Single And Ready To Mingle
From the early days of the record business, the single has been a key tool for artists looking to be heard. From the classic 45, with its own distinctive label and artwork, to 12-inch vinyl mixes, MP3s and today's streams, clouds, and ever-evolving formats, the slice of music known as the single can break an artist and define a career. Yet the single is also widely viewed as one of the big nails in the coffin of today's record business. What makes certain records stand out, and how can the recording industry sustain itself as album sales continue to diminish?
Presenters
JUDY TINT is a lifelong music lover who considers her career to have begun with the acquisition of her first transistor radio at age seven. She is a native New Yorker, a graduate of Rutgers College and Columbia Law School, and has over 25 years of experience as an attorney, consultant and producer in the entertainment industry. Judy specializes in music-related matters, and represents a broad variety of recording artists, songwriters, producers, independent labels, radio personalities, and other music-makers, from newcomers to legends. She is an Adjunct Professor in the New York University Music Business Program and a member of the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ New York Chapter, and has lectured extensively on various topics in the entertainment field, for organizations including South by Southwest, Practicing Law Institute, Women in Music, The New Music Seminar, CMJ Music Marathon, Columbia Law School, North by Northwest, and Grammy In The Schools. She has appeared frequently as an advocate for artists’ rights, and serves as Vice-Chair of the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Division of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries.
Judy has served as a consultant and producer in connection with numerous entertainment projects, and has devoted her time and energy to a variety of benefits and other charitable endeavors. She is a longtime member of the Board of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, and was Executive Producer of the critically-acclaimed Capitol Records release, “The Rites of Rhythm and Blues”. She serves on the Board of Directors of WhyHunger, and held a two-year appointment at the United Nations, where she produced special events and oversaw the management and recruitment of UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassadors and celebrity spokespersons. She created and produced a concert series at Lincoln Center with best-selling author/lecturer Marianne Williamson, promoted and hosted the long-standing China Club “Pro-Jam” (featuring appearances by countless celebrity guests), and developed and produced (with musical director Paul Shaffer) the live entertainment program at “Sullivan’s” in New York’s landmark Ed Sullivan Theater. Other organizations which Judy has helped support include The Starlight Foundation, The Nordoff-Robbins Foundation for Music Therapy, Feeding America, The Foodbank for New York City, the Oregon Foodbank, and The Community Foodbank of New Jersey.
While she has no intention of quitting her day job, Judy also performs semi-regularly as a vocalist and percussionist, and has made numerous appearances with her longtime clients, The Four Tops. She is a firm believer in the power of music to change the world.
Thomas Dolby was an indelible part of the electronic music landscape on both sides of the Atlantic in the ’80s. The Zelig of synthpop, he was seemingly there or thereabouts at all points of that crucial decade. He enjoyed huge solo success with the singles “She Blinded Me With Science” and “Hyperactive!”, composed and performed on hits for everyone from AOR giants Foreigner to none-more-quirky new wave girl Lene Lovich, produced three superlative albums for Prefab Sprout, and even co-wrote the much-sampled early rap classic “Magic’s Wand” by Whodini. In 1981, Thomas was a songwriter-for-hire and session keyboard player — notably, adding those famous synth textures to Foreigner’s “Waiting For a Girl Like You” — when he realized he could apply all of his new skills to create his own music.
The Abingdon boy then impacted on the Brooklyn hip-hop scene when he co-wrote Magic’s Wand for pioneering hip-hop trio Whodini; it became the first platinum-selling rap 12-inch.
Perhaps most exciting of all was to find himself at No. 5 in the States in 1982 with “She Blinded Me With Science,” which, with its video featuring celebrity zany scientist Dr. Magnus Pike, propelled Thomas to international stardom and fixed him in the public imagination as an exponent of eccentric electro-pop.
