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EXEC PROFILE —ANDY KAUFMANN BACKGROUND: After graduating from Syracuse University, Peter Schwartz’s love of music led him to a job working for a video production company. On the advice of his friend’s father, a concert promoter, he interned at the William Morris Agency then later served under Cara Lewis. The Agency Group employed him two years later. There, he’s helped raise the profiles of some of rap’s biggest stars. “There’s no better publicity, excitement and growth for an artist than when you have sold out shows.” Urban Cowboy: I’ve worked in a variety of genres over the years, urban music being my main focus. At one point, I had a lot of reggae clients when the genre was seeing its bigger days. I’ve always been involved in hip-hop. Lately, my roster’s been mainly urban and that’s the genre that’s flourished most for me. It’s also always been my staple genre. There aren’t that many people booking urban music, so it’s definitely a specialized area I’ve made my own. Flourishing Genres: Trends change, popular genres change. Things come and go. I represented probably 15 of the biggest acts out of Jamaica, but I reduced my roster of those clients as things happened like visa problems, the genre deteriorating, seeing a reduced amount of ticket sales and other indicators. I had to scale down how much time I spent on that genre. Following Success: I really enjoy what I do, and having success at it makes it even more enjoyable. I’ve been doing hip-hop for a long time. In my earlier days, I was excited to be working with Arrested Development and Naughty By Nature and all these great acts that were taking off. At one point, I was booking kids’ groups. I had kids and saw it was an open area I could get into. Sometimes, you’ve got to be a bit of a chameleon and move into different things that work for you. Game Changer: Before the Internet, if you weren’t on the radio you were kind of underground. I made a career of it, booking artists like Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Mix Master Mike or Ghostface Killa. There were a lot of these guys who had buzz and fans but weren’t big, mainstream names. Since the Internet took off, the underground kind of vanished, because now some rapper can put a song on the web and have distribution to the whole world that just wasn’t available before. Indicators: Looking at what’s popular is a great indicator of what’s happening. I sign-ed an artist named Watsky. He had this video where he’s rapping super fast and it had over 20 million views. That is as good as hearing you’ve gotten spins on a radio station. In fact, it’s probably an even stronger indicator. Sifting: I’m pitched groups all day, so it’s tough to decide what is going to go farther instead of just being another artist. That’s a challenge, something I feel I’ve been successful at. I look for artists with different ingredients and the more of them you have the better the potential. Of course, I’m looking for artists with great material and that’s the first thing. I look for artists who have a team of some kind. I look for artists who have press and buzz. I look for a following. Nowadays, social media is so important. Is the artist on Twitter, are they on Facebook, Peter Schwartz Vice President The Agency Group Years with Company: 19 Address: 142 West 57 th St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-581-3100 Fax: 212-581-0015 Web: http://theagencygroup.com E-mail: PeterSchwartz@theagencygroup.com Clients: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Ghostface Killah, Redman, Waka Flocka Flame, Yo Gotti, Rakim, Big Boi, A$AP Rocky, Dilated Peoples, Dan the Automator do they have followers? Have they created any kind of buzz in their own region? An example is Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. They come out of Seattle, not the first place I’m looking for rappers typically, but when you find out that they’re blowing out two- and three-thousand capacity venues and no one outside of the Northwest knows about them, that’s another indicator there’s something good happening. A Contract’s Just a Piece of Paper: We have standard agency agreements. I don’t want to put too much on the contracts, because this is a service industry. If my clients are not happy with the work I’m doing, a contract isn’t going to do much. It helps if you have some kind of ugly split and want to sue somebody, but if you’re not planning to go to that level it doesn’t matter. Getting Started as an Agent: You need to go to some agency, get your foot in the door and learn the ropes. Most people start as an intern or an assistant. Once you know the structures of deals, then it becomes a case of the talent you can find and book. You can go from having nothing to having a big band and becoming a successful agent in a quick amount of time. Finding those artists, though, is not easy, especially if you’re a new guy and you’re competing with other agents that are established and probably have a lot more to offer. Learn the business and then start