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10 Questions with ... Jeff Cruz
March 19, 2018
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Jeff Cruz is by no means the first person to make the career transition from radio to records. But to jump from 'station PD' to 'major label VP' titles in one fell swoop is largely uncharted territory in the CCM world-at least in recent history. Though exiting his radio career to take a VP of Radio Promotions gig was hardly in his sights before the opportunity presented itself a little over two years ago, Jeff has not only acclimated well to the switch, he's served as an integral part of PLG's recent radio renaissance, via breakout artists like Tauren Wells and Zach Williams.
1) What is your career path in the music industry that's led you to where you are currently?
I grew up loving music with parents that took me to all sorts of concerts from the time I was seven, and a father who collected records. I fell in love with radio, listening to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 as a kid. Loved the way he talked about the artists and the music. I got a chance to intern for the local Top 40 station in Birmingham, AL in the late 80s, which led to on-air work with Mainstream Rock, Pop and Country stations for the next ten years. In 1998, I went to work for Reality Radio which was a new, all-music, CCM station in Birmingham, and my introduction to the Christian format. I worked there a few years, as well as a few years with radio ratings company Arbitron before landing at Z88.3 in Orlando as APD/MD under Dean O'Neal. That led me to the heritage stations, WMHK/Columbia SC, and then Shine.FM in Indianapolis/Chicago area. I have been at Provident Label Group now for right at two years.
2) Before taking the job at Provident, had you previously anticipated that someday you might step away from radio for a label career?
I love radio. I loved every minute working in it-especially once I got into working CCM radio, which had a ministry purpose. But when the job of VP of Radio Promotions opened up at Provident [Label Group], I have to admit, I was intrigued. Anyone who knows me knows I love to talk and that I mostly love to talk about music. Besides radio, this seemed like a perfect job for that set of skills and passion. As a kid, I always loved to share music that I found and liked with my friends. In radio, I had the chance to do that for a living, but there are so many other things that come along with programming from fundraising, to events and promotions, to reports for boards, etc. This opportunity with Provident in radio promotions allows me to really focus on that one part that I loved, finding a way to connect the fan with the song and the artist. And I get to talk to people I have known and done radio with for years (sometimes decades). I have been at PLG since the first of April 2016 and have loved being here and learning more and more every day.
3) How did your wife respond to the news that you were diving into new career waters?
My wife knows me well and knows my passions. She grew up around [Capitol Christian Music Group VP of National Promotion] Grant Hubbard, and we have known him and his family for years. She watched what Grant did and how the job looked and she totally believed I could do this job well. She was worried slightly that I might miss being in radio like I had during the time I'd spent at Arbitron. The difference there was that I was not working on the side of the radio business I was passionate about. I was helping sales people do sales reports with ratings software. I learned a lot about how ratings worked, how the data could be crunched and manipulated for sales purposes, but that did not "scratch my itch" because it was not on the music and programming side of the business. Once she realized that this job would be directly connected to the radio folks I have spent my career with, and that it was solely focused on the music they played, she was one hundred percent on board. Plus, moving to Nashville was a dream for her. It was a place she had always wanted to live, and it's just a few hours from both of our families, so that was a nice extra bonus.
4) How did the Provident gig serve as a natural fit for you right away? Conversely, what aspect was the most difficult adjustment for you?
My degree is in Education, so I immediately felt very comfortable talking about songs and how they fit into the radio landscape. I like teaching folks on the label side why radio stations do the things they do, the way they do. I have also enjoyed teaching my radio friends what I have learned about why artists, managers, booking agents and labels all do the things they do, the way they do. I enjoy explaining things so that anyone can understand where the other side is coming from, and help facilitate the best possible partnerships. The challenge comes from being in the middle a lot, seeing an issue from both sides clearly, with valid points and reasons on each. The fact that both sides have decades of doing things "the way they always did them"-and change is hard-means that as both radio and labels change to keep up with all the tech, changing tastes, and other variables, it is often extremely hard to think outside the box and embrace new ideas.
5) Can you set the scene of a moment when you thoroughly believed you were inadequate with your current job?
In the initial few months especially, but really even in to the first full year, when we had our weekly, label-wide meetings about artists and songs, I really felt like I had no idea what I was supposed to be saying. There were lots of goal set and advance plans made around the expected results of a plan that was not yet in motion. I had no clue how I was supposed to know how well a song would do before it was even in the hands of radio, yet I was being asked to make estimates and set goals for all sorts of metrics like the number of adds the song would get or how high would this single get on the charts. And the scariest part was that they were writing them all down as if I were an expert, and I was going to be held to them.
Now, two years in, I am much more confident in those meetings. I still haven't completely figured out how to predict the future, but better understand now the purpose of the goals and even the meetings. I have learned a lot about how a song cycles and what to expect when certain things happen though the process. I still have a ton more to learn and may never fully get all of it down the way others have, but I am much further along than I ever dreamed I would be in those meetings early-on.
6) Who has served as your most valuable resource(s) for learning and adapting to the record side of the industry?
So many people have been extremely valuable and unbelievably generous with their time and assistance to allow me to grow into this job. Steve Ford, Grant Hubbard, Andrea Kleid, Chris Hauser, Kenny Rodgers, Charles Van Dyke, to name just a few.