By the time of the elastic electro-funk of 1984’s “Hyperactive!,” Thomas was mixing in pretty stellar circles: that single was originally intended for Michael Jackson. In fact, he had some memorable encounters with the late King of Pop.
In the ’80s, Thomas released three solo albums — The Golden Age of Wireless (1982), The Flat Earth (1984) and Aliens Ate My Buick (1988) — and throughout he dodged attempts to pigeonhole him by record companies and public alike.
His involvement in Live Aid — as a member of David Bowie’s band — and in Roger Waters’ performance of Pink Floyd’s The Wall in Berlin in 1990 were, respectively, “a dream come true” and “an astonishing event to be involved in.” And then, following the Astronauts & Heretics album, a U.S. Top 40 entry in 1992, Thomas made a 180-degree turn, career-wise, as he headed off to Silicon Valley. There, the technology ace pursued a separate career as a consultant with one foot in the music industry and the other in software development. Eventually, he formed his own company, Beatnik, which didn’t just ride the dotcom boom, it flourished, coming up with the polyphonic ringtone synthesizer for the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturer, Nokia.
He is also proud of A Map of the Floating City, his first solo album in almost two decades. A “travelog across three imaginary continents”, A Map . . . comprises Amerikana, Oceanea and Urbanoia, available as three separate EPs as well as an album consisting of those same constituent parts. Designed to express Thomas’ physical journey these past 30 years from England to America and finally back to his childhood home of East Anglia, he says of the tripartite album: “In Amerikana I'm reflecting with affection on the years I spent living in the USA, and my fascination with its roots music. Urbanoia is a dark place, a little unsettling . . . I'm not a city person. And in Oceanea I return to my natural home on the windswept coastline.” The album includes contributions from Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Regina Spektor, Eddi Reader and Imogen Heap and reflects Thomas’ eclectic approach to music-making.
Terry Stewart: President and Chief Executive Officer
Terry Stewart has been the President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum since 1999. The Museum, a nonprofit organization, exists to educate visitors, music fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. Since opening in 1995, the Museum has welcomed more than seven million people with annual visitors coming from all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 100 countries.
Stewart was born in Mobile, Alabama and raised in the nearby town of Daphne. He earned two undergraduate degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Rutgers University in New Jersey in 1969. Then in 1972 and 1974, he went on to earn his MBA in Finance and JD in Law at Cornell University.
Stewart spent the next fifteen years building a traditional business background. He served as an officer of Connecticut Bank & Trust Company from 1974 to 1979. From 1979 to 1984, he served first as Vice President of Business Development and later as General Manager of Strategic Planning and Business Development for the Continental Group, Inc. From 1984 to 1989 he served as Vice President of Business Development for Combustion Engineering, Inc.
Stewart then switched gears and began pursuing a career in a less traditional industry. In 1989, he joined Marvel Entertainment Group, a leader in the fields of publishing, merchandising, advertising, trading cards, toys, software and children’s television. Marvel is best known for its comic book characters including Spiderman, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, Blade, Silver Surfer and an additional 3,000 super heroes. In 1991, Marvel went public and Stewart was named CNBC Marketing Executive of the Year. During his nine years at Marvel, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer and later as Vice Chairman.
Long active in civic and philanthropic endeavors, Stewart is currently on the board of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in Philadelphia, and he serves as an advisor for the annual Summer Stage Concert Series in Central Park in association with the City Parks Foundation in New York City. Terry also serves on the Nominating Committee for the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Advisory Committee for the prospective new National Museum of Hip-Hop. He is a member of the Abu Dhabi Investment House Entertainment Advisory Board in Abu Dhabi. Locally, he serves on the boards for the Cleveland Film Commission, Positively Cleveland: the Cleveland Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio. Previously, Stewart served on the boards of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF in New York and the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, based in Chicago.
Stewart has received a number of distinguished awards. In 2008, he was named the 48th Annual Business Executive of the Year by the Sales & Marketing Executives Association of Cleveland. In 2010, he was elected into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni, named a “Person Who Matters” by Crain’s Cleveland Business and one of “The Power 100” by Inside Business Magazine. This year he has been elected to receive the 2011 VERA award (Voice Education and Research Awareness).
Terry is well known as an avid collector of pop culture memorabilia. His extensive collection includes a world-class record collection, concert and movie posters, rock and roll memorabilia, and jukeboxes.
Jeff McClusky & Associates has been the leading independent radio promotion entity in the United States for the past 28 years. The company represents and has represented virtually every major recording artist that has had a radio promotion campaign targeted at the following formats: Alternative, Top 40, Hot AC, Rhythm Crossover and Rock. The lists of artists that have worked with JMA reads like a who’s who of the music business: Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam, U2, Madonna, Celine Dion and The Eagles among them. Additionally and of equal importance are the independent labels and artists that JMA have either quarterbacked, advised, or participated in their radio promotion efforts for our entire business career. Over the years, JMA has developed strong relations with independent labels, artist owned labels, international labels, managers and publishers, providing effective, efficient and price-sensitive campaigns of different levels. Our client list includes Interscope, Universal, Capitol, Columbia, RCA, Warner & Atlantic—as well as Sub-Pop, Matador, Robbins Entertainment, XL, One Little Indian, Minty Fresh and Touch & Go. McClusky is credited with a complete reinvention of the independent promotion industry that took independent radio promotion out of the back room and made it a legitimate business where the benefits were enjoyed by all rights holders as well as the broadcast industry. With our staff based in Chicago and Los Angeles, JMA sees great opportunities in an industry where there are many broken components. We are thrilled to have the strength of business relationships with major labels, but we are equally excited about playing this larger role in the increasingly developing area of label and artist growth. During the next few months of 2011, JMA will launch a variety of new ventures, specifically aimed at furthering its relationships with independent artists, labels and young entrepreneurs.
Jeff McClusky will attend the SXSW music conference in Austin, Texas March 17-20. Meeting opportunities are available; to schedule a appointment contact the JMA offices at 773-938-1200 or email Ryan Carey at rcarey@jmapromo.com.
Tony Fagenson is a multi-talented musician and producer best known for his work as the drummer for the platinum-selling rock band EVE 6. The Southern California trio created a distinctive sound and feel with their initial RCA releases (featuring the hit singles “Inside Out” and “Here’s To The Night”) and have delivered several critically acclaimed albums since then. Their eagerly anticipated new record, “Speak in Code” is scheduled for release in April 2012 on Fearless Records, and the band will be hitting the road throughout the year and beyond. Originally from Detroit, Tony (the son of noted record producer Don Was) is an accomplished producer and songwriter outside of EVE 6 as well, working with such artists as Puddle of Mudd, Emily Osment, and Ryan Starr. He has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and TRL.
Ivan Barias is a music producer, songwriter, recording engineer and record label owner. He is one half of the prolific production/songwriting team Carvin & Ivan. He has received numerous awards and accolades for his songwriting and production and has been nominated three times for a Grammy in the R&B Song Of The Year category. He has also received an additional 16 Grammy nominations for his production work as well as several ASCAP songwriter awards. Along with his partner he has produced and written music for the likes Keyshia Cole, Musiq Soulchild, Jazmine Sullivan, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Mario, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, Estelle, Raheem Devaughn, Jaheim, Ledisi, Faith Evans and many others. He has a very broad musical taste that ranges from R&B and Hip Hop to Pop and most recently Rock. He currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Philadelphia chapter of the Recording Academy. He was recently selected as a Creative Ambassador for the city of Philadelphia and is also an ambassador for the Philadelphia 76ers community program La Liga del Barrio. Along with his partners he helped establish a non-profit sports and entertainment educational program called D.A.S.H. (Destined to Achieve Successful Heights) which aims to teach students the importance of education in the sports and entertainment world.
Friday, March 16
