, but apparently not illegal (yet) because playlists aren’t technically radio. This may seem slimy and sleazy, but to the labels (and apparently Spotify) it’s just business. Who, exactly, is being paid is unclear. The playlist editors themselves? Most likely. Does Spotify support this practice? Probably not (officially). Do they look the other way? Well, it seems that way. Spotify makes it clear that this process of paying to influence playlists is against their terms and conditions, but label people freely admit this process is occurring. Just like in the heyday of radio, paying radio DJs to play the labels’ songs could almost certainly guarantee direct sales. Which in turn brought direct revenue. Now, getting songs included in big playlists almost certainly guarantees direct streams. Which in turn brings direct revenue (around a half a penny per stream or so). But this isn’t just happening with big labels paying official Spotify editors. I recently heard of a popular blog which runs multiple popular Spotify playlists offer an artist a deal where if they could get his song 100,000 streams in a month the artist would pay the blog $400. If the song generated anything less than 100,000 streams, the artist paid nothing. If you do the math, 100,000 streams x $0.005 = $500. Which would earn the artist a net positive of $100 in the end. This practice varies greatly than scams that I have profiled in the past where a questionable entity would charge artists thousands to get them millions of streams (via an elaborate advertising scheme and auto refresh bot accounts). These streams were not from real listeners but rather accidental ones. This practice is against Spotify’s terms and when Spotify discovers these practices, it shuts them down (and deletes the artist’s account and doesn’t pay out the royalties). In this blog’s case, the streams are from followers of the blog’s playlists. And the blog is (currently) only offering this to artist’s they have reviewed favorably. The only thing is, this practice seems to also be against Spotify’s terms and conditions. But it’s a very grey area. The ethics around this practice are questionable, yes. But, as an artist, if I was offered this deal I would probably take it. It beats advertising on Facebook to try to get someone to your Spotify profile. And these are REAL listeners. Real music fans. Real fans of the playlists. Potential new fans. And real money. If Spotify comes out against this practice, well, they better be able to defend the multiple allegations (and revelations) from major record labels paying Spotify employees for a similar practice (just on a much larger scale). Again, this blog isn’t offering this to anyone who can pay. They are only offering this deal to artists they have reviewed favorably in the past (and tested on a playlist of theirs already). It’s like when publications would review an artist favorably, but let that artist know in advance of the review release to purchase advertising. This is a very common practice in the music publishing industry. Hype Machine officially came out against the practice of publicists (hired by artists) writing their own articles for popular music blogs cataloged on the site – and is why Earmilk and other popular blogs were ousted. Where does Spotify stand on these kinds of practices? Unclear. However, they aren’t really doing much to help artists with a clear path forward. We are in currently in uncharted territory. Playlist Pluggers There are playlist plugging companies (kind of like publicists, but for playlists) whose sole job is to pitch you for inclusion in playlists. But be very cautious with this. I just spoke to a manager who spent $5,000 on a 3 month campaign to get their artist’s new songs included and after 3 months they got 0 playlist inclusions and were $5,000 poorer. Be very careful about hiring anyone to pitch you with no guarantees. Yes, the publicist model is very similar in the sense that they get paid regardless of the amount of press they get you, but at least they are earning part of their salary based on helping you craft a brand, story, bio, press release and aesthetic (at least the good ones are). I reached out to a few playlist plugging companies for interviews to understand their business a little more and one declined my request. Which makes me think that this one, in particular, is not very successful and are afraid to admit that publicly (even though they are making lots of money with this business). However, one playlist plugging company I did speak with was very proud of their track record and mentioned to me that they charge $500 for 30 days to work one song. And he told me that they have never gotten less than 50,000 streams on any track they have ever worked. This company had built direct relationships with hundreds of playlists ranging from 100 – 10,000 followers. He mentioned that some day he would like to own popular user playlists – however purchasing (and selling) playlists is in fact against Spotify’s terms. Contact Playlist Editors Directly This was the common practice for the past few years, but is quickly becoming less effective. Yes Spotify playlist editors have relationships with every major label (and many major indie labels). Yes they (typically) answer their calls, open their doors and their emails. But I recently heard that some editors are receiving around a thousand emails an hour! So cold emails to the biggest editors is probably not your best bet anymore – if you have absolutely no relationship with them. And just being with a label or a big distributor doesn’t guarantee you placement. Just like with radio, there are only so many spots on the playlist. And there are way more releases than spots. Unless the label is putting all of their weight behind you and doing everything in their power to get you featured, just being with a label isn’t going to get you on big playlists. Yes, there is a form distributors, labels and others with the access can submit their artists’ new songs for consideration, but from what I hear this process is very hit or miss – mostly miss. And nothing is guaranteed, of course. That being said, you can get creative with the ways you contact editors. A cold email probably isn’t going to work anymore. But I recently just spoke to a DIY artist who found the contact info of the biggest playlist editors at Deezer. She sent them personalized postcards in the mail with her artist name and 3 songs she thought would work for that specific person’s playlists. And it worked! She got responses back and inclusions on some huge playlists. Boom! This same artist told me that she actually went up to an official Spotify playlist editor at a music conference after the panel. She handed the editor a napkin, similarly with her artist name and 3 song titles that she thought that editor would like for her specific playlists. 3 days later this artist had those 3 songs included on gigantic playlists. 4 months later she’s looking at nearly 4 million collective streams. This, my friends, is how you get creative and make shit happen. Of course, your music has to be great and similar to the other songs on the playlists you are going after. Get In Touch With The User Generated Playlist Editors It isn’t very difficult to find the curators of many of these user generated playlists – since most users link their Facebook to Spotify (so you can see their actual name). Don’t just hit them up asking for inclusion. That’s the wrong way to go about it. You can contact the person and compliment them on their playlist. Maybe even suggest a song (not your own) that you think would work for the playlist. Once you’ve developed a respectful relationship then you can pitch your music. This editor will definitely check out your socials and what not, so your stuff better be up to snuff. Even the major label playlists (Topsify, Digster, Filtr) include songs by self-released artists (a small percentage), but it happens. And of course, you have a much better chance of making contact with playlists with fewer followers (because fewer people are hitting them up). So don’t just go after the biggest ones. Sponsored Songs It was just reported by the BBC that major labels are able to pay to include songs in user playlists. Will this practice be opened up to indies and artists? Here’s hoping. Love for Love If you point people to Spotify, Spotify may point people to you. Spotify has also said that they like when artists create playlists themselves and promote them to their followers. If you show Spotify you are an active user they may show you some love. Also, it’s widely reported that Spotify playlist editors get invited to hot parties and festivals. If labels are flying out the editors or top dawgs at Spotify, putting them up, wining and dining them and hooking them up with VIP everything, well, technically they’re not PAYING them with a stack of cash in an envelope like back in the day, but they might as well be. Visiting the Spotify offices is also a common practice that helps get artists included on playlists. So, do not pass up the opportunity to get to the office and play some employees some songs. You, of course, need to be invited. I wouldn’t just show up. Analytics Troy Carter, global head of creator services, recently mentioned at the Music Biz conference in Nashville that Spotify doesn’t care about the artist’s social media presence. All they care about is the data. Well, this directly contradicts playlist editors who have publicly stated that they DO care about what’s happening with the artist’s career and that it’s not just about how good the song is. It seems that, as it stands now, there really aren’t marching orders that Spotify is dictating to their editors on how to operate or what to look for in new additions. It seems many editors have the autonomy to place whatever they want, and oftentimes these editors want to place hot new bands – not back catalog from a defunct act. “I think it reshapes the entire business. What I love about Spotify is that it’s a very honest platform. We play a game called best song wins. It doesn’t matter if you’re the biggest artist in the world or an act that was on Soundcloud and finally went to Tunecore and uploaded on Spotify, then the listeners don’t lie. This isn’t call-out radio research or anything like that — this is actual people leaning into records, and you’re finding out whether things are fake or real really quick. And I think creators and artists having access to that sort of platform is powerful and I think we’re already seeing that the entire business is going to be reshaped.” – Troy Carter, Global Head of Creator Services, Spotify The Algorithm And this all being said, it seems the trend is pointing towards algorithmically generated playlists across the board. Will it ever completely replace human editors? Maybe, but probably not soon. Spotify does like priding itself on the fact that they have the human touch. But with entire businesses being built around convincing these people to include the songs, it’s becoming untenable. Or, rather, at least very unfair. Those with the biggest bank accounts (i.e. major labels) should not have the most access and success. But ain’t that America… A Better Way Forward For Spotify There are much better ways to go about this. Like potentially having every song go through a screening process before being considered for playlist inclusion. Like that of which Audiokite and Crowd Review provide – where hundreds of anonymous, everyday listeners rate songs (for money). If the song gets a high enough score it should automatically be considered for review by these editors. That’s the most democratic way to go about this. But a big perk of being an official Spotify editor is the power and benefits they enjoy. They do get invited to all the hottest parties, get taken on lavish vacations and well, paid well for this. But if Spotify wants to get away from these bribery practices, then they better redirect the ship quick – because it’s starting to drift into unfriendly waters. ~Ari

