Moderator: Harvey Leeds Sony BMG / Epic Records
Tim Borror The Agency Group
Harlan Frey Roadrunner Records
Heath Miller Excess db Entertainment
Randy Phillips AEG Live / Concerts West
Mark Weiss ArtistArena
Donna Westmoreland I.M.P.

How do you develop an artist’s career? Harvey Leeds said it’s “harder than finding weapons of mass destruction” and “harder than finding Osama bin Laden.”

The panel discussed ways to improve those odds, especially for new artists that don’t fit a particular niche. AEG Live’s Randy Phillips talked about Network Live, a partnership between AEG Live, AOL and XM Satellite Radio, and how it can help advance an artist’s career.

“Basically, Network Live is a platform for artists to get exposed,” Phillips explained. “It’s very hard for an act to get exposure on television, usually. Even big acts need exposure when they’re coming out with new product.”

Phillips used Bon Jovi’s concert at NYC’s Nokia Theatre at Times Square in September as an example. The performance was simulcast on AOL’s home page, two XM stations and in selected theatres across the country, which Phillips said boosted the band’s record sales. XM also ran a contest for local bands to win an opening slot at one of Bon Jovi’s tour stops.

Harlan Frey of Roadrunner Records discussed The Dresden Dolls and how the label is handling the eclectic group’s development.

“With The Dresden Dolls, we tried to be as indie as humanly possible because they are, musically, of the indie nature,” Frey said. “They were selling their own records, so we kind of put up a front – an imprint called Eight Foot Records. We didn’t want the Roadrunner logo on there. We didn’t want fans to have any preconceived judgment of what type of music it was going to be.

“Coming back to the team, we got some great people who really believe in the band and did everything, as much as we could on an indie level, to develop them one fan at a time. They did 100,000 on the first record and now we’re on record number two.”

The Agency Group’s Tim Borror, who represents Killswitch Engage among others, agreed with Frey on the combination of elements needed for development.

“It starts with a great band having a couple of important team members assembled,” Borror explained. “I don’t think a major label, in most scenarios, could live through an 18-month process to see a band play for $100 or $500, and figure that out for a long period of time.

“For a band like that and so many others, you almost have to figure out a way to change what’s going on around the band. You look for cracks that other people aren’t taking advantage of at the street level.”

Borror added a team needs to be willing to take a chance on bookings that are considered “genre stretching” because there’s no MTV or radio to help as in the past.

Leeds said Epic Records has also taken an indie approach developing artists such as Los Lonely Boys and Hasidic reggae star Matisyahu.

The discussion turned to the use of fan club packages and ticketing rebates in partnership with Ticketmaster – is it a plus or a minus in artist development?

Mark Weiss, founder of artist-to-fan services company ArtistArena, said those strategies aren’t just about making money.

“The majority of the bands that we work with don’t have a secondary market and don’t have the ability to sell tickets. They’re tiny little bands that no one gives a shit about,” Weiss explained.
“Our company tries to work with these bands at a certain level. If the band sells 200 or 300 a night and has no advance sales whatsoever, we come up with promotions.

“The ability of these bands to communicate with their fans directly without anybody interfering in the early stages is tremendously important. Our service can help them get to the next level.”

The panel wrapped discussing how changes in local radio programming have increased the need for more satellite promotions.