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10 Questions with ... Ed Brennan
December 3, 2019
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Atlantic Records (Aug 2015 - current), Wind Up/Concord Records (March 2007 - Aug 2015), Artemis Records (April 2005 - Feb 2006), Elektra/Atlantic Records (Oct 2001 - April 2005)
1. You first cut your teeth working at Atlantic Records 15 years ago. What was your biggest takeaway from your early days at the label?
I spent a year at Atlantic as a Pop assistant after 2 ½ years at the old Elektra and it quickly became clear very that Craig & Julie were building something special.
The executives understood the importance of digital revenue and Atlantic was the first company where more than 50% of their revenue came from digital downloads.
Instead of battling against technology, Atlantic embraced it head on just as the company has done so with streaming.
2. After 6+ years at Wind-Up Records, what led you back to Atlantic five years ago?
I loved my time at Wind Up especially those first 2 years and I still consider many of the people I worked for and with to be like family. A few months after Wind Up folded into Concord, I was approached by Gary Gorman to see if I'd be interested in interviewing for the job he was vacating and as great as things were at Concord, interviewing for this job was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Almost the entire National staff was the same as it was when I left in 2005 so in many respects, it felt like I was coming back home.
3. What's it like working with SVP/Promotion Ron Poore?
I can honestly say that this is the best job I've ever had and working for Ron (and Andrea) is a big part of that. He's a mentor, boss and friend all rolled into one. We've had a lot of success together these past 4+ years and much of that is due to Ron's methodical approach due to his many years in the business.
4. Take us through the long grind of taking Matt Maeson "Cringe" to No. 1 at Alternative Radio in 2019.
We always knew there was something special about Matt as an artist and "Cringe" as a song
It was originally going to be our first priority of 2019 until the Oliver Tree blowtorch jumped in front of it. Introducing Alternative radio to two brand new artists at the same while working our other priorities had to be done the right way. While Matt started off slow with 2 adds per week, the song reacted immediately in Shazam & Streaming when a station would put it in. Once we cracked the Top 10, the song wasn't showing any burn and we were able to take to #1 for 4 weeks which has definitely been the highlight of our year.
5. Give us the Atlantic Records sales pitch for Alternative Radio?
We're very fortunate that our executives allow all of our artists the opportunity to get their "day in court" by managing our product flow with the proper balance of established and new artists. This seems to be our approach for all formats which starts with direction from Andrea which then trickles down to the rest of the team. We understand that there is a limited amount of space for currents which can be taken up in a multitude of ways.
If you look over the last 12 months, we're in the process of breaking 3 new artists (Oliver Tree, Matt Maeson and Absofacto) as well as bringing new Coldplay to the world.
6. How would you describe your promotion style?
I would say that I'm persistent but not overbearing as it's important to me to respect each individual's protocol as to what's important to them. Whether someone cares about streams, stations/programmers they watch, research, etc., I always look to deliver information that is relevant to each programmer. My word means EVERYTHING to me and I hope that comes across to our friends in radio. When we say we're going to do something, we do it and when we "mess" up, we own it.
7. Music consumption has become a big piece of the promotion puzzle. How has this changed how you work singles to radio?
It seems that overall streaming for Alternative titles has grown over the past few years and the format has really embraced it as consumption metric as opposed to a competitor. Just like it was with sales, when a record goes on the air and it connects, we see an instant reaction in streaming. This past year, we saw it with Oliver Tree, Matt Maeson and now Absofacto. That being said, not everything that streams is a radio hit and not all radio hits, stream as there still is the occasional turntable hit as well. The digital space has become the modern day grassroots which allows for us to have a great story to bring to radio when a song is ready.
8. What is your favorite part of the job?
It sounds like a cliché but breaking a new artist and watching them grow from playing to a few fans to selling out big rooms with having success at radio. I also enjoy going on the road and getting to know about programmer's individual stories and lives.
9. What are your thoughts on the state of Alternative Radio?
I'm hopeful as there are a lot of smart programmers at the format who have their eyes fixated toward the present and future. Overall, I'd love to see some more "hits" but there definitely seems to be an emphasis on breaking new artists while attempting to lean a little less on the '90s. As long as broadcast radio in general can remain a fixture in their local community, it will have the opportunity to stand up and be visible amongst the competition. While broadcast radio may not be as "cool" as was at one point, it has stood up to every challenge that has come its way whether that be Video (MTV/VH1), File Sharing, Satellite Radio, Digital Downloads and now Streaming.
10. What is a typical workday like for you?
First thing I do is call Ron on the way in and talk about where our records are and what we'd like to accomplish for the day/week ahead. Our conversation will dictate the first things I do when I arrive in the office. If there is a certain set of stations he needs me to get, I'll call the corresponding regional to make sure we aren't tripping over our own feet.
I have so much respect for the amazing job our regional staff does, I always want us to be on the same page. Beyond that, I'll look through Mediabase, plan travel, write a report (if needed), hop on a conference call, etc. No two days are alike...that's for sure!
Bonus Questions
What are weekends like for you with your family?
There is definitely not a lot of sleep with a 7 and 4 year old. Weekends primarily consist of karate, soccer, birthday parties, a trip to the beach/pool and when duty calls, a show for work.
What are your favorite restaurants in L.A.?
Again with kids, there is a lot of Pit Fire Pizza, California Chicken Café among others in my life. Pretty boring and I would gladly take any restaurant recommendations!
Favorite food?
Italian, Sushi and Thai
Favorite drink?
I'd have to say a good cup of coffee as I've been sober for almost 14 years.
I know you're a huge Buffalo Bills fan. Rank your sports teams in order of passion.
I'm BILLS Mafia through and through, although having kids really only allows for me to focus on football.
My order of passion would go BILLS then New York Yankees.
When you get back home to New York, what are your top priorities?
The chance to see my sister and a few best friends I grew up with.
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