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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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COFFEE TALK [with Steve Knopper]

Steve Knopper, a Rolling Stone contributing editor, is author of 2009's "Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age" (reissued last week with a new chapter on streaming: https://www.amazon.com/Appetite-Self-Destruction-Spectacular-Industry-Digital-ebook/dp/B072C8R69H) and 2015's "MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson." He has contributed to the New York Times Magazine, GQ, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, Details, New York, Fortune and many other publications. He lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Melissa, and daughter, Rose.

Q: What are a few of your favorite industry moments?

Rolling Stone once sent me to Los Angeles to spend an hour with my hero B.B. King on the back of his tour bus. That was a career high point, for sure. Another time, after Michael Rapino took over Live Nation, I was having lunch with him and then-publicist John Vlautin at the Beverly Hilton when J. Lo walked by our table, resplendent in a yellow dress. I was speechless for about five minutes and figured it was just because I'm a rube from Cowtown, but then I realized Michael and John were equally speechless and for just as long.

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

Hard question! My high school hall of fame is Springsteen, Dylan, the Who and Lou Reed, so I'd pick "Roulette," "Visions of Johanna," "I Can't Explain" and "Rock 'n' Roll" for comfort food. And Public Enemy's "Fight the Power," Geto Boys' "Mind Playin Tricks On Me" and Ice-T's "Colors." And Sleater-Kinney's "Little Babies" and Nirvana's version of "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam," which once got me through a tough period. Also the entirety of Neil Young's "Tonight's the Night" album, which I was addicted to for about two years after my dad died. But I'm also addicted to new music so maybe Chicano Batman's "Friendship (Is a Boat on a Storm)" and Tennis' "Ladies Don't Play Guitar" and the new Kendrick Lamar album.

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace.

The main band that comes to mind is The Fluid, of Denver, who are largely seen as a failed grunge footnote, briefly signed to Sub Pop pre-Nirvana. But they were great and deserved better -- their version of the Troggs' "Our Love Will Still Be There" as well as their underrated album "Purplemetalflakemusic" are in sporadic regular rotation around here.

Q: Who was your mentor? Why?

I've had a few over the years, since my job as a full-time freelance writer is kind of decentralized and changes phases so frequently -- one that comes to mind is Jim DeRogatis, my first editor at Rolling Stone in 1996, who gave me a break with a big story when I had no idea how to write for a magazine. He was fired from Rolling Stone in a famous incident involving a Hootie and the Blowfish review (you can look it up), but I hope Jim knows his brief time there had an impact on at least one young music journalist. Jason Fine, now a top editor there, gave me several key opportunities when I needed them, pushed me into this niche of music, business and technology reporting and helped me write and report more cleanly and clearly. And Bruce Schoenfeld, an old friend from Boulder, who answered about 40 million questions when I was a clueless 23-year-old newspaper reporter and showed by example how you can pitch books and magazine articles and write poignantly and, most importantly, because he is a genius at this, hatch great story ideas.

