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10 Questions with ... Joe Greenwald
October 13, 2020
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. We face some unique challenges right now (as does everyone) and obviously the festival/production side of our business is hurting badly but it's just such an insanely cool place to work. As long as we are conscientious and kind, we have the freedom to go out and do whatever we need to do to win and grow our artists and the company.
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I started my life in music by writing for local fanzines as an excuse to interview bands when I was 14 or 15 and then moved to college radio WORB (when I was still in high school - I might of tricked them I went to the college). I followed The Ramones around for 2 years, started a record label called Third Gear, worked in a record store called Off The Record (Dean Fertita, Brendan Benson, and Jack White all worked there so it was pretty damn fun). I was a videographer's assistant on the Metallica And Justice For all Tour for a few months and then started playing and touring in the Dirtbombs while still at the store and managing some artists on my own. From there I was hired by my sales guy at ADA and started there for a year then went to Geffen/DreamWorks/Universal (all in marketing) for a few years. My first promo job was Virgin for 4 years then Reprise/WB for 4 years then Capitol Records for 5 years then went to work for C3 in 2013.
1. How did you become interested in the record business?
It's funny as it's such a rational question but I genuinely can't remember a time I was interested in anything else. I tried to study journalism at school, but I kept leaving to go to shows, work on my label or when I got my first tour at 19. I was always going to shows or finding the cool local bands while a lot of my peer group were going to parties, my pals and I were always sneaking off to shows or local bars and just getting involved with bands any way we could. From putting out records and playing in bands and obsessively collecting records and reading every music book/bio could, I just could never see myself doing anything else.
2. You've been at C3 for over 7 years now. Give us the 411 on the company.
I've been lucky to have worked at a lot of different places over the years and for some amazing people, but there is no place in the world like C3. We face some unique challenges right now (as does everyone) and obviously the festival/production side of our business is hurting badly but it's just such an insanely cool place to work. As long as we are conscientious and kind, we have the freedom to go out and do whatever we need to do to win and grow our artists and the company. When I started, I used to send the Charlies emails everyday detailing where I was and what I was doing. Finally, Charlie called me to his office and said we need to talk (and I thought “holy crap I've never been fired and I'm getting fired in my first month!”) and he said, all of these emails you send me need to stop. I don’t know what they mean, and I don’t care. I hired you, I trust you, just go win. Please unlearn all of your record company habits. He said if I was in jail in Moscow on a Friday night, I could call him to bail me out but otherwise just check in every so often. That statement was so freeing and gave me the confidence to go wherever I need to go and do whatever I need in order to grow C3 and our clients. We are obviously lucky that our sister company does very well and even though we are separate we have a very symbiotic relationship. We have the brain power of the Presents team right upstairs in our office and that gives us some great advantages. I truly think it's one of the most unique places to work in the world.
3. Obviously, 2020 has been a brutal year without touring and C3's landmark festivals -- Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Voodoo Fest, etc. How are you guys powering through the COVID-19 Pandemic?
I think like everyone else there is no way around what is happening, so we have to be kind, thoughtful, and conscientious no matter what the cost. Nothing should exceed the human cost of this crisis and we are blessed with forward thinkers at the helm. They reassure us as to how we are doing and are up front about what is going on so we know we can put our heads down and do our best work without worrying (or at least worrying about the company).
We are globally connected so we have had the luxury of picking the brains of some of the smartest companies/people out there in how we can continue to grow our artists and expose their music while still working within the bounds of safety for all. Some bands of ours are holed up and don't feel the zoom or drive in experience represents them at their best, so they have chosen to bunker in and make content (one of them is making the new record now as we speak which was pushed up and can't wait for that) while some of our artists like Mt. Joy thrive in the drive in experience world and are making it work on a very high level.
I have an artist who I won't name but he is the singer for a band that rhymes with the shmrvivalists and he called me and asked me if we could get in a car and do a social distance promo tour so everyone is different with their needs and wants and we have to balance our artists comfort levels with safety. One of the things I am most proud of is that a lot of management companies are talking to each other about what is working and what isn’t, and while there is always a healthy competition between us these are our counterparts and often close friends but there is a spirit of togetherness and for me, that is one positive consequence of the pandemic. If we could just get republicans to believe it's real!
4. Give us a rundown of the artists on your management roster and tell us about your current projects at Alternative Radio?
There are too many to list overall (but all listed on our site C3mgmt.com). A few to mention are Phoenix/Houndmouth/White Reaper/Jack Harlow/Mt. Joy/Chevelle/In this Moment/Ego Kill Talent/Rebelution/Durand Jones/Aaron Frazer, but yes, many others.
