September 4, 2018, Issue 617
Flip Side: VP3 Part Two
Taking different independent paths to chart-topping success over the last 30 months, Pearl’s Lesly Simon, Good Company’s Keith Gale and Triple Tigers’ Norbert Nix brought years of experience and camaraderie atop Sony/Nashville’s promotion structure to their new endeavors. Last week focused on the lessons they shared during their tenure as the “VP Three.” Below, they turn to the shifts in business dynamics they are experiencing. CA: What’s the adjustment in going from a large organization to a more entrepreneurial environment? KG: There were aspects of Jake’s career which I felt I was an expert in – I would get an Lesly Simon A in those classes. But there were some classes I’d take an incomplete in. I just had never taken that course before. I had to hurry up and learn on the job relying on partners like WME and Big Loud Records. NN: Similar for us, the system is in place. We’ve got the Triple 8 team, Sony/RED in New York, Thirty Tigers. Having seen the big machine work at Sony, you can apply those lessons and figure out what you need to make Keith Gale something work. LS: Garth’s team was in place when I came in. [Managers] Bob Doyle and Randy Bernard, [publicist] Nancy Seltzer, [Pearl’s] Mandy McCormack. They’ve been doing things together in a huge way for a long time. And of course Garth knows his brand better than anybody. They knew their business so well, I just got to learn and then help expand it. CA: Would you say the tools that might Norbert Nix have been exclusive to major labels a decade ago are now accessible in new ways to independents? LS: Absolutely. We did a lot of analysis, which is something Joe taught us. You wanted to learn from every project if it succeeded or (continued on page 5)
Twin Peaks: Capitol’s Dierks Bentley (r) with Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell at the inaugural Seven Peaks Music Festival in Buena Vista, CO.
Shano & Swano: The Buddy Flick Origin stories for iconic duos are a proven formula. See Batman and Robin, Han Solo and Chewbacca, and – now in technicolor – Shano & Swano. Okay, maybe “iconic” is a bit much for Columbia SVP/Promotion Shane “Shano” Allen and Red Light Head/Country Promotion Chuck “Swano” Swaney. Still, the Seventh Annual Monsters of the Midwest radio blitz, which tips off Monday (9/10) in Minneapolis, is worth a bit of reflection. The concept is simple: Two record promoters visiting stations, sharing music and meals and having fun along the way. Think Planes, Trains & Automobiles, country-style. “We’re a couple pals from the Midwest who’ve worked together, but when we started this I was at Capitol and Chuck was at EMI,” Allen says. Adds Swaney, “Shane is from Wisconsin, I’m from Michigan and this trip is a tip of the hat to radio in that area of the country that we love.”
Shane Allen
Chuck Swaney
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