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

Working at home -- I've fought for and protected this aspect of my job over 21 years and am especially proud that I've been able to achieve it in a journalism industry that still values showing up in person at a desk or cubicle. I've been able to watch my daughter grow into a confident young woman, and every time I think, "I should have moved to New York and taken X or Y opportunity," I think of this and feel serene about the decisions I've made. Full-time freelancing is a tough road and has as many valleys as peaks, and I'm grateful to the many editors who have let me cover the music business from Denver all these years. It's a great beat and my sources are super-interesting combinations of creative and business people who enjoyably use the f-word and occasionally reference hookers and blow, which always makes me laugh.

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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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COFFEE TALK [with Terry Currier]

“What Do You Mean It’s Not Available On Vinyl or CD?!”

I own a record store. I am also a passionate music fan that buys music every week. I have to have the latest releases by my favorite artist as well as those that may become my favorite artists. The hardest part of my job in recent times is having to tell another music fan that walks in my door “Sorry, that is not available on Vinyl or CD….it was only released digitally.”

There are a lot different rationalizations why an artist and artist manager makes the decision to release an album just digitally. I hear on the big artists that the artist managers don’t want any leakage of the music to the public in advance so they decide to release it as soon as it it’s done….digitally. They may come back weeks or months later and put out the physical release or they may not.

One great example is Chance The Rapper. He is one of the most popular artists on the planet and yet there is no physical product available for music fans to buy. If I had a dollar for every person that asked for Chance The Rapper physical product in the store, well I could have enough money to buy that Rolling Stones Mono Vinyl box and the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band 50th Anniversary CD box together. But better yet, if I could have satisfied all those fans with a physical piece of product….let's see, 500 times an average price of $15 = $7,500! I could have made some money to operate the store and do business and 500 fans would be at home or in their car enjoying a physical piece of music by an artist they really cared about.

Now, I did not lose all that $7,000 in sales. We have a good enough record store with some great employees that love to talk about music, besides telling the customer it’s not available physically, that a great deal of those customers walked out the door with something by another artist. Plus whatever they went home with is a constant reminder of that artist instead of Chance The Rapper. Artist may not make that much off selling music, which is a fact.

Many artists make more off their live shows and merch. However, physical music is the best piece of free promotion an artist can have. CDs and Vinyl in a bunch of record stores across the country…across the world, are constant reminders that an artist exist. Someone walks into the store and sees something and may go “I’ve been meaning to buy that album”, “I’ve heard a lot about that album, maybe I should pick it up”, “Oh, there’s that artist I saw on TV”, etc.

Some artist and artist managers may have come from the digital age and may have not ever entered a record store and thusly don’t see the importance. As an artist, the more visible you are, the more potential of sales.

Go ahead and just release it digitally and you are leaving money on the table. You are also disappointing fans. And as a record store owner, I’m going to lose some of those sales. Maybe I would have sold Chance The Rapper and that Atmosphere album my clerk turned the Chance The Rapper fan onto.

Terry Currier - Music Millennium

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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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COFFEE TALK [with Dave Morrell]

Dave Morrell grew up a fan of popular recording artists. He was bitten by the BEATLE BUG that ripped across America in early '64 and never recovered. He studied the Beatles, met the Beatles, which only led to working in cemetery's and warehouses. It was then someone asked him to bring records to radio stations which was better than school or homework. He dove in feet first and with a handful of 45's. Since then he's written 3 books about his experiences.

Q: Everyone in the music industry has a few favorite “industry moments;” What are a few of yours?

Feb 22, 1985. Blue Note's Bruce Lundvall asked me to dinner. Bruce was a FAN of music and a great story teller too. Here was a guy who not only loved the music but got inside and became a leader and crusader for the artists and music that he loved (like the GREAT John Hammond). It was his dream to have his favorites perform a historic all-star reunion concert on this very evening.

Having been around many leaders in the industry it was refreshing to spend time with someone I could identify with. I was so happy to be by his side at the show too. I've never gotten over the warmth and charm of this legend.

John Lennon. Imagine, I just wrote a fan note to the radio station he was on and they passed it on to him. Guess what. He wanted to meet me. A dream come true. I showed up with a suitcase full of objects I had collected that I didn't think he would have seen. It was a treasure chest and he loved everything he touched. I met him as a fan and then spent time with him in the studio and at his home. I still can't believe sending a letter to someone I loved who carry me to such heights in my life.

Scott Muni/Rick Sklar. Seems to me you had to have a solid honest reliable relationship with these two heavyweights in the Radio business to succeed as a promotion person in New York City. Sure I heard of Scott but didn't know he was the BOSS or PD running the station and I had no idea who Rick was. Rick was strick and tough and a ratings WINNER. He wore a tie and suit while I showed up with long hair and Beatle boots. WHen I told him I grew up listening to WABC and remembered many of the BEATLES promotions, rather than shoo me off he opened his wisdom to me and showed me how he personally had thought of those incredible ideas. I was never in a skuffle with Rick or Scott. We remained GOOD friends to the end of their lives.

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

"Two girls for every guy"- SURF CITY/ Jan & Dean…..i was at that age where girls were all i thought about….Surf City sounded better than Greenwich Village to me!…I was 10 in 1963…..

"She Loves You" BEATLES on the SWAN 45…..that music JUMPS off the vinyl…..its so LOUD you couldn't miss hearing your parents yelling "TURN THAT CRAP DOWN"

"I've Never Loved Anyone More" Linda Hargrove…..I worked with her. She was a lonely woman who was afraid of NYC too. After a show I went back to her room and she played me this track…..i cried…..if Jennifer Hudson finds this song and does what Whitney did for Dolly it will be the biggest track of this decade….a song WAITING to be discovered.

