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10 Questions with ... Mike DePippa
September 27, 2022
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Our thought process on our deals is: 1) we have to love the music 2) we look for a strong narrative/vision 3) we ask ourselves do we have what it takes to bring this to market and do the best job possible for the artist.
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
1995 Asst at EMI Records
1996-2004 Elektra Records started as College promo, rose to Sr./Director Alternative/Rock promo
Sony music 2004-2015 started as Director/Alternative Promotion then SVP/Alternative and Rock Promotion for Epic then Columbia Records
2015-2016 Republic Records SVP/Rock Formats
2017-2018 Island Records SVP/Promotion
2019 - present Thirty Tigers
1. It's been 3 years since you relocated to Nashville to join the team at Thirty Tigers. What led you down this path after working at major labels for so many years?
The decision to move to Nashville was a family decision. With three growing boys, the lack of work life balance in NYC was no longer working for us. The opportunity with Thirty Tigers came after the decision to move. It could not have worked out more perfectly. I am eternally grateful to David Macias and Nancy Quinn for the opportunity.
2. How different is it working at Thirty Tigers?
As much as our model is completely different then a major label, we function very similarly to a traditional label, so there are more similarities than differences.
3. Tell us about your role as SVP/Promotion & Artist Development.
My two main roles are overseeing radio promotion, especially Alternative and Rock as well as helping out at AAA.
The other is helping to bring artists into the Thirty Tigers family. I also try to help our artists wherever I can with my relationships with DSPs, Managers, Agents, etc.
4. Give us the 411 on Thirty Tigers.
Thirty Tigers is a label services company. Our artists own their own masters. Our splits are extremely favorable to the artist. They keep 100% of their D2C, 100% of master use of synch, 100% of sound exchange royalties to name a few things that are different.
5. You just signed The Smashing Pumpkins. Tell us about what led to this Thirty Tigers deal.
Believe it or not, it was a lot simpler than you would expect. One day our owner, David Macias, called me and said The Smashing Pumpkins are available, what do you think? I was immediately intrigued. We listened to the music and were blown away by what they had created and the vision for the project. A few conference calls with the Red Light team and it was done. We were fortunate that they chose to partner with us for this release.
Our thought process on our deals is: 1) we have to love the music 2) we look for a strong narrative/vision 3) we ask ourselves do we have what it takes to bring this to market and do the best job possible for the artist.
6. What does Alternative Radio need to know about The Smashing Pumpkins, the new single, and multiple releases coming up?
The new single "Beguiled" just dropped at radio and is off to a great start. The album is a three-act rock opera album titled ATUM (pronounced Autumn), which is slated for release in April 2023. ATUM will feature 33-tracks and is the sequel to 1995's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and 2000's Machina/Machine of God. ATUM was written and produced by Corgan over the past 4 years. Each act of eleven songs will come out every eleven weeks on digital streaming platforms to coincide with the podcast. Act 1 on November 15, 2022. Act 2 on January 31, 2023. Act 3 along with a special edition boxset featuring all 33 album tracks plus 10 additional unreleased songs, will be released on April 21, 2023,
7. You also mentioned the band has a new podcast coming. What's the deal with that?
Billy Corgan has a brand-new podcast series co-produced with iHeartRadio, Thirty-Three with William Patrick Corgan. Each episode of will debut a new, yet to be released song until the official release of ATUM in 2023. The podcast also dives into Pumpkins history and features a classic song in each episode. Thirty-Three with William Patrick Corgan is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and available on iHeartRadio and everywhere podcasts are heard
8. Tell us about the Alternative roster at Thirty Tigers.
Thirty Tigers has an incredibly diverse roster. While Americana is definitely our sweet spot, we work in pretty much all genres. At Alt and Rock, we work with the aforementioned Smashing Pumpkins, as well as Metric, cleopatrick, Avatar, Tennis, The Luka State, Illiterate Light and Overcoats, to name a few. We are also looking to add a few names to this list real soon.
9. What is your favorite part of the job?
Getting to work with authentic artists who are cultivating fan bases.
10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
Tea, preferably Earl Grey
Bonus Questions
What are weekends like for you?
All about family.
How often do you get back to New York and what are your top priorities when you get back home?
I usually get back every few months for work and squeeze in a visit to my mom. If it aligns, I try to grab some wine with the NYC wine crew and enjoy some late night hangs in NYC.
What are your favorite restaurants in Nashville?
Not sure if it's my favorite but the one I eat at the most is Sunflower Vegan Cafe.
Favorite food?
Italian - which is seriously lacking in Nashville
Favorite drink?
Whatever one I'm having with friends. Wine, Bourbon, or Beer
I know you're a big Yankees fan. Rank your sports teams in order of passion.
My kid's teams
Yankees
Seton Hall College basketball
NY JetsFavorite new band over the past year that you're not working?
I recently saw Sam Fender at the boulder AAA convention and was really impressed.
Anything else you would like to add?
Thanks for the support, Shawn!
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