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10 Questions with ... Bob Reeves
February 7, 2006
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NAME:Bob ReevesTITLE:National Director & Radio PromotionsLABEL:Midas Records NashvilleBORN:Framingham, MA (a little over 46 years ago)RAISED:Scotia, New York
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Midas Records (Oct. 2005 - present) / Sony Music Nashville-Epic & Monument Records (1998 - 2005) / Magnatone Records (before Sony) / River North Records (before Magnatone) / CORE Records (before that) / Alternative WRLG-Thunder94 (even before that) / VP Ops Ace of Clubs/Crescent Concepts with clubs in Nashville, Knoxville & Santa Fe, NM (oh, like 18 years ago) Stints in radio in Upstate NY including CHR WFLY- FLY92 and Country WPTR/Albany, NY (seems like 100 years ago) / Retail Mgmt w/ Sound Warehouse and Record Town stores in TX & NY (easily one million years ago)...and so on.
1. When you were a kid what did you want to be "when you grew up" and why did you decide to get in the record promotions business?
First, I wanted to be Joe Namath & I'm still a long suffering NY Jets fan...then I wanted to be the drummer in David Bowie's band. Since I was a miserable failure as a musician (I have no talent), I turned my sights to the business side of music...it was a series of strange jobs in retail records, radio, management, clubs, etc., none of which I was qualified for, that lead me to promotions.
2. You were a rep of mine in the Americana/Triple-A format, is that the format that you started in? And how did you get to the Country side?
My first promo gig out of alternative radio was with a rock label that "specialized " in college music...CORE Records (C. ollege O. riented R. ecords & E. Entertainment). We were most famous for turning down Ed Roland's 2nd album...the exact same recording became Collective Soul's "Hints Allegations & Things Left Unsaid" which only sold something like 10 million copies worldwide for Atlantic Records! I also pitched what I thought was a wonderful idea to crooner Engelbert Humperdinck...I wanted to team Engelbert up with Buster Poindexter and some of the then hip lounge/punk acts (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Black Velevt Flag) in a festival called "Louge-apalooza"...he heard the pitch then he simply shook his head and said one word... "No".
I credit Mike Borchetta for originally recognizing that I had a talent for radio promotion but Kevin Herring, Bobby Young & Eddie Mascolo "re-discovered" me as a country promo rep...they were running River North when I desperately needed a gig (CORE had gone bust) and took a chance on the rock guy looking to get back to his country roots.
3. It has to be pretty exciting starting up a new label, tell us a bit about the promotions staff and why you picked them. I know that over a beer or two through the years that you must have said, "I would hire______if I were putting a team together."
I think we've put together a terrific team here. Let's see, NOT being a beer drinker by nature (ahem), I'm not sure what you are referring to there, but I actually did acquire at least one of those hypothetical dream hires. Shari Roth, who's handling the Midwest for Midas is an old friend from radio (WYNY-NYC) who also worked at Sony for a time at Columbia House. I'd always thought she'd make a great regional, so I gave her the chance to prove it to me. The other 3 folks on the team, I didn't know prior to interviewing them...Mike Severson in the Southwest is a talent. He worked for MCA when they were really rockin' and ended up at Rounder most recently. He knows both the major way and the indie way. Clay Henderson 's our cowboy. He's a Texan but he's handling the Southeast and has some great relationships there. He literally WON the job from us. He came in guns ablazin' with ideas, references & an attitude. Our newest addition, Stacey Nichols comes to us via Lyric Street Records and KQFC/Boise. Stacey's young, hip and hungry to be a new regional. She'll have a lot of room to grow & learn with us here. My Associate Director is Mary Befera and she's just unparalleled in experience in both the worlds we deal in...radio & records. And since we're trying to be smart & fiscally responsible, I'll handle the Northeast myself, until it's no longer feasible...and I hope we have such success that that's not too far down the road. I love working a region, but I hope to have my hands full with national business before too long.
4. Can you tell us a bit about the music that you have coming without giving away any secrets?
Emerson Drive is finishing up their album with no less than 4 producers...Keith Follese & Brad Allen, aka the Midas A&R staff and Josh Leo & Teddy Gentry (of Alabama fame) are splitting the tracks and the results, so far, are really great! The first single will be on radio's desk in February with an impact date of March 13th. I think you'll hear the Emerson Drive that you remember, but they've come a long way. This could be called the "transition" record of their career. Our second signing is a newcomer. Lindsey Grant is a terrific young girl from South Carolina who's first single "The Girl with the Fishin' Rod" is going to turn some heads. We've also agreed to release a single on the Colgate Country Showdown winner. I can't tell you anything about that right now, since the finals haven't happened yet, except that it's a female. All 5 finalists are girls. I can tell you that Keith & Brad in A&R have already picked a smash for the winner to record. There's also a super-double secret surprise signing that we're saving to announce at the launch party during CRS.
5. When does the first single go for adds? We hear that you are actually hand delivering it to every reporting station in the format, is that true? And what a great way to deliver a single...sounds very tiring though.