"Love of my Life" Wilson Pickett…..best R&B song that no one heard…….

"Have You Heard the Word" the FUT……as a fan I met Maurice Gibb outside a show after a BEE GEE's gig…….I asked him about the Beatle amps they were using..(from the '66 Beatle tour)…and then he leaned in and whispered something extraordinary to me…."shhhhhh…don't tell ANYONE!!!!…..John Lennon and I made a record…..it's called "Have ……and we called ourselves the FUT"….i look at him and my head was spinning…..It took me TWO YEARS to find the record….and when I put it on I went NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!…it WAS JOHN AND MAURICE!……so then I HAD to track down John Lennon and tell him I was "IN" on the secret……he laughed so hard and told me he never made a record with Maurice…..my tail had been PULLED!!!!!…but sure IS a cool record.

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace?

"Postcards From Paradise" Flesh For Lulu…..reason ONE why they never wanted me to be in A&R….i would have BET THE HOUSE on this STINKER!

Q: Who was your mentor? Why?

Worthy Patterson..he's 87 now…Worthy was a star basketball play at the University of Connecticut who went on to become one of the earliest black players in the Pro's (St Louis Hawks in the mid-fifties). Worthy joined RCA and his first record he promoted was "Light My FIre" by Jose Feliciano. I met Worthy when I worked in the warehouse of WEA back in '72…he took me under his wings and made me a WB promotion man in early '74. When I would come back from a day promoting and I needed tickets or something special for someone, Worthy, unlike ALL the others, would give the tickets to me to give to the guy so the guy would know it was me following thru. Most other guys in charge would bark "I GOT THIS NOW" and take over….also after a day of taking notes of my station visits Worthy NEVER CARED what PDs or MDs "THOUGHT" of the music…he just wanted to know "when are they going to add it"…this taught me a new way to think and solve and move forward. I also never saw Worthy lose his temper which helped me to realize there were other ways to get things done.

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

Being OUT of the office on nice days to visit radio stations and being IN the office when it was cold and snowing outside. When I traveled and met up with the other local promotion men it was always great to see the USA the way they saw it and not as a tourist. New Orleans comes to mind when I write that.

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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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COFFEE TALK [with Jeff Moskow]

Q: What are a few of your favorite industry moments?

JM: Anyone who knows me won't be surprised by my answer to this question...hands down, it was/is working with Rick Springfield in an A&R capacity. I've always been a fan, back to the 70s, and felt that he was one of the most criminally underrated artists in history, certainly of the 80s. 5 platinum albums in 5 years (80-85) is no small feat. Getting to know him and his band, in the studio environment and out, has been a thrill. Rick trusts my A&R sensibilities, and lets me help creatively shape his records. The last few have all charted in the top 50 of the Top 200. Thats no small feat, and a tribute to his staying power as an artist. And trust me, as you know, he works at it and never quits.

Presently, we are working with The Temptations, the #1 R&B artist of all time (according to Billboard). And while its true that there is one original member (Otis Williams), these guys are baaaaaad. Besides what they do on stage, I've seen them cut 5 part harmony in the studio in one take. Sick, crazy talent. You can't teach that, you earn it.

At NARM one year, I was able to walk up to Jackson Browne and tell him how much his music has inspired me, and that he is part of the reason that I run to work each day. I told him that while he has so many great albums, "Late For The Sky', "Running On Empty" and "Hold Out" were my favorites. He thanked me, and said "nobody likes Hold Out!"...I said, well, I do.

Last, just recently (and you were there) I had dinner with an artist, Julia Lauren of The Foxies. It was so rewarding to hear her story, and vibe with her and management, and try to play a role in what will be her great success story. When someone is a star, you feel it, and its special.

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

JM: So hard, because I love so much music, but a few are: Billy Joel "Until The Night" Bruce Springsteen "Jungleland" Rick Springfield "Written In Rock" Stevie Wonder...pretty much anything Jude Cole "Heart Of Blues" Muddy Waters "Mannish Boy" (the version from Hard Again w/Johnny Winter) Jackson Browne "Hold On, Hold Out" The Temptations. "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace.

JM: Tough one. Those of us who have been in the business longer than a minute, understand that this industry that chose us, is not for the faint of heart. There is so much music out there that most people don't hear, its so hard to narrow it down, at least for me. Success is often a crap shoot, luck of the draw. Talent is usually in the house, but luck opens the door.

Q: Who was your mentor? Why?

JM: There have been two. Being an ex-PGD guy, Jim Caparro certainly gave me my start, and taught me what it was like to be an executive, and how to drive people to be their best, because they want to, not because they have to.

But most of all, Bob Mercer. If you don't know him, he ran EMI UK in the 70s, and along with Bruce Resnikoff and Ken Berry, brought NOW to the U.S.. He managed Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett and Roger Waters...he signed Queen. For most, that would be enough, but his best success was being an amazing human being, and showing me what its like to treat people with respect and care. Literally, I think of him every day, and often ask myself, what would Bob do? And, given the choice, I will always choose the path of respect and kindness. I learned that from Bob Mercer.

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

JM: Working with artists is my absolute love. Helping them achieve their vision and goals, is why I do what I do. Plus, I mean come on, its the music, man.

Finally, crafting each and every NOW album is also a passion. Of course, the fact that our brand has sold 100 million records in the U.S. and has 19 #1 albums is great, but trust me when I tell you, NOW is curated with respect and passion. We are nowhere without our label partners, writers, artists and fans...so when we create each project, we show great affection and attention to the project. Thats baked into the brand's DNA, and thats why it works.

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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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COFFEE TALK [with Glenn Peoples]

As head of Music Insights and Analytics at Pandora, Glenn provides insight into the company, writing about everything from Pandora’s royalties to its innovative products and features. Previously, as Senior Editorial Analyst at Billboard, Glenn covered the business side of the music business, focusing on digital trends, startups, finance and copyright.

