10 Questions with ... Mike Jakubow

NAME:Mike Jakubow TITLES:National Director/Rock COMPANY:Caroline/Astralwerks FORMATS:Active/Rock LOCATION:Chicago BORN:Chicago, 7/14/79 RAISED:Chicago, my kinda town

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I made this glamorous jump into the industry with all the fun grunt work that comes with being an intern at Interscope ... on the retail side first. In a couple weeks I actually started getting paid to be an assistant for some of the Midwest regional retail folk. Had nothing but great bosses there who wanted to show me the ropes - so it kept me excited. Meeting Rob Zombie and Manson was the coolest thing. Excitement grew. After two years+ there, I needed to move onto my first love - radio. I DJ with a small rock/hard rock outfit here in Chicago. I wanted to see what promoting to radio would be like. Victory offered me my first radio gig (college radio). Moved my way up from college to specialty and then specialty to commercial rock. Worked them Atreyu records, Hawthorne Records. After four years+ w/ Victory, I made it to Caroline/Astralwerks. Here I am.

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

Curiosity. The "cool job" that it must be working at a record label. I got lucky early on. I had the good fortune of working for some very good bosses. Matt Larsen and Tim Dralle worked the Midwest retail side for Interscope when I started. They let me take on more and more responsibility in time and weren't closed off to discussing anything. I asked a lot of question. They would show me the behind the scenes of it all. Not many interns/assistants get that chance. Plus, they both loved rock. Then I became curious about rock radio.

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?

Obviously depends on the artist. At my previous job it was a grass-roots vibe. Indie label, and we had sales, touring and ticket info to spread. It helped. Additionally, I have always worked with bands that tour heavy. This is the most valuable tool I can use. Just the opportunity to give radio a face to face with the artist.

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 get addicted to the music I promote. I have to feel it first. It has to be genuine and have that belief in it. If I can talk straight from my gut about the band I am working, then you can feel the energy for it. It's hard to talk me down from something when it sticks in my mind like that. It can help inspire the staff. If there is something another person on the staff is 100% behind, we converse with them. We can feed off of that energy. It's always about standing behind something in a real way. You can not help getting infected by someone's energy for music. That's how I grew up. Feeding off that energy.

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?

Easier said than done, but more personalized attention. Old motto's about face-to-face promoting. Give the band that personalized feel to it. Not just the same pitch, same advertising methods, but finding that hands-on approach to growing a band. With every band you can think of an out-of-box way to push it usually. Not enough creative thinking. Once again, that's easier said then done.

5) Who do you consider the current tastemakers in the ROCK world?

You know, to answer this is to piss someone else off. Generally, you can pinpoint, at least in the radio world, who steps out on promising artists. It starts there.

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?

By making sure the stations I work with have that connection with the artist. If they believe, they will give it time to get noticed.

7) Repetition breeds familiarity. How does your label increase exposure of your artists outside of traditional radio promotion?

This is the fun part of Caroline. We take a response from radio and build it in relatable fields market by market. Very quickly too. If we react, say in Kansas City we look for methods to gain on the airplay. Could be at retail, venue, online market-specific placement or even TV in demos that make sense. Nothing's out of the picture.

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?

I have a few. But most recently, The Black Maria. Man. That's a rock radio gem.

9) What are the most important tools/resources you use to stay on top of the rock formats' growth and constant daily changes?

I scan BDS/Mediabase/AllAccess like any radio nut daily. I also read minds.

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?

Hell, yes, it matters. None of this lack of development stuff. My career is based on artist development. We stick with records at Caroline. Sales mainