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10 Questions with ... Bill Pfordresher
February 11, 2008
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NAME:Bill PfordresherTITLE:PresidentCOMPANY:Pfordor RecordsBORN:Chicago, IL - March 4thRAISED:Chicago
1) What made you want to get into the music business? Who were your early mentors?
I loved music from age 7. I was picking the hits off of the radio (WLS and WCFL) with my little transistor radio. I thought "Mack The Knife" was so cool when I first heard it. When the Beatles hit, it was all over. Russ Regan was the guy who helped me get into the business and guided me through my early years.
2) What was your first job in the music business?
Record Merchandising, the order desk, working for Sam Ginsberg, Sid Talmadge, and Pat Moreland. I graduated into doing local promotion. We had 123 labels including A&M, Motown, Brunswick, TK, and Twentieth Century.
3) Who is your favorite artist you have met or worked with?
Kenny-Wayne Shepherd. I found Kenny when he was 14 playing at a record convention in Texas. His dad, Ken Shepherd, was the PD at KTUX in Shreveport. I took Kenny into the studio, we cut five tracks, Ken played them for Irving Azoff, and the rest is history. Kenny has developed into one of the top guitar players in the world, and "10 Days Out" is one of the most inventive CD/DVD's in years. Not to mention, Kenny-Wayne is a great person. He gives back to the blues players like they are his family...and they actually are.
4) Records sales are down for a seventh consecutive year. What can be done about this?
I think the industry needs to bolster their new talent. With Pro-Tools virtually anyone can record an album as the cost is minimal. And anyone does!!!! That doesn't mean that all of the product is good. A&R people are often times ignored in the process, and so the market is flooded with mediocre product. As a business we need to find the good stuff and get it to the consumers, many of whom have lost interest.
5) Go back in time. With the state of the industry today and knowing what you know now, would you still have chosen your same career path in the ,usic industry? And, would you recommend a younger sibling to make a career in the music industry?
The industry has been great to me. I have made wonderful friends and a fantastic living for years now. But unfortunately, when my 18-year-old nephew asks if he should venture into it I have to say "NO." Write songs, jingles, and do it as a hobby. If you get lucky, great, but have something else to fall back on.
6) The music field is very competitive - it seems as if every artist needs a gimmick just to get noticed. How do you position yourself, and your label, to get YOUR artists the shot they need?
GREAT SONGS. It is all about the melody and lyric for what I do. If the song has it, and the singer can deliver, that is all that it takes. The gimmick is the marketing of the art.
7) How is the relationship between programmer and record label changing? For better or worse?
I think E-mails are a problem. Many people hide behind them and don't take the time to talk to people they are working with. No chance for interplay or a real strong relationship to develop. It's sad.
8) 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?
That is a good question. When radio personal take a liking to a group it can bring huge benefits to both parties. But the song has to have legs on it, or it becomes a point of frustration for both parties. If the A&R folks have the right touch, promotional tours can pay huge dividends. If that is not the case, a lot of time, money, and energy can be wasted.
9) What can radio and record companies be doing with their radio station web sites to drive more music fans to these sites?
There is a great opportunity here for radio and the music biz to work together. Radio station web sites can play new music, send listeners to places they can purchase independently distributed songs, concerts, etc. I think the music business needs to have an employee who does nothing but work with the web master at the station and provide them with info and creative suggestions.
10) What advice would you have for younger, less experienced music promoters?
It is different now that it was then. The Internet has changed business in a radical way. I would suggest listening to music constantly and know your sources of exposure, be it radio, Internet, satellite, concerts, etc. Establish relationships. Those will carry you through.
Bonus Questions
1) What is the first artist you ever worked to radio and what are you working now? What's the difference between the two?
The first record I ever broke was by the DeFranco Family, "Heart Beat, It's a Lovebeat" on Twentieth Century Records, with Paul Lovelace. The group was all over 16 Magazine, so when the kids heard it on the radio they blitzed the request lines.
[During the holidays,] I was working "I'm Comin' Home For Christmas" and there are no big magazine spreads. But it is interesting to watch stations up the rotation when they played it from requests. It just goes to show that radio still listens to its audience.
2) What is the strangest record you ever worked and what ended up happening to the band?
"Kung Fu Fighting." The record sold 3 million and Carl Douglas disappeared somewhere in England.
3) Name a record person, not on your label, that you really admire?
Vicki Leben
4) Name the artist/act (living or dead) you'd love to meet and why?
George Harrison. He was inspired as a song-writer and searched far beyond music to find something that was important to his soul. He became an icon in the business and died happy as a gardener.
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