Q: What are a few of your favorite “industry moments?”

I've been fortunate enough to have had some cool experiences. There was the time the Eagles of Death Metal played the Caroline Distribution office. And when Guided By Voices played at Valley Media. And that time Irving Azoff called me a jerk on Twitter.

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

I'll go with albums instead of songs. I'm an album person. The Ramones were my favorite band growing up—still my favorite band. Just about any album. I love the albums from the 70s, but I also love the 80s albums (with the exception of Halfway To Sanity...could never get into that one, and I really like their last album, too). I always go back to Sonic Youth from 87 to mid 90s—Evol, Sister, Daydream Nation, Goo, Dirty. Dinosour Jr's Bug. Sam Cooke, especially Live at the Harlem Square Club. The Orb's Adventures The Orb Beyond the Ultraworld amazes me every time I listen. Kruder & Dorfmeister's The K&D Sessions (out of print and not available on streaming services, to my knowledge). Artists from West Africa...especially any albums by Tinariwen, and the beautiful In The Heart of the Moon by Ali Farka Toure and Tourmani Diabete. Cesaria Evora's Cafe Atlantico. Velvet Underground and much of Lou Reed's solo work.

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace.

This was well before I worked in music, but I wish Jellyfish had enough success to continue making music (so, selfishly, I could listen to more Jellyfish). Impeccable influences, songwriting and performing mixed with wit and levity—what a combination! Another artist stands out—and there's a Jellyfish connection—Eric Matthews. I loved his mid- and late-90s albums on Sub Pop (the second was released at the onset of my career in music). Jason Falkner, formerly of Jellyfish, was a collaborator with Eric. Here's another tangent: I once saw Jason Falkner open for Shudder to Think. What a shame that Shudder to Think's two amazing albums on Epic didn't break through.

Q: Who was your mentor? Why?

Over the years I've worked with some extraordinary people. There is no single person who served as a mentor. Instead, I've picked up bits and pieces of wisdom and insights from dozens of people (some I never worked with but interacted with). I'd find something I liked and tried—emphasis on tried—o copy it. Going way back, at Valley Media I worked under Mike Fallone in the communications (what today would be considered marketing) department. From Mike I learned a great deal about creativity in marketing. Mike was also a great leader. He understood how to communicate with people and how to treat them with the kind of respect that builds loyalty and enthusiasm for the job. From JT Myers at Warner Music Group I learned how to build a financial model of an artist's entire career. At Billboard, Bill Werde taught me how to find a theme in a jumble of ideas. Rob Levine made me a better writer.

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

Aside from working with the amazing people at Pandora and within a great company culture....I recently heard an interview with the author Steven Dubner of Freakonomics fame (or was it the time he was a guest on Tim Ferriss's podcast. When asked what he liked about being a writer, Dubner said, more or less, he enjoys the solitude of writing and the creativity. I understood what he was saying. Writing is a creative pursuit where it's me, my keyboard and my thoughts. It's challenging—writer's block is no joke—and my roles at Billboard and now Pandora have allowed me to satisfy my intellectual curiosities.

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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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COFFEE TALK [with Bryan Mead]

Bryan is the SVP of Artist & Label Relations for PledgeMusic. He works closely with the artist, manager, label & distribution communities on how best to leverage the technology & community of PledgeMusic for their art & product.

Q: Everyone in the music industry has a few favorite “industry moments;” What are a few of your favorite industry moments?

I've been lucky to have spent my entire adult life in music, starting at age 19 as a college rep for Sony Music in Boulder. I still have strong memories of walking to campus listening to the advance cassettes on my walkman of these new bands Pearl Jam & Rage Against the Machine. Being a part of those kind of acts development is always special even to this day. My first CMJ in 1991 we got to go have dinner with Pearl Jam before their first NYC show, a year later I had to tail Mike McCready to make sure he made it back for showtime. After moving to Seattle, a small group of us went to Eddie Vedder's house to party in 1999, that was a night! I was having dinner with Oasis in Seattle on their first US tour and an earthquake hit, a first for all of us. My car has seen a lot of faces over the years taking artists around to in-stores & shows....Mike Ness, Alison Moyet, The Boo Radleys, G. Love, Mike Watt, Jeff Buckley. I got to see Jeff perform for the first time in front of Sony & his first show in Seattle at a coffee shop for 25 people. Seattle was a great time working these local bands...doing listening parties for PJ & Alice in Chains. I moved to LA in 2001 working for UMG, Interscope & Dreamworks. Elliott Smith was really special. Plenty of fun with Jimmy Eat World. I moved over to Fontana Distribution when it started in 2005....I remember a lot of lunch meetings with Tech N9ne, Vinnie Paul, Tori Amos, Matthew McConaughey, Keifer Sutherland. Great people with amazing talents. I love meeting & supporting these people yet I love the music more than anything....the shows are too many to honestly remember...that feeling in your chest when the emotion & passion of the artist overwhelm you, that is what I live for. The ringing in my ears reminds me every minute of the great memories I have had in the clubs.

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

Funny, I made this playlist and I play it everyday - it is absolutely my DNA. I've always said, what if you die and you can't take the music with you??! So when streaming came along I spent the better part of a Christmas break many years ago building my "Classic Tracks" playlist. I put it on shuffle and let it ride. At least I know I'll have spent every moment I can with my favorite tunes in this life! 2500 songs and growing.... https://open.spotify.com/user/bryanmead/playlist/7jZfhirLi3XjT47IGThjNf

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace.

The frustrating thing about the record business is it is a business. Certain walls are in place that make it difficult for a a great song or artist to find it's audience. It's a bit easier for a song to rise up in streaming now, yet artist development has become that much harder. I feel PledgeMusic is going to become a major player in the artist development space soon, stay tuned.... I signed Jamestown Revival at INgrooves & they are finding their audience, they are the next Eagles. I really dig Charlie Cunningham and Deep Sea Diver right now. The Arkells should be massive in the States, if you are a fan of Springsteen. For classy R&B fans, check out Emily King! My favorite shoegaze band today is Flyying Colours, insane. For introspective singers, I loved that last Barzin record. So many....