moving to high-end clients who can sell tickets. The Long Approach: Everyone’s main interest is: how do I make money and fast? My goal in terms of how I represent my artists is to not think short-term. How you get money the quickest is by setting up to make the most money long-term. That’s what I try to show my artists. A lot of times, it’s an education process. Most people want a quick hit. I tell them how to make sure they’re bigger, making more money and selling out venues 10 years from now. That’s not a quick hit approach. You don’t just go to an arena. All the artists playing at the bigger sizes have worked their way up. There’s a rare case where someone explodes and goes to the biggest venues, but it usually takes time. I try to push that on my artists as a reality. And if you do the right things, take the right steps and make the right deals, the money’s going to come. Making Moves: Sometimes, people make changes. An artist is out for a few years, you’ve done a great job with them and, for whatever reason, they think someone else can do better. Maybe an artist is with you for a few years and it’s not doing as well as anyone would like; the agent can take the fall. Generally, if you’re doing a good job, they’ll let you keep your job. If you see someone going downward, then maybe it’s time to let an artist go. There’s only so much time in a day and you want to focus on things that are going in the best direction. Playing to Size: The goal is to sell out the venues we’re playing. We book with that in mind. We’re very conscious of the size of the venue, ticket price and demo of the fan. There’s no better publicity, excitement and growth for an artist than when you have sold out shows. It’s a big part of the story for the artist and how we’ve had the most success. That’s the same formula I use for hip-hop, reggae, kids’ music, rock. To me, that is the only approach. Other approaches are short term. If you go to a venue that’s way too big and it doesn’t do as well, it won’t look good. If I put them in a venue that’s going to sell out, then people are talking about it, the promoters are making money, you’ve got a big story. There’s nothing like saying a show is sold out. Book Right: If possible, get to an agent who can help you. Try not to do it yourself. It’s better to do it yourself than not do it at all, but find the right shows to be on. Align yourself with groups that are popular. If you’re from Seattle, don’t try to become popular in Boston yet. Focus on the region you live in and build your base from there. Get Buzzed: Get your music out there. If the music is good, it can go places. You can become a phenomenon in another country. Look at Psy. There’s a perfect example of how one thing in another country can turn out to be an insane craze. Nowadays, groups are being signed based on what’s on the web. Create your own buzz. 22 March 2013 www.musicconnection.com
BUSINESS AFFAIRS Music Connection’s Business Affairs delivers up-to-date information about the signings of new artists, significant developments at major and indie labels, as well as news of managers and attorneys who are active in the A&R aspect of the music business. So that MC can provide the most current information possible, please send any industry news, buzz or rumors that need to be verified to BBatMC@aol.com. OPPS network for artists, has announced that hip-hop legend Q-Tip will serve as a judge for its upcoming music competition. The contest is one of several that will reward the site’s winning users with $125,000 in grants and awards. Additional judges for the music contests, which will reward winners with $30,000 in cash, production and promotion contracts with Okayplayer & Downtown Records, and a feature in i-D Magazine, include DJ Spooky, Flosstradamus, Kate Earl and Stretch Armstrong. One of the most notable awards is the Times Square Award, in which the winner will have a video created about their work that will be played on the largest video screen in Times Square. For details, visit http://see.me. Watch in 2013” radio station. The station will give listeners a sneak peek at the songs, albums and artists that will define 2013, long before festival lineups are announced and new albums drop. You can listen to Slacker’s radio station for free and learn how you can submit your music at http://slacker.com/station/ Artists-to-Watch-2013. StudioTraxx.com has announced that it is now offering a variety of online marketing packages to artists, producers, managers, songwriters, and record labels. These online marketing packages target the most popular social networks including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and ReverbNation. The goal is to increase likes, views and followers across these platforms in an effort to grow an artist’s fan base and ultimately drive sales. Founded in 2007, StudioTraxx has been a strong advocate for the creation of music and the creative musician community. The company is expanding its services to provide artists the opportunity to market their music through several compelling