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10 Questions with ... Pete Cosenza
January 1, 2008
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NAME:Pete CosenzaTITLE:Sr. VP Promotion - Adult FormatsCOMPANY:ColumbiaBORN:Brooklyn, NY - 1962RAISED:Staten Island, NY
1) What made you want to get into the music business? Who were your early mentors?
Passion for MUSIC. I was always into music growing up. I played a few different instruments and ended up focusing on the drums. I love turning people onto great music. Being a DJ/PD was a great way to do that. Following 10 years in radio, I thought working for a label would be a great way to continue that passion for music. My early mentors include Jerry Blair, Charlie Walk, Burt Baumgartner, and Don Ienner.
2) What was your first job in the music business?
I was the local promotion rep in the Mid-Atlantic region for Columbia.
3) Did you start your career in radio? How did you make the segue to a record label? Would you ever go back to radio?
I started as a jock, MD, PD and Marketing Director. After a fun 10 years at a few different stations, I decided to focus heavily on music so I made the move to Columbia.
4) What advice would you have for younger, less experienced music promoters?
Be a sponge! Learn all you can about your radio stations. Know every aspect of your own company. And be open to new and changing ways every day.
5) What do you do to inspire your staff for success in the field on a daily basis with the amount of material that recording companies are releasing in today's market place?
Have a strategy, have a plan. And stay focused.
6) Records sales are down for a seventh consecutive year. What can be done about this?
Make music that people will want to own. Perhaps not in the traditional physical way, but make it valuable so people will buy it, and own it. And make it EASY to buy: from the Internet, on a cell phone, or from a television set. Continue to find and develop ways to make a purchase that are push button easy. We need to seize the moment when someone is excited about a song/album. The impulse buys after a concert, after hearing a song on the radio, on a TV show, etc. Instant gratification.
7) What do you feel is the most important issue facing record labels in the current business environment?
Generating alternative sources of income.
8) What are the biggest changes you would like to see happen in the music industry?
Artists share various sources of income with their label.
9) Many say that because of the Internet, we are now in a "singles business." Should musicians be writing and recording every song with the intention of getting radio play? Or is the public looking for more than three-minute uptempo songs with catchy hooks?
I believe hit songs will always drive the business. But I also believe that a great body of work will always be appreciated and purchased. Those artists that can write great albums will continue to do so.
10) What is the biggest thrill about breaking new music to the masses?
Seeing people sing along to the music with true passion.
Bonus Questions
1) What was the craziest promotion you ever did with a radio station?
To promote "Some Cow Funque" by Buckshot leFonque (Branford Marasalis), I brought three cows to WPGC/Washington DC and set up a petting zoo outside the station. When Jay Stevens was unable to come down and meet the cows, I took the smallest one, brought him into the elevator and went up to the station. We waited in the lobby and Jay finally came out to say hi.
2) 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?
CD'S: Queen "A Night at the Opera," Bruce Springsteen "Born To Run,"The Police "Synchronicity," U2 "War," The Beatles "Rubber Soul," The Eagles "The Long Run" (I know, that's six)
3) Do you think that showcases, artist visits and conference room concerts are all viable in getting new acts introduced to radio? Are they worth the investment?
Yes.
4) What's your take on current music? Is it as good as six months ago, better, or about the same? Elaborate.
I think the current music is as good as ever. It kind of bugs me when I hear people say the music is not that great now. There is always great music in my opinion. Sometimes you have to look a little harder, or in different places to find it. Dig a little deeper, look outside the strict barriers we sometimes put on ourselves.
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