Q: Who was your mentor? Why?

A lot of great people have supported me throughout my time in music. Leah Reid & Alyson Shapero ran the college department at Sony, I'll always be in debt to them for bringing me on & showing me the ropes. A couple amazing women in this business. Tom Beaver who helped run the branch at Sony in SF was incredibly supportive & positive. When I moved to LA, I'll say that Jim Urie and Cliff O'Sullivan created a wonderful culture, taught me a lot about how to manage & work with people. I make time for everyone, I really enjoy mentoring kids who show passion & determination. It's my time to give back.

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

When I started at PledgeMusic earlier this year, I wrote this on my wall. Music has been my rock, my soundtrack, my therapist and guilty pleasure since I was 13. The musician is my muse & I am forever in their debt.... as a patron, my goal is to ensure every musician can earn an honest living from their art in all its forms. That is the best part of my job, supporting the artist & their art.

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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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COFFEE TALK [with James Donio]

James Donio is the President of the Music Business Association (Music Biz), THE music industry association in the United States. Since taking the top role in 2004, Donio has evolved the organization from one primarily focused on physical product retailers to a more inclusive trade association that represents the full breadth of the current music business, including digital distribution, mobile, games, video, applications, and other entities that monetize music.

Q: Everyone in the music industry has a few favorite “industry moments;” What are a few of your favorite industry moments?

Since I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years, this is a really tough question to answer. But a few such moments do spring to mind. In 1990, we were in the final soundcheck for our Music Biz Scholarship Foundation dinner show, when an unscheduled artist was brought in to do a duet with headliner Michael Bolton. This new, young artist was basically unknown to the industry, and she would be making her debut at our event for all intents and purposes. Once I heard the first few moments of the song, there was no question this newcomer, who turned out to be Mariah Carey, was going to have everyone on their feet. One year later, that newcomer had won two Grammys for her first album and was now the headliner for the same show she’d been squeezed into just a year earlier.

When the legendary Tony Bennett was performing at our 1994 convention, we sat backstage together and, as we talked, he was doodling on a stack of paper. At that time, I had no idea what an accomplished painter he was. I really wished I had saved those drawings.

And then there was the time that Lisa Marie Presley’s nerves got the best of her. She was very apprehensive about taking the stage for the first time and singing in front of a live audience at our 2003 convention. I told her that everyone would be so supportive of her new career. Here I was, convincing Elvis’ daughter that she could do it! After she sang her first song at the event the next morning, she said, “This was my first applause...ever!” I’ll never forget that moment as long as I live.

As for the rest of my moments, from the Grammys and the Oscars to being told off by a comedian who shall remain nameless, for now… you’ll have to wait for my memoir!

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be? ● “Not Ready To Make Nice” (Dixie Chicks) ● “Somewhere” (West Side Story) ● “You’re The Inspiration” (Chicago) ● “It Might Be You” (Stephen Bishop) ● “Waiting For a Girl Like You” (Foreigner) ● “I Just Called To Say I Love You” (Stevie Wonder) ● “Wind Beneath My Wings” (Bette Midler) ● “From A Distance” (Bette Midler) ● “Rolling In The Deep” (Adele) ● “Fly” (Dixie Chicks)

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace. Almost every year, I can tell you that I have discovered new artists by either having them highlighted for me by our member labels or having booked them to perform at the Music Biz convention. For one reason or another, some of them just did not achieve the success that I thought was possible. Many have said that this business is unforgiving and not for the faint of heart. That’s true. It’s hard to single out anyone in particular.

Q: Who was your mentor? Why? I have had two significant mentors in my professional life. The first was my boss at an association I worked for in the office computing industry in the early-1980s, Lorraine Lear. She believed in my potential and gave me the chance to develop a wide range of management and leadership skills. The second was Mickey Granberg, who was the grand dame of NARM (now Music Biz) for nearly four decades. She interviewed me for a job at NARM in 1988 and decided I was over-qualified for the position. A few days later, I got a call from her assistant asking me to come back for a second interview. She was so impressed with me that she actually created a new job at the association for me. While she retired just one year after hiring me, I learned so much from her in those 12 months. She invested so much time and attention in my future that I will never forget her kindness. She continued as a consultant to the association for many years, and we became great friends. When it came time for me to be considered to head the organization, she was one of the first to sing my praises and write me a letter of recommendation.

Q: What’s the best part of your job? I have had such a unique vantage point from which to see the music business confront and weather challenges, and ultimately unfold into a vibrant new industry. What I love most is being able to talk about and promote the business, and to create events that bring so many people together to build the future of the business together. My job has also afforded me the ability to meet some amazing and unforgettable artists, attend spectacular awards shows, and travel around the world. What’s more, because of my three decades of experience at the association, I have become an adjunct professor at Monmouth University, where I am going into my fourth year teaching “Introduction to the Music Business Ecosystem.”

Q: Music Biz 2017 looks to be the best you've ever done. What can attendees expect this year? At this point, there are already nearly 500 different companies, organizations, academic institutions, and individual creators and business professionals scheduled to attend with four weeks still to go until the event. So there will be great opportunities for everyone to meet and be met, which can lead to new business deals, professional and career development, and so much more. For the first time, we have an unprecedented full day of workshops presented by the world’s leading music services including Amazon, Apple, Google/YouTube, Pandora, Soundcloud, and Spotify. We’ve also brought back our keynote presentations in a big way, headlined by conversations with Atlantic Records’ Julie Greenwald and superstar Kelly Clarkson as well as Spotify’s Troy Carter. All in all, there are more than 100 different sessions with an eclectic range of timely issues and topics to be discussed. We’re also honoring an illustrious list of award recipients: Music Millennium’s Terry Currier (Independent Spirit Award); UMG Nashville’s Mike Dungan (Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement); Lukas Graham and Maren Morris (Breakthrough Artist Awards); the Hamilton Original Cast Recording and Hamilton Mixtape albums (Outstanding Achievement Award); Paula Abdul (Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award); Adele (Artist of the Year Award); and Reba McEntire (Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement).