Emerson Drive's debut single, "A Good Man", goes for adds on March 13th.
Actually, my original idea was to hand deliver not the single, but an invitation to our Launch Party at CRS to each and every reporter on both the R&R and Billboard panels by myself. Unfortunately, my intestines had other ideas. I came up lame with a case of diverticulitis in a Buffalo hotel room, just 4 days into my planned 10 week trek from coast-to-coast and border-to-border. To top it off, they've also discovered a hernia that has pinched a nerve in my hip and there's a little surgery in my future, but as former Minnesota Gov. Jessie Ventura once said, "I ain't got time to bleed"...I'll deal with that after CRS. My new regional staff got the invites out to most of their regions themselves.
6. What do you like to do for "down time" when you're at home off the road?
Down time? What's that? No, really...I'm still a big music fan. I still buy and listen to a lot of different kinds of music. I'm definitely a 70's-80's NY kid...this may come as a surprise since I've made my living in the country format for years now, but my favorite bands are still the Ramones, the Dictators, New York Dolls, all that NYC rock and a lot of the British punk rock stuff. I read, too. I like music-related non-fiction and horror (not that the genres are that different). My wife and I end up doing a lot of yard work...but I wouldn't call that my first choice for use of my "down time".
7. You're a new VP and the first member of your team walks into your office, what's the first thing that you say? After the small talk.
I said, "What was your name again?" LOL!
First, my position is technically National Director at this point. I figure I can buck for the promotion and raise that goes along with VP "stripes" after we carry out a couple of successful singles at radio.
Since I'd never met Mike Severson, my first hire, I tried to be painfully honest. Taking on responsibility in a start-up like this is a leap of faith. I asked Mike and all my new team members to bear with us through the growing pains, as we set up systems and procedures for a brand new company. Once we get through CRS and go to radio with music in hand, the message is much clearer and easier to deliver...you've got something tangible, something real in your own possession and you shout about it from the rooftops until it's a hit!
8. What has been the biggest difference so far about working for a small indie label versus a major corporate label?
There are definitive differences, for sure. Deep pockets and the "machine" that is a major label is obviously a benefit there. Majors always have a "hammer", the big star act already in the system that you can use as leverage for cooperation. However the freedom to act quickly on a new idea at an indie is beneficial in many ways. I've found that the separate departments at indies intermingle & interact more...I've had more contact with our A&R staff here at Midas than I've ever had at a major. We have some of the same problems...communication is always a problem when there's more than one employee. A secret is hard to keep at either place. Ben Franklin once said " The only way three people can keep a secret is if two of them are dead". Indie or major, that says it all! Remember there's a SUPER-DOUBLE SECRET announcement at our show at CRS! Keep an ear to the ground...I'm sure it'll get out before hand!
9. You left Sony Records almost a year ago and now you have the new gig with Midas. What did you do during your hiatus?
A partner and I opened a marketing and management firm called Integrity Nashville. I actually still have 2 continuing clients from those days...I still represent a local rock artist and a blues producer that's become to the Nashville area R&B/Blues scene what Robert Oermann is to our country community...historian & storyteller. We also did some work with a silicone wrist band that raised money for our troops overseas and I started to do some marketing work with Boris Karloff's daughter Sara, who holds the copyright to some great old classic Karloff goodies like his old Tales of Mystery comic books from the 60's. I folded the company to come to work for Midas...so you can see that I really believe in what we have here.
10. Midas Nashville is planning a debut party at CRS, what can we expect to see?
Lindsey will open our show and Emerson Drive will close it. In between, you'll meet our staff from top (hopefully our owner Ron Clapper will be in town that night) to bottom (that'd be me) and who knows what else???? Did I mention that we'd have SUPER DOUBLE SECRET SURPRISE announcement that night?
Bonus Questions
1. We know from experience that you're a food guy.... what's you're favorite city to eat in and you're favorite meal there?
No question the city...c'mon, the Greatest city in the world...NEW YORK CITY!
Favorite meal...whew, how to choose? There's to much...Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill (15th Ave near Lower 5th) or Joy (an Indian joint near Grand Central), tapas at Son Cubano (in the meatpacking district), obviously Sparks Steakhouse & the former St. Mark's Pizza is the pie that I've judged every pizza that I've ever eaten against! Man, I could go on...and on and on. Let's not talk about it, let's get there and get to eatin'!
2. Best new microbrew?
I'm not a micro brew guy....but I am a BEER GUY! I lied earlier. LaBatt Blue is the finest beer brewed in North America...I drink it whenever I can, although I recently switched mostly to Blue Light...trying to keep this girlish figure, don't you know!
3. What book would you recommend that every member of your staff read?
I have already gifted my Associate, Mary Befera this Christmas with "The Tao of Pooh" . It's a nice introduction to eastern philosophies using A.A.Milne's familiar Pooh characters to demonstrate. It's good for folks like me, prone to road rage and quick to fly off the handle, to remember to calm down once in a while and let things take care of themselves. We could all stand to learn some of the qualities depicted in that book.
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