online marketing packages. Go to http://studiotraxx.com/marketing. If so, you need your Heavy Metal Television. From Lamb of God to Motley Crue and from Behemoth to Shinedown, Heavy Metal Television will bring both current and classic hard rock and heavy metal videos to your desktop, laptop or net ready flatscreen TV. Presented by young, VJ’s across the planet, no matter what your taste in hard music might lean toward, give the station a look and you’ll find a band that you love. The site is 100 percent free, with no login necessary. The music runs virtually nonstop with VJ. interludes and limited minute long commercial breaks consisting of four or five 20-second music related ad clips. Just point your browser to http:// heavymetaltelevision.com to start watching. SCISSOR SISTERS ARE ALIVE The Scissor Sisters have toured the world, collaborated with the likes of Elton John and Kylie Minogue and sold millions of albums. U2’s Bono effusively describes the band as “the best pop group in the world.” Now the Sisters are offering a brand new DVD of their performance at Victoria Park in London, on July 17, 2011. Colourful and glitzy as ever, this New York outfit revels in garish costumes and twisted disco sounds that embrace a flamboyant spirit. The DVD features a four-page booklet, two bonus tracks and the smash hits “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’,” “Filthy/Gorgeous,” “Take Your Mama” and many more. To check it out, go to http://scissorsisters.com. PER SE VISIT CONTROLLED CHAOS Fusion ensemble Per Se appeared on Gary Garver’s Controlled Chaos radio program to promote their CD release party at The Joint in Los Angeles, CA. Charles Whitehead and Herman Hogan were accompanied by LC Powell for a live, on-air performance. The trio performed songs from their new album, The Roads, and engaged the host in a spirited exchange. Garver’s show is broadcast over the Go- Cast Network to thousands of listeners. To find out more about Per Se, and/or the show—which features live music acts each week—go to http://persetheband. com, or email Garver at gary@doublegtv.com. Pictured (l-r): L C Powell, Herman Hogan, Gary Garver and (seated) Charles Whitehead. SIGNINGS informed MC’s Business Affairs that Los Angles-based rock band Acidic has signed with Megaforce (MRI)/RED. Their new album Copperman was produced by John Ryan (Sanatana, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Styx, et al). For more information, go to http://acidicband.com or visit http://benmclane.com. Backstage, the niche magazine for the acting and modeling community, is expanding its scope with the acquisition of Sonicbids, a social music marketing platform that connects bands, promoters, consumer brands and music fans. The joint reach of the two companies includes 600,000 registered users, with about 60,000 of them being paying subscribers. See http:// backstage.com and http://sonicbids. com for further details. signed two new acts to its roster: Baltimore, MD’s alternative rock act 3PM, and Newark, DE based neo psychedelic band Cosmic Punch. Creating a legacy for rock artists, alternative artists and poprock artists, Sunset Records started to release new material in June of 2008 as a subsidiary of the Sunset Distribution Company. Headed by chairman and founder Don Lichterman, Sunset has signed and released music across a wide range of rock, pop, alternative, metal and soundtracks. For more information, visit http://sunsetrecordings.com. ers Orgy have announced their upcoming US headline tour, Dead Tour.” Supporting will be Vampires Everywhere and Davey Suicide. The month-long tour kicks off in Phoenix, AZ, on March 2 and will visit several major US cities until its close in Lincolnshire, IL on April 2nd. The band’s new single, “Grime of the Century,” was released in the fall and has been well received by radio stations, press and fans alike. Orgy recently finished up a successful tour of the West Coast in select markets and plans to tour Europe in the summer of 2013. The band is currently in the studio recording new music. See http://orgymusic.com. good friends who have talked about doing shows together for years. Finally, that vision has become a reality. Two special concerts, featuring Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band and Kid Rock & the Twisted Brown Trucker Band, will take place in Minneapolis/ St. Paul, MN on March 15, with the second in Fargo, ND on March 16th. Seger and Rock became friends shortly after they met in 2000. Rock inducted Seger into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and appeared on Seger’s 2006 Face The Promise album for a duet of Vince Seger appeared on Kid Rock’s Born Free album playing piano on his duet with Sheryl Crow. Both share an interest in classic cars and have stayed true to their Michigan roots. See http://bobseger.com and http://kidrock.com for more. the 1980s. The record Dead Alive!, released on the band’s label Misift Records, is entombed in the ultimate March 2013 www.musicconnection.com 23
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