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10 Questions with ... Jordan Pettit
July 31, 2006
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NAME:Jordan PettitTITLE:Manager, Secondary PromotionLABEL:Mercury Records NashvilleMARKET:Entire NationBORN:4/30/1981RAISED:Olive Branch, MS
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Determined my career direction as a student at Vanderbilt University where I interned with Sony Music on two different occasions. Once I finished school, I accepted a position there as promotion coordinator at Columbia. I then came to Mercury Nashville to work secondaries a little over one year ago.
1. In our highly competitive music field, where it seems more and more that every artist needs something special to get paid attention too, how do you position your self, and your label, to get YOUR artists the shot they need?
It is a combination of all of our reputations. I strive to have the reputation that I will work harder than any other rep to provide my stations with the support they need to reach their goals. Mercury Records has the reputation of having an amazing artist roster and we pride ourselves on the ability to break new acts. Each of our artists each has the reputation of having incredible talent. You live by your reputation. That's life. Luckily, all three of these reputations come together to give us the best shot possible, and we all need that.
2. What is the first thing you do when getting into the office every day? And the last thing before leaving?
Go grab a biscuit or some other high-calorie breakfast food out of John Ettinger's office / unplug my Ipod and Blackberry to take home with me
3. You are the remaining survivor on a remote tropical island with no chance for rescue. You have a CD/DVD player with endless power. What five CD's are a "must" to have with you? What five movies?
I could do without movies. I'd rather have 5 extra cds . . . so here we go, The Pettit Top 10:
CD'S:
Muddy Mississippi Waters "Live"
Johnny Cash "Folsom Prison"
Grateful Dead "Skeletons From the Closet"
Coldplay "A Rush of Blood To the Head"
Beck "Odelay"
Oasis "(What's the Story) Morning Glory"
U2 "The Joshua Tree"
Jeff Buckley "Grace"
Nirvana "Unplugged in New York"
Pat Green "Live at Billy Bobs"4. What would you say is the toughest region in the country to work Country music today?
You can draw from the charts that the Southwest is the slowest region. It would have to be tough to deal with that frustration.
5. In your opinion, how has the slowness of the chart hurt the format, and what would you like to see done to speed it up, if in fact that's something that should happen?
It seems that so many stations want to leave a record in a day-parted or ultra-light category until research comes. That makes things slow. In a utopian radio-land, programmers would trust their own ears more and play songs in regular rotations in order to receive research and feedback more quickly. We can't forget that we're talking MUSIC. We're not working in an industry where we need to test the newest pharmaceutical for chemical reactions. We work in an industry where the final product is a creative and objective art form.
6. In your opinion does syndication contribute in a positive or negative way to how he charts are compiled?
It depends. I think syndication is a good thing. I do. However, I think it can be misused when the syndicated spins are used to show false growth or to hide slippage on the chart. In a world where so many decisions are based upon movement on the chart, it depends on what side of the fence you're on to determine if it is a positive or negative.
7. What is the strangest request you've ever had to get an add?
Would the promise of putting a beer in his hand during next CRS while Sally Green sits on my lap in the Bridge Bar be strange? Nah, that's not strange. That's what I call lucky!
8. In your opinion, does the use of callout research help to determine "real" records?
Yes, it does help, though I feel that most research we have is unreliable for one reason or another. I've seen a lot of research where the sample, the sample size and/or the methodology just isn't what it needs to be in order to lessen the margin of error. If I were a programmer, I would want reliable research to provide a level of comfort in my music decisions.
9. How do you handle stations that have to get a "Green Light" from an outside source before adding or converting a record? (i.e. Consultant, Brand Manger, Format Capitan or Group Programmer)
That's tough. I prefer to work with the decision-maker, though you'll occasionally encounter a station with no power over their playlist. When that is the case, I try to gauge their opinions on our music and encourage them to represent their opinions of our music to whoever is making the music decisions there. I think most programmers would like to have unlimited power over their playlists, what music lover hasn't grown up trying to make the perfect playlist or burn the perfect cd?
10. In this the day of many labels releasing just one or two singles on an artist in order to see how it does before actually investing in a complete project ... what do you feel this practice does to your creditability with programmers?
It seems to be working well for some at the moment, though I don't believe in it. I like being able to tell a programmer to listen to the entire album. That's the only way to really judge the work by an artist to see if they are worth the "investment" of an initial single, because that's essentially what programmers do when they play the music of an artist. You can't read one paragraph of a book and decide if you like that author or not. But if you read the entire book, it gives you a framework of how to judge that paragraph and lets you know if you are going to want to read other books. I want the talent level of all of our artists at Mercury to be exposed. When that happens, I feel that we have an advantage in the eyes of programmers who are interested in playing TALENT.
Bonus Questions
1. What is the first artist you ever worked to radio?
George Strait was the first artist I worked to country radio. He was also my first concert when I was 5 years old. And my first #1 hit on the Indicator chart.
2. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A professional baseball player
3. Name a record person, not on your label, that you really admire?
Jim Foglesong
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