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COFFEE TALK [with Jason Kleve]

Q: What are a few of your favorite industry moments?

Being able to meet different members of my favorite band U2 on several occasions has to be mentioned. But there are little almost unexpected moments that are probably my favorites. Like the time Jim Kerr of Simple Minds put his arm around me and explained the meaning behind “Ghostdancing”, one of my all-time favorite songs. Or the time that Stone Gossard came up to me at an event and struck up a long, real conversation was amazing because it was so outside of the scope of the normal meet and greet. Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

Not sure how deep to go here but I’ll go with 6 which is tough enough as it is for a guy that has a ranked list of his Top 100 songs at the ready.

One-U2 Uncertain Smile-the The Flagpole Sitta-Harvey Danger Rearviewmirror-Pearl Jam Ghostdancing-Simple Minds The Bleeding Heart Show-The New Pornographers Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace.

So so many. But for this exercise I will have to pick Remy Zero. Because not only are they my favorite of those bands that felt like they should breakthrough but did not. But also because it really felt like they had the goods and for a moment there it seemed like it would happen. They felt like what U2 would sound like if the were children of the 80’s in the southern US. So they were very accessible and critical darlings. They found moderate success with their 2nd album “Villa Elaine”. But while it sold around 150k, it felt like it should and would do about 10x that number. Q: Who was your mentor? Why?

I’m respectfully passing on this one as the quintessential no win question. Trying to answer this question is setting yourself up for a Hillary Swank at the Oscars moment in my opinion. Let’s just say I have had the great pleasure of working with many and they know who they are. Q: What’s the best part of your job?

A bittersweet one to answer for sure. Currently, I have a job that I probably couldn’t have even dreamed of when I was a young kid making up my own countdowns and subscribing to Billboard magazine with my allowance. Interpreting the music industry data for labels and senior executives is something I absolutely love. In particular my favorite piece is to hear a label describe a particular problem and then create an analysis or homemade metric to solve the problem or answer the question. It’s like unlocking a mystery each time and the journey is as rewarding as the destination. After my 20+ years at Universal end in late June, I am very hopeful that I can continue to do this is some form or fashion. Plan B is shopping my wares to the Minnesota Timberwolves who apparently are desperate for a high volume/low efficiency scorer that considers defense the time between his last shot and his next shot.

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COFFEE TALK [with Michael Kauffman]

“I’ve worked in music and technology during my career, largely in sales, marketing, and PR roles. I love to connect artists and companies with fans and customers -- and have been doing that in tech (YouTube on the marketing team and at Google via corporate communications), at start-ups like RightsFlow (a rights management and licensing company acquired by Google), and earlier in my career at labels and distribution companies like UMG, Verve, BMG, and Windham Hill.”

Q: What are a few of your favorite “industry moments?”

I loved spending time on the road with artists earlier in my career. While at Windham Hill in the mid-90’s, I joined Keola Beamer, Ledward Kaapana, and a few other Hawaiian slack key guitar icons on a series of dates up the eastern seaboard. It was one of the first times I spent a lot of time with a band who I had limited prior knowledge about. Pre-internet days. Not only did I fall in love with that music, but I got to introduce the band and crew to PA-breakfast-fave scrapple while eating at the Melrose Diner in Philadelphia. While at Verve, we arranged for the amazingly gifted vocalist Al Jarreau (RIP Al) to host the Music Biz Annual Conference Awards Dinner one year concurrent with his new release. Al arrived in San Antonio with a serious bout of the flu, and we didn’t know whether he’d be able to speak, let alone take the stage. But after a few hours of sweating it out, focused rest, home-brewed tea, and a mind-over-matter attitude, Al took the microphone and blew everyone away with his grace, wit, and charm.

I was fortunate during those years at Verve to work with a top-notch sales team (Tony Pellegrino, Jon Vanhala, Lisa Hopkins, Mark Callaghan, Jeff Lusis, Kim Smith, Missy Iredell), self-branded “The Jazz Pack”. We adopted a song-and-dance approach to many of our sales presentations and had a blast singing-while-selling our releases (I like to say that we were the last of the singin’ sales guys). Flashback to Los Angeles in 2001. The Universal Music and Video Distribution Conference was being held at the Century Plaza Hotel, and we were scheduled, along with all the other UMG labels, to present our upcoming releases to our friends at distribution. Instead of a generic video presentation, we opted to host an awards show called “The Tommy’s” (named for our beloved label Chairman Tommy LiPuma, industry icon, producer, and true music maker) packed with curated categories, spoof videos, and actual live performances highlighting our artists and releases.

The opening song-and-dance number involved us wearing Adidas tear-away track suits worn over tuxedos, doing a bit of choreographed dancing along with a backup crew consisting of the XFL’s LA Xtreme cheerleading squad. It culminated with Tommy himself being led through the curtains of the stage and down to his front-row seat amidst a rousing standing ovation (Tommy’s entrance is ~4:29 in this YouTube videohttps://youtu.be/Y09IwrNHO8Q). Furthermore, there was also an ice sculpture of Tommy, a raucous afterparty, the USC Fighting Trojan Marching Band performing "Tequila", balloons falling from the ceiling, and hundreds of customized Tommy bobbleheads that were presented to all in attendance. I vividly remember Tommy saying to me right before we stepped onto the stage: “Mikey! What's going on here babe?!” Most fun I ever had in a sales presentation. What a cool experience to work with that team and Tommy.

