10 Questions with ... Ben Brooks

NAME:Ben Brooks TITLE:Owner STATIONS:www.hotac.com MARKET:National COMPANY:Ben Brooks Marketing / Radioinformer BORN:San Mateo, CA RAISED:Arcadia / San Marino/Pasadena, Ca

1) What made you want to get into the music business? Early mentors? First job?

I was born with a song in my head. Played in bands all my youth and never wanted to do anything else. When it came time to make a choice between playing music and being in the business, I took the latter because I didn't want to spend the rest of my life bouncing from one gig to the next. I was a music journalist for Billboard, Music Connection. Record Review, daily newspapers, etc. I published songs recorded by Roger Whittaker and George Duke & Stanley Clarke, and produced demos for Diane Warren before I got a full-time job doing retainer national Top 40 promotion with Cliff Gorov and Craig Dudley. They taught me how to "close"...ask! Easier said than done.

2) In 2006, you launched the Radio Informer monthly sampler CD, distributed exclusively to the Hot AC format. What made you decide to develop this new business, and how has it been received by radio?

Radio loves the RadioInformer sampler! They love to get all the relevant music going for airplay on one CD. Programmers listen while driving, at home, in the office - and with an objective perspective. Plus, it's a great reference tool and the visuals on the DVD box give them a sense of the look and feel of the artists and the commitment from their respective labels. I came up with the concept for a DVD box featuring advertising with my partner, Stan Kaneshige, a master designer who does all our production. We wanted to add a dimension to the traditional sampler concept. We'll be expanding to Top 40 in '07.

3) What is the biggest thrill about breaking new music to the masses?

Are you kidding!?!? Next to being an artist and hearing your music on the radio for the first time, hearing a song I've broken is a highly personal, giddy experience. There's really nothing like it.

4) 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?

Perception is everything. Set-up and planning takes into account the ability to convey a unified, passionate, message about the value and relevance of a new song and/or artist. Long-term, un-yielding commitment is contagious and irrefutable. A large percentage of the songs that fail do so because people give up.

5) What are the biggest changes you would like to see happen in the industry?

I'd like to see music and artists that grab the public's imagination and create the excitement that truly motivates people to buy. With all the different options people have as far as entertainment, I'd like to see radio be more proactive in doing what they do best: introducing new music and captivating their audience in the process. As far as records and radio, we all know the rules of engagement, let's do our jobs but have some fun while we're at it. It's time to open lines of communication and show some respect all around. Abolish Paranoia and fear!

6) What is your best advice for younger, less experienced music promoters?

Get to know your stations and programmers well. Spend more time listening and gathering information than talking. It's not about you...it's about them. Recognize that every programmer you speak to, is a unique person with their own set of pet peeves. Have integrity. Don't allow the pressure to get airplay compromise your understanding of what motivates and turns off programmers. Don't criticize or try to de-value competitive music to a programmer. Be real. Be a true music fan.

7) In your opinion, what are the biggest "missed" records in the last year?

Oh geez. Almost every song I work is "missed" if it doesn't become a hit. And I've worked plenty that haven't become hits! I don't understand why "Mama's Room" by Under the Influence Of Giants didn't make it last year. And then there are independent artists like Abigail Zsiga who's "Better With You" got great response at a handful of stations who had the guts to take a chance on her.

8) With web-based Internet radio becoming more popular, will these stations have any effect on the buying public now or in the future?

Definitely. More so than satellite, streaming Internet radio will increasingly inform the public about music, thus motivating sales.

9) 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?

I encouraged them to be relentlessly persistent and passionate about their records to a point short of turning off programmers. Since each programmer is different, they have to figure that out for themselves. I give them the tools to be successful. I pick the right people so I can be confident in them. I don't believe that fear or threats motivate people to do good work. A good manager brings the best out of their staff by encouraging, supporting and rewarding.

10) Are you finding that today's "baby" bands are getting a fair shot at radio and more importantly are they being given the airplay they need to break through to the masses and be recognized?

In general, baby bands are getting "a fair shot at radio..." as far as promotional push. I believe the truly good songs from baby bands otherwise percolate to the top with dedicated promotion and resulting radio support. On the other hand, I don't see the kind of loyalty to new artists necessary for radio to do their part in launching long-term careers. Record companies should make more long-term commitments to their artists as well.

1) 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?

CD'S: "Astral Weeks" Van Morrison; "Blonde On Blonde" Bob Dylan; "Kind Of Blue" Miles Davis; "New World Symphony" Dvorak; "Close To the Edge" Yes.

MOVIES: "Wizard Of Oz;" "The Graduate;" "North By Northwest;" "The Sixth Sense;" "Blue Velvet."

2) What is the strangest record you ever worked and what ended up happening to the band?

"Honestly" by Stryper. It was the strangest big hit I played a major roll in breaking. I really don't know what happened to the "Yellow & Black" attack, as they were referred to in the press. The band was a mess of contradictions.

3) What current based rock artist do you see having the ability and skills to stick around for several records in today's instant gratification oriented society?

Maroon 5, and KT Tunstall