We just finished a great run for White Reaper landing a #1 record with “Might Be Right” and a top 15 follow up, The Strokes just had their best run ever with the song “Bad Decisions” and a new single soon and currently the Phoenix record “Identical” is about to go top 10 at AAA and top 25 at Alt. Jack Harlow also had a huge run #1 at Urban and rhythm and top 20 at pop while climbing to #2 on the Hot 100.
I am super excited about our new artist from Kalamazoo, MI named Michigander. He is a one in a million personality. Within 5 minutes of meeting him you want to quit what you are doing, get in the van with him and do everything you possibly can to spread the word all over. His songwriting is so incredible; he has this ability to write epic songs that grab you and don’t let go - the hooks just don’t leave your head. We also have a new solo project coming from David Shaw of The Revivalists that is a really spectacular record. David is super prolific, and these songs just ended up fitting his solo vision better than The Revivalists. There are a handful of holy crap moments on the record and David is also one of the kindest, hardest working human beings I have ever worked with so he'll be out there doing as much as possible to help us make this one as big as possible.
5. How would you describe your promotion style?
I don’t know if I'd call it a style, but I think the most important piece of the puzzle is to be yourself, be honest, be up front, and don’t put off having the hard conversations. I fully admit sometimes it's hard to practice what you preach but I think honesty and kindness/respect are the closest I would call to style. I try to treat everyone fairly and transparently as possible. If I don’t love a record but understand why it should or could work, I'm up front about that. There is no way we are going to all feel the same passion level for every band or project we have, so I think faking it is very transparent and also burns credibility.
I'm a pretty silly guy so I've always tried to lead with humor (Jim Kurdziel thinks he's funnier but I dunno) and I think most of the people who I have known and worked with for multiple years know me well enough to know when I'm truly passionate about something. I think working something from a tactical or numerical standpoint is a good way of doing things but one that most of us know how to do. We all know the numbers, but when they match up with a band you are truly passionate about (hi White Reaper), it becomes something bigger than just trying to get a record played.
6. Music consumption has become a big piece of the promotion puzzle. How has this changed how you work singles to radio?
I don’t know if its fundamentally changed how I work records. It has definitely changed access to information, but it still will always come down to a song - is it great or is it not? The obvious answer is we focus as much as we can on driving consumption now, but I’ve always believed a truly great song will find its way. Of course, if it doesn't generate any numbers on the early end, it’s much harder to get the door open and once open, if it doesn’t generate from there, it’s hard to keep it on the radio. We simply have more data points than ever to pay attention to, but there are also a lot of factors in the streaming ecosystem. Our job is to find the sweet spot to get it to connect and ultimately, we just have more info at our fingertips to figure out how to make the connection with the audience.
7. What is your favorite part of the job?
Hands down, my favorite part of the job is discovering and breaking a new artist. Watching any band succeed is so rewarding and so much fun, but that feeling of watching an artist you take from their first single or even demo and growing with them is the best part of the job. To go from hearing their song on the radio together for the first time, to their first sold out show and that energy, buzz and excitement, there is no drug in the world like that. I've been so insanely lucky to have been able to experience that with quite a few artists. This has been such a fun year for White Reaper and watching them grow and get their first #1 (and going to Disney to celebrate) was definitely one of the best parts of last year. I do love to travel, so I love that part of the job too, I don’t care what city we are in, If there is a cool bookstore or record store and at least 1-3 good cool restaurants, I'm happy. A good bar with a jukebox and pinball machine doesn’t hurt either. Also, when Charles invites me over and we can break into his wine cellar, it's not even fair.
8. What is it like working at C3? Take us through a typical workday.
Well I would first have to say there is no typical workday. It's amazing and a challenge and crazy and fun as hell. It all depends on so many factors. In normal times, I’m on the road about 75-100 days a year so I’m with clients or at radio stations and venues. I love this a lot as it's where you truly connect all of the dots and get to see your friends all over. When a band is clicking, it's really amazing to be in the middle of that energy and to share that with your stations. In the office (or working from home) it's generally talking to clients in all walks of the biz but obviously focused on radio. We have a lot of smart managers here, so I talk to them quite often to brainstorm about how we grow the artists when we have an active priority project. When an artist is on cycle, we try to have at minimum a weekly catchup with them to go over all aspects of the project. All of this being said, usually my plans go out the window by about 9:05 AM and I follow where the day takes me.