Hands down the most valuable resource to me so far has been Brian Dishon. He returned to Provident on the same day I started, after a few years away working for his church. He is the VP of Marketing and I am VP of Radio Promotions, so we worked very closely together anyway; but having tracked with me as a rep at Sparrow years ago, and then worked with me as head of Radio here at PLG, he not only knew what it took to be successful in this job at this company but knew me well enough to know where I needed help. Brian's incredibly good at coaching people to the place they need to be, and helped me understand the role as he took me under his wing. At the same time, he worked hard not to let me lose my "radio side" in the process because that is truly one of the best skills I have in this job. When I started, Brian's boss told me not to let him turn me into a "label guy" and I am thankful that is not what Brian even wanted to do. He helps me learn the way things tend to work on this side, and also to ask "Why?" a lot. The key to almost everything we have done at PLG since I got here has started with asking that question.
7) What was a notable preconception you had about the records side of the industry that proved itself true?
I spent a lot of time talking to folks on the record side over the years out of sheer fascination, so I am not sure that I had many preconceived notions. But I will say that I was far more worried that it was not going to be great on this side because it would be so focused on competition and profit that it could not possibly be any fun. Thankfully, while financial success is important to keep any business or ministry in operation, I was pleasantly surprised that it was much more of a creative, engaging, work environment than I guessed it would be-especially in radio, marketing and digital teams.
There is, however, one thing I did always hear that is totally true: On radio promo tours, when labels bring artists out on the road to visit with and connect with radio, I always heard or believed that all they did was talk/sing, eat and drive, then talk/sing, eat and drive, then talk/sing, eat and drive, then sleep. Then do it all over again the next day. All of that sounded brutal, but strangely fun at the same time. It turns out that is exactly what it's like, except add in some down-time waiting on delayed planes. They are exhausting, but are so much fun!
8) What have you discovered are the most significant misunderstandings Radio might have with the record industry?
That they only care about money (and that they have tons of it). Neither of these is really the case. I mentioned earlier that financial success is important to keep any business or ministry in operation, but it is not the driving force behind why we do what we do. There really is an amazing sense of the heart behind the music we created and the connection to Christ that is the ultimate 'why' behind all we do. We could all go make more money somewhere else in the record business-just like everyone in Christian radio could. But we do it because we believe in the message of Christ and the need to get it out to the world. Unlike mainstream rock and pop labels in the 70s and 80s, Christian record labels do not have money-making machines in the basement just racking up millions of dollars a day. Even from a decade ago, when albums were sold vs single song downloads or streams, we have gone from a model of making dollars to making fractions of a penny at a time. Not that it is about how much money we make, but I feel like people outside the record business have a vision of executives sitting around their offices on the top floor of a high rise in downtown Nashville, drinking French champagne, and lighting $50 cigars with flaming $100 bills. When really it is a small band of good guys, in a third floor open floor concept office, drinking cheap coffee and working really hard to make sure we can get the best songs out to the greatest fans and most amazing radio stations ever.
9) What is the most important thing someone in radio should know, if interested in pursuing a career on the records side?
It takes a village. There is a long-involved process for creating great music and getting it out to consumers. There's so much more to it than just sending out a song. There are lots of different areas that are all working together to help the artists see their vision come to life. Months of work goes into the process way before anyone ever hears any music. Then there needs to be creative time around the project to get a sense of how to market it, create artwork for it, present it to radio and digital and retail. No one department can make it a success all on their own. It really is a remarkable team effort.
And, no, the artists do not hang out at the label office. In fact, you rarely see some of them because they may live in another state or tour a lot. And when they do stop by on their days off between tours and recording, they usually have about five departments that need them to do something for the people they work with (like our radio department work with radio stations).
10) Can you point to one landmark, most-rewarding moment as a team leader over the past two years at Provident?
January 8, 2018. That was the day we celebrated one of the biggest accomplishments in our company's history, but also a dream come true for our radio team. Almost a full year before, coming off the historic radio success of the debut single from our artist Zach Williams, "Chain Breaker" (15 weeks at #1 on Billboard Christian Airplay), we fought as a team to get a song chosen as the second single that not the most popular idea with everyone at the time. "Old Church Choir" was a fun song you just could not help but move and sing along to, but felt risky because the sound was so different from the first single that was so successful. We fought for it for that very reason. In May of last year, we launched the single which rocketed to the top of the charts and stayed there for even longer than "Chain Breaker" had. That seemed completely unbelievable at the time, but our team had worked hard and the song connected the way we really believed it would. On January 8th, we celebrated as "Old Church Choir" hit its 20th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Airplay chart, and the longest run ever from a debut artist project. Only one song has ever had a longer run, and not in more than 10 years. Other songs will come along, and, in time, that stuff won't matter. The records will fade, but how I feel about my team on that day will not. I was so proud of my team that day. I have an amazing, hard-working team (Charles Van Dyke, Justin Benner, Sarah Anderson, Lindsay Crane and Sarah King).
Bonus Questions
What are you most looking forward to, going into Summer 2018?
It is a good time. Provident has some amazing songs coming from both new and established artists all summer long. But I am most excited about taking an adventurous vacation with my family. We did a road trip to Washington DC last summer and NYC at Christmas, so our family is looking for our next great American road trip suggestions for this summer. But wherever we go, rest assured, I will take lots of pictures, eat at lots of cool local places, hit all the record stores along the way, and make it as memorable as possible for my kids.
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