10 Questions with ... Howard Petruziello

NAME:Howard Petruziello TITLE:VP/Alternative Promotion RECORD COMPANY:Capitol Music Group BORN:Cleveland RAISED:Cleveland and Dublin, VA

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

WVVV/Christiansburg, VA 1988-1992, WROV/Roanoke, VA 1992-1995, WKLS/Atlanta 1995-1997, Ichiban Records 1995, Roadrunner Records and the Enclave 1996-1997, Mammoth Records 1997, Virgin Records/Capitol Music Group 1998-present.

LAST NON-INDUSTRY JOB:

Fry cook/dishwasher at the Fisherman's Net in Blacksburg, Virginia, 1988.

FIRST RECORD EVER PURCHASED:

Beatles "A Hard Day's Night"

FIRST CONCERT:

Kiss, July 10, 1979 at the Roanoke Civic Center

FAVORITE BAND OF ALL-TIME:

The Clash

1. What got you interested in the record business?

I actually enjoyed dealing with locals and nationals when I was an MD, APD, and PD and once I decided that I was done with radio it was either get into the record business or cut my hair, buy some decent clothes and get a real job. It wasn't a difficult decision to make.

2. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?

I grew up listening to WMMS (The Buzzard)/Cleveland in the mid-70s, which was amazing. I'll always remember calling Kid Leo to request a Kiss song, he actually picked up the phone and said, I'll get that right on for you and he played it next. Clearly it was cued up, but I didn't know that when I was eight!

The station that had the biggest impact on me growing up was Virginia Tech's college station, WUVT which opened my ears to every type of music. I was fortunate to work there during college and many years after, even while doing commercial radio.

3. Who are your mentors?

Randy Saad gave me my first promotion job (making $7 an hour!) at Ichiban Records, then home to Deadeye Dick and Dash Rip Rock. Working with Val Delong at the Enclave was the best boot camp I could have hoped for and was a great learning experience. I've had great mentors in the last decade at Virgin/Capitol Music Group. Michael Plen gave me the shot to work here and moved me to my favorite city in the world, Boston. I have the scars to prove that I did local promotion there for three years! I had a blast working with and learning from Professor Steve Leeds. Working with Hilary Shaev was amazing and she taught me how to focus, strategize, and win. Best of all she put me with Bill Carroll today and he's a great mentor, partner and friend, not to mention the best promotion executive in the business.

In radio, the crew that got me my first jobs at WVVV and WROV, Butch Lazorchak, Paula Coleman and Ellen Flaherty. Michael Hughes gave me a part-time gig at WKLS in Atlanta when I was flat broke and in a new city, something I'll never forget.

4. What do you like best about your job? Least?

I love starting from scratch with a band, creating a plan and then putting it into action. It's so gratifying watching an artist's career build and knowing that we played a role in it. Hearing a song that I'm promoting on the radio will NEVER get old nor will seeing fans react to it when the band plays it live. Also, I have to say it's nice being able to wear jeans and sneakers to work! Least? Either Lenny Diana or voicemail.

5. How has your job changed in the past year?

The merging of the Virgin and Capitol promotion staffs was a major step and we are now carrying a big load. I'm really excited about this because the music is great and we are working with Coldplay. Now more than ever, I think it is important for promotion executives to think beyond adds and spins. Obviously, those are the main ways we measure success but Bill and I are heavily involved in other areas from working closely with managers and agents to grow our bands on the road, working closely with our marketing department, digital teams and strategic marketing crew to find opportunities that benefit our bands and the label and reinforce our airplay. It is a cliché, but the work starts long before you get the add and really starts once you do.

6. What was the first record you worked to radio and what has been the biggest change since you first began doing radio promotion?

Dash Rip Rock "Let's Go Smoke Some Pot," a novelty song done to the tune of "Let's Go To The Hop." I honestly had no clue what I was doing and just called everyone and worked it like it was the biggest thing ever and it actually got on some great stations like WXRK, WHJY and many others and helped me get noticed by Roadrunner Records! There have been so many changes. The biggest is probably the fact that the media world is much more fragmented now and music listeners have so many sources of music and entertainment that it's much more challenging to break through the clutter and make an impact.

7. What would surprise people most about you?

That as a lifetime long-hair, I've never smoked weed or done drugs.

8. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without __________?

Listening to music.

9. What music do you listen to when you're not working?

I wake up at 6am and I start playing music immediately -- I have a CD player in my shower! I'm a music geek/record collector and I have a room full of vinyl, CDs, and singles and not enough time to listen to them. There isn't enough space here to list it all, but I love rock, punk, jazz, Jamaican music (ska, reggae, dub), psych rock, good metal, blues, bluegrass and probably some things I'm forgetting. My favorite album of all time is London Calling by the Clash. I have the following in heavy rotation right now: Boris "Smile," Portishead "Third," the MGMT album, Raconteurs "Consolers Of The Lonely," all of the Replacements reissues on Rhino, and the vinyl of Dennis Wilson's "Pacific Ocean Blue" that I found in my local vinyl shop.

10. Biggest career highlight?

Giving 30 Seconds To Mars their first #1 single with "From Yesterday" and the overall job we did in establishing them as a major band. A close second was taking Gorillaz "Feel Good, Inc." #1 and breaking that band in America. Damon Albarn is one of those artists that makes me proud to do this for a living.

What are your hobbies?

I have an awesome, extremely patient wife and three great kids and when I'm not working I do as much as I can with them. When they go sleep that's when I throw a record on and read. I like classic lit (just finished Steinbeck's East Of Eden), books on history (currently reading a 800 pager on the American Revolution), good dumb rock books and I read Mojo magazine cover to cover every month.