9. What do you like best about living in Austin?
So much to like about Austin. I'd be lying if I said I didn't struggle with some of the politics of Texas and the culture of guns here but I've come to love the state so much and Austin is definitely the gem of TX. The lifestyle here is so great. People are incredibly active, there are so many places to swim/run/hike, the food scene is incredible and obviously the music scene is great. If I had to pick one thing though it's definitely the migas tacos at VeraCruz All Natural.
10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
Running/exercise, Pellegrino, listening to a Stooges song, 1 cup of coffee and talking to Howard Petruziello.
Bonus Questions
Tell us about weekends.
I have my kiddos most weekends so it's generally hanging out with them and having fun (as much as two teenagers want to hang out with their father of course). We cook a lot, hike a lot, swim a lot, hang with the dogs, watch movies, and play a lot of games. We are really lucky we live out in the country and we are surrounded by a lot of natural beauty and have a river at the end of our street and miles of trails so makes being outside very easy.
What are your favorite restaurants in Austin?
I think Emmer & Rye is one of the best restaurants in America so that's tops. How Austin has Sushi that compares with anywhere in the world I have no idea but Uchi is just that and such a treat. My friends own an Italian place called Red Ash that has sort of become home base for C3 meetings that is so good it's hard to describe. Vera Cruz All Natural has the best taco out there and everything at Polvos is so good it almost doesn’t seem real. Austin has turned into such a foodie destination. Big chefs come here as rents are a little better than what they are on the coasts. We are really lucky.
Favorite food?
I stopped eating meat 4 years ago for health reasons and changed my life instantly so no Texas BBQ (but I do miss that). I still eat seafood so I would probably say a great plate of grilled (or raw) oysters or the poblano enchiladas at Polvo's.
Favorite drink?
I'm a wine nerd so good cab or Bordeaux always, at a baseball game not much is better than a cold beer, but a glass of wine end of day is quite often my savior. The house is never without cases of sparkling water.
How often will you get back home and what are your top priorities when you get back to Detroit?
Before the pandemic I was home every 2-3 months. No matter where I live in the world, Detroit will always be my home. My priority is always my family, always. I generally will stay with my sis and her 4 kids unless I have a super early departure on the bus. I always try to get downtown, usually spend some time at Third Man as those are my growing up pals and see old friends. I have to hit Zingerman's, the best deli in the world. I am working on some projects there (hopefully info soon!) with some other people in the business so hopefully I can get back very soon.
Rank your sports teams in order of passion.
The Wolverines, The Wolverines and the Wolverines (football, baseball, hockey, basketball, water polo, doesn't matter). Love the Tigers and the Astros and then laughing at the Detroit Lions because, well because.
Favorite new band over the past year that you're not working?
Black Pumas - I've known Adrian for years as we used to work together in his old band Spanish Gold, but he just knocked it out of the park with this band. He is such a talent and he and Eric's songwriting is so out of this world, it's a near perfect record combining elements of everything I love about good music. Love the Idles quite a bit too and can't wait for the new Shame record.
First record ever purchased?
Kiss Love Gun was my first, but then my older cousin Rob brought me to Solo Records on my 12th birthday and made me get 3 records. I got Deep Purple Made in Japan, David Bowie Ziggy Stardust and Jeff Beck Wired (my cuz was a guitar player) and it was pretty much over for me then.
First concert?
Aldo Nova and Blue Oyster Cult, Pine Knob Clarkston, MI
Favorite band of all-time?
I could probably list 20 or 30 bands but it's The Ramones as they were the band that changed everything for me. While young, a lot of my friends took a right turn and The Ramones allowed me to turn left. I could probably list another 50 here but ultimately no band has ever meant more to my life overall than The Ramones. Marquee Moon by Televison is my fave record but could also list 50 here too.
Anything else you would like to add?
Even in a time like this (and I'd be lying if I said I didn’t have my days) I feel lucky and blessed to be able to do what we do and the opportunities and the luck I have had in my career working with, and for some of the best people in the industry. Not many people get to train under Michael Plen and Jeffrey Naumann (the funniest human being to ever live), to Phil Costello (who I love and owe for saving me from well...) to finally getting to work for my good friend and mentor Greg Thompson, probably the best promo/marketing guy ever, to now working for the Charlies. It's given me a great life, allowed me to go all over the world and to build friendships that are deep and strong, and I know they will carry throughout my lifetime.
If you would of told 17 year old me that a (profusely) sweaty Iggy Pop would lift me up and hug me after he walked off stage at The Stooges first hometown reunion show, or that I'd get stopped at a Canadian Border with Slash for 3 hours and he would call me the criminal, I would of probably still be laughing at you in disbelief. I’m extremely grateful for every opportunity that has come my way.
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