Another highlight happened at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City in early 2014: I spearheaded the music integration at our YouTube on Main Street pop-up experience. It was one of the more stressful planning periods I’ve endured — late nights, intense conversations, negotiations to book acts, and everything in between — but the effort was ultimately rewarded with goose-bump-inducing performances from Damon Albarn (“There’s no way we can fit a string quartet and a large keyboard on that small stage.”), Venus And The Moon (who asked me to rehearse with them in the parking garage), Carina Round, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, Sleeping At Last, Matthew Perryman Jones and Kate Tucker (many artists via a Paste partnership — thanks Josh Jackson), and a few roof-raising late-nite DJ sets from Young Guru, Neon Indian, and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy -- who's agent phoned me on the day of his set to tell me he was stuck in Chicago due to snow. He arrived just in time to walk on the stage and start spinning records! It all came together and was magical. Plus so many other highlights: a post-dinner celebratory “toast” with Cheap Trick in Chicago, dinner in the Sinatra room at Patsy’s in NYC with Jamie Cullum, and of course live experiences like The Subdudes at Tipitina’s in New Orleans.

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

It would have to be a playlist of playlists… how many songs do I get?

Can I have 20 - 25? I love the Great American Songbook: Frank, Ella, Billie, Dean, Sammy, Tony, Dinah, along with Miles, Coltrane, Bird, Bill Evans, Ben Webster, Basie, and all the jazz masters. Here's a happy hour playlist assembled by Ken Druker, our head of catalog while I was at Verve. He curated this “Jazz Pack Supertunes” compilation for our crew back in the late 90’s: Frank Sinatra & Count Basie - Come Fly With Me Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head Buddy Greco - Around The World Bobby Darin - More Sammy Davis, Jr. - Hey There Jack Jones - You'd Better Love Me Count Basie - All Of Me Frank Sinatra - That's Life Eartha Kitt - C'est Si Bon Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual Perez Prado - Mambo No. 8 Wayne Newton - Danke Shoen Bobby Darin - Hello Dolly Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme - This Could Be The Start Of Something Big Buddy Greco - She Loves Me Vic Damone - The Song Is You Al Martino - Speak Softly Love Nino Rota - The Godfather Waltz Dean Martin - Return To Me Johnny Mathis - Chances Are Sammy Davis Jr. - I've Gotta Be Me Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight Marilyn Monroe - Happy Birthday Mr. President (on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/michaeljoel/playlist/1mNOucMihzZ38hMLv2ptNB)

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace?

Action Figure Party comes immediately to mind (a group spearheaded by Greg Kirsten, founder of Geggy Tah, who over the past decade has become a Grammy-award winning producer of Sia, Beck, Kelly Clarkson, Ellie Goulding, Pink, the Shins, Tegan and Sara, Lily Allen), signed to Verve at the time by Bud Harner, our ultra-cool A&R rep. “Everybody Ready” now playing: https://youtu.be/Xud_KlHlqr0

Q: Who was your mentor? Why? Early in my career in advertising: Jim Coudal, the creative director at Weber, Cohn & Riley gave me a shot as a copywriter and helped me craft a voice for headlines and copy. Chris Balla and Bob Garbarini at BMG (now Sony) who provided the freedom and the guidelines to teach me how to think about music marketing. Pat Berry, my boss at Windham Hill (now running the Six Degrees label), who taught me pretty much everything I know about sales, much of it based on always framing decisions with what’s best for the artist. Also from the Windham Hill timeframe, Dave Morrell, who spearheaded AAA/non-comm promotion at our High Street imprint, is a dear friend and mentor who taught me how to love stories and to leave people with a smile. Dave has been releasing his memoirs — and they are a hoot! Horse-Doggin’: Volume 1 is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Horse-Doggin-Dave-Morrell-Archives-Vol-ebook/dp/B00IZLEFQ6/ref=la_B00LG1S4P0_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491231314&sr=1-1 and 1974 - The Promotion Man - Volume 2 is here: https://www.amazon.com/1974-Promotion-York-Morrell-Archives-ebook/dp/B015YV11M0/ref=la_B00IZQHCE8_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491231441&sr=1-3. Read up. Plus Bob Schneiders at UMVD taught me the ropes as for retail sales when I started at GRP, and also showed me the importance of connection via common passions solidified with personalized outreach. And the host of other sales and marketing execs who guided me through the years: Ben Kline, Pat Monaco, Bob Anderson, Tony Camardo, Linda Finke, Saul Shapiro, Mike Davis, Cliff O'Sullivan, Mark Flaherty, Marc Zimet, Anthony Ellis, Rob Santos, Nell Mulderry, (can't forget you) Jay Gilbert, the Jazz Pack (Jon, Tony, Lisa, Jeff, Mark)... it takes a village obviously.

Patrick Sullivan (CEO / Co-Founder at RightsFlow) mentored me through his leadership to win against the odds through smart-thinking and a tireless work effort, while Scott Sellwood (our Head of Biz Affairs at RightsFlow, and Publisher Relationships at YouTube) inspired me with his brain, musical abilities, and tenacious commitment to finding common sense solutions. And finally Tommy LiPuma, of course, our Chairman at GRP and Verve, who taught me how to pursue quality in music, art, wine and life. A legendary music leader, visionary and Hall of Fame human being with a legacy of music and joy rooted in the artists, colleagues, employees and millions of ears and hearts that he inspired. A few of use traveled to Cleveland last year to celebrate his 80th. So glad we did. It was a night of stellar performances: Diana Krall, Dr. John, Al Jarreau, Leon Russell (RIP)… followed by the afterparty back at the Ritz-Carlton, drinking amazing wine while listening and laughing into the wee small hours to the many, many stories filling the room. Music biz stories for the ages. Tommy stories. So fortunate and thankful. Smart, passionate, creative mentors who rocked my world.

Q: What’s the best part of your job? Helping and listening (to people and to music). Anytime I can generate a creative conversation with an artist, a company or a colleague, and help them think about their audience and how best to share + super-serve + connect, it’s a good day.

That, and getting together with friends and colleagues for lots of happy hours and live music. Ketel martini, up. Ice cold. Olives.

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