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10 Questions with ... Tony Morreale
December 11, 2006
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NAME:Tony MorrealeTITLE:Director, National PromotionCOMPANY:Show Dog RecordsBORN:Seneca Falls, NYRAISED:Moved 9 times in 11 years. Spent my formative years in Knoxville, TN
Please outline your radio career so far:
CBS Records, College marketing Rep. 1988-1990
Evelyn Shriver Public Relations, Publicist. 1990-1993
Sony Music, Secondary and SE Regional Promotion. 1993-1997
BNA Records, SE Regional Promotion. 1997-2005
Show Dog, SE Regional and Director, National Promotion. 2005-present1. How and why did you get in the music industry?
I loved history and music in high school in Knoxville. The ladies aren't into history as much, so I thought that music, or the music business, would be a more noble pursuit upon graduation. With college looming, I discovered the MTSU Music Business program and during my junior year became a College Marketing Rep for CBS Records/Nashville working artists like Rodney Crowell and Mary Chapin Carpenter to college radio and press. At that point, I was "in".
2. Is it true you worked in radio for exactly one week? What's up, tell us that little story.
Yes, five incredible days. My cousin did mornings in the 80s at KKUA in Honolulu. If I remember correctly they were a Top 40 station - I don't even know if they still exist. Anyway, I went to visit for a week while his producer was on vacation and filled in at the station doing traffic, weather, production on the reel to reel machines, phone screening - all that stuff. We were at the station at 5:30am and on the beach by 10:30 - it was very cool. My cousin had a great gig.
3. What was the first crazy thing that happened to you when you started in records when it hit you that wasn't say, the banking industry?
Without going into too much detail, when I was a College Rep I had to cover a rock show in the Nashville area for my NY counterpart. After introducing myself to the act at sound check, they promptly asked me to find some substances that weren't in their rider and certainly weren't in my job description. The kind of stuff you couldn't get at the local pharmacy. It was beyond awkward. They don't teach you how to deal with that at MTSU or Belmont.
4. Who was your first mentor?
In the music business: Jack Lameier. He took me under his wing at CBS 18 years ago and taught me a lot about the business, the in's and out's of promotion, and reinforced things that my mom and dad had instilled in me about how to treat people, respect and so forth. He and I share a passion for history, especially the Civil War, and we're close to this day.
5. What are you excited about from the Show Dog that's coming in '07?
2007 is going to be a great year for Show Dog. In addition to a rockin' new Toby Keith album we've got some incredible music coming from Rushlow Harris, Flynnville Train, Carter's Chord and Lindsey Haun. Everyone is in the studio or writing now and the songs and tracks I'm hearing blow me away. It's all fresh and different and country. People that know me know that I'm a pretty tough critic, but I'm very excited about the artists and music that we'll be delivering in '07. We've also got an amazing Christmas record from Toby in the can so 2007 is going to be a very busy year.
6. What in your opinion is the biggest challenge facing our industry right now.
A friend told me about ten years ago that "every problem the record business faces, it created". I think, in retrospect, that it's been that way since the record business started and will continue to be that way when people can't remember what a record is/was. Our goal at Show Dog is to stick by our motto "the only thing we take seriously is the music". I'm a firm believer in something Toby told me when we first met over a year ago. He said, "if we take care of the music and it will take care of us." It's pretty simple - our challenge is to deliver good music. Music by its very nature is subjective, so it's got to be "real." As a whole, the obvious challenge the industry faces is the continuing adaptation to the digital/download world and getting the music to the listener/consumer. Radio is still our major driver and our best and biggest partner but the radio business continues to go through changes that make the art seem less important. I'm not implying that they don't care about music - that's not the case at all - but like any business in the last 10 years, it's more about the bottom line than entertainment. Radio, records, it doesn't matter. Everyone's got to make his or her numbers. It's how you get there that's going to make the difference. To quote Toby again "if we take care of the music, the music will take care of us."
7. What's the first thing you do upon getting to the office and the last thing before you leave?
I'm up pretty early with the kids so I've generally checked email and talked to most of our crew by the time I hit the office. When I get in I usually get into Mediabase and Encore to check spins in more detail, prepare for meetings, conference calls and the like. Before leaving I usually make a final round of calls to the staff and run an antivirus program, as you never know what Jimmy Rector has sent during the day.
8. Tell us a bit about your family life. And is your wife cool with you being on the road so much?
My wife, Sheila, and I have three great kids: two boys (aged 7 and 4) and a 4-month-old baby girl. Sheila is a real trooper, and a great mom and wife. I've been traveling since before we got married almost 13 years ago so she's used to it. She's a strong, independent person, so we get along great - travels or not.
9. Having worked for a major label and now an independent label, what are the major differences?
There aren't as many layers of bureaucracy and far fewer egos to contend with. We can move faster. There are only eleven of us at the label itself. If we have an idea we can run with it. There's no worries with New York, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo - if we need an answer from someone, I/we call Toby. There's nothing wrong with major labels, we're just a much tighter knit group, and we've all got our eye on the prize and help each other to get there. I was part of a fantastic promotion team at BNA, but here at Show Dog we're all creative, marketing, promotion, publicity, and sales people and it's a fun learning experience.
10. What do you feel are the benefits to working for a label that is owned and operated by an artist versus a label that is not?
In our case it's Toby's sense of a good song and his no-BS philosophy that is the biggest benefit. He's a great writer, knows great writers and all sorts of cool music is coming and going at all times. Personally, I feel that I'm closer to the music and artists during the ongoing creative phase, which makes it a lot more fun. Though it's still a business, it's REALLY the MUSIC business in our case.
Bonus Questions
1. What are some of your guilty listening pleasures?
Besides country, I'm into classical, power-pop/punk/alternative. I love bluegrass at the right time and have a soft spot for the Monkees (they had/have some of the best songs). My mom and dad were into big band and opera music so it was weird to me when he brought home our first country album. I think it was in '75 or '76. It was Johnny Cash and my dad played "One Piece At A Time" until he wore out the record. I've been a country fan since.
2. Favorite junk food?
Right now I've got a weakness for Little Debbie Devil Squares.
3. Favorite city to have dinner in and why?
Charleston, SC or Savannah, GA. No favorite restaurants - I just like going into the old parts of those cities, eating outside (if possible) and soaking up the local scene and the feeling of history.
4. What was your favorite movie of the past year, aside from Broken Bridges?
"Thank You For Smoking". Lot's of parallels with the music business, especially promotion. You should check it out.
5. Why exactly is the label called Show Dog?
You'd have to ask Toby for specifics, but I believe it's because he considers himself, and all of us to be show dogs.
6. What profession would you have ended up in if you didn't get into the music business?
Most likely a ranger with the National Park Service. It's that history thing creeping in again.
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