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10 Questions with ... Timothy Binder
July 15, 2008
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NAME:Timothy BinderTITLE:Dir./ Radio PromotionsCOMPANY:Century Media RecordsFORMATS:Active Rock & AlternativeLOCATION:Los AngelesBORN:Canandaigua, NY (6/23/76)RAISED:Canandaigua, NY
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
1994-1995 - Metal Madness Fanzine: Co-Founder (High School)
1996-1999 - 106-VIC / Ithaca, NY: Metal Director (College Radio)
Also, DJ'd Specialty Programming @ WCKG/Chicago (2000), WLUW/Chicago (2001-2005), The Century Media Podcast (2006-Present) and Punk Radio Cast (Present)
1999-2005 - Victory Records: Director Of Radio Promotions
2006-Present - Century Media Records: Director Of Radio Promotions1. What made you want to get into the music business? Early mentors? First job?
Music was a huge part of my life from a very early age. I was taping songs off the radio with my Fisher-Price xassette player by holding it up to the speakers of my parent's stereo when I was like 5 or 6 years old. In high school I started a Heavy Metal Fanzine with a friend and by college I found my way onto the college radio station and fell in love. It all led me to my first real industry gig at Victory Records in Chicago! I was very fortunate to be able to start at Victory where I was able to work with so many amazing artists and so many amazing people. It was great working alongside the likes of John Kuliak, Jason Rudolph, Brett Greenburg, Mike Jakubow and countless others at Victory and outside of Victory that all helped me along the way!
2. Too many records, too few slots. What data seems to be most important to you when jockeying for an open slot on a radio station and why? Ticket sales? Tour info? Prior success? Retail? Other stations?
I wish it was as easy as just one of the elements being most important. It really depends on the station and the band. All of these elements are important to work with and once you have them, it is all about building upon what you have and cultivating it. The best thing to me is having a band that is out on the road, kicking ass every night. If you have a band that is hungry and willing to do whatever it takes to work with radio, it is always the best thing to work with. Get the band to your target markets and let them do what they do best!
3. It seems that set-up is more important now than ever. 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 marketplace?
I am lucky enough to be working with so many great people here at Century Media. Everyone in our L.A. office are passionate individuals who know how to do their jobs. They also thrive on having any information as it becomes available. If we get an add at radio it is my job to make sure Retail, Publicity, New Media and everyone knows about it instantly, because by doing so we put ourselves in the position to capitalize on any and all opportunities that arise and make sense for us to pursue within those markets. We also made a big move recently by adding Mike Jakubow to the team, and if there is anyone who knows how to be inspired on a daily basis, it is Mike. Mike inspires me by his work ethic, passion and energy, and it is great having someone like that to feed off of and vice versa. Other than that, I feel the best way to inspire is by keeping a positive attitude and leading by example. It is all about staying positive and being persistent.
4. Things are changing rapidly in our business. Were it up to you, what would you change in our "system" to give your bands a better shot?
I would love to just change the mentality that everything always has to fit in this little box. More often than not, it seems radio is so focused on their upper or money-making demos and I think we need to look more at the future. There are so many young people who may not be growing up with the same attachment to radio. If we were to look more closely at younger demos, you would find that there is an all new generation of people who are passionate and hungry for new music and unfortunately may not be looking at radio to get it.
If radio were to spend a bit more time checking out what is happening in their market at the all-ages venues, look at what they are wearing and consuming, and not simply at traditional retail, but with video games, online and television, I think it would open minds and make for some compelling arguments to take a few more chances for the sake of the future demos. There is much more happening in the rock world than what people are getting on their radio stations.
It is then taking this knowledge and making smart decisions on what new artists to play. Times change and before you know it, the grade school kids will be in your demo -- and I want them to be hearing about new music on the radio. It is essential for the growth of the format. The next big thing is not going to come from your upper demos, but from the youth.
5. Who do you consider the current tastemakers in the Rock world?
If you look at it as who is stepping out first/early on new and developing "baby" bands, I think we all have an idea of who those stations tend to be ... and I am very grateful for those stations. Everyone needs to realize that new music needs to start somewhere! As a label guy, we need to realize though that every station and every market is different, and some stations can't always be early on music. These are also stations that can play such a critical role on the development of a band and are critical to help get new music the airplay those stations need to secure future hits and artists for the format.
6. It has become apparent that in this research driven time, records are taking much longer to "test". How do you go about making sure that your record will be given a fair shot?
The best way to get a fair shot is to make sure your band stays active. You also need to make sure to constantly update your stations with any new information that could be useful for them. We also need to take advantage of the airplay in the market while we have it. That includes doing whatever we can to get the band to the market and make the band available to stations when they are not. If a station needs liners or someone to call into the morning show, we make it happen. If you go the extra mile for radio many times, they will go the extra mile for you.
7. Repetition breeds familiarity. How does your label increase exposure of your artists outside of traditional radio promotion?
It is such an exciting time in that there are so many ways to promote bands these days. The power of YouTube, My Space, Facebook, blogs, podcasts and other nontraditional media exists -- and there is so much you can do just online. Century Media has been committed to New Media from the beginning and has dedicated employees who are New Media-focused. Whenever we can, we encourage our band to be taking video cameras everywhere they go so that the footage they capture can be used effectively online. We are also clearing songs with the Podsafe Music Network so that passionate people that are not a part of the traditional broadcast media have the opportunity to share their love of our bands with their audience.
We are forward thinking and spend ample time every week in marketing meetings brainstorming about how we can best work with our artists outside of the traditional bounds of radio. Of course, it is also about working with all the traditional departments as well (Press, Retail, Video, Licensing...). Whenever possible it is our jobs to have features in the magazines, articles in the newspapers, videos on TV, music placement in movies, television and commercials, street teamers at the shows, and posters and positioning at the retail outlets. As many of those things you can put into place, the better you are at making the sale.
8. Every promotion person has a record close to their heart that for one reason or another never broke through, "The One That Got Away"..... What is your "One that Got Away" and what did you learn from that record?
One of the toughest ones on my end was the Hellacopters' last single, "Everything's On TV". The Hellacopters are a band's band, they have tons of respect from the critics and they can sell out venues all over the states. They are unique, catchy and had an appeal that could have crossed both Active and Alternative. Unfortunately, the band is also from Sweden and way bigger overseas. The reality was that we were not going to be able to have them in the U.S. for the time needed to help take the single where it needed to go.
9. What are the most important tools/resources you use to stay on top of the rock formats growth and constant daily changes?
All Access and Mediabase. They are always open on my computer and are so very valuable to me daily!
10. The lost art of artist development. What do you do to ensure your artist is building a career as opposed to just breaking a song? And does it even matter anymore?
When you are dealing everyday with your artists and their livelihood, it definitely matters. While the short term thinking for a radio guy may be focused on the band's current single, you have to keep the long-term interests of the band -- and label, for that matter -- in mind. We have a lot more invested in our bands and their long-term growth. Many bands on the Century Media roster are veterans to the label and remain with Century Media because we have built strong relationships and trust based on artist development. Next year will bring another Lacuna Coil album and it will mark over a decade of working with them. We work closely with all our artists, their managers, booking agents and are there every step of the way to make sure that we are using all opportunities to cultivate a core audience and build solid markets for the band to build upon, tour after tour and album after album.
Bonus Questions
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?
CDs:
Mother Love Bone - Mother Love Bone
Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA
Rocky Votolato - Makers
Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo
Ramones - ManiaMOVIES:
The Last American Virgin
American Beauty
Taxi Driver
The Squid And The Whale
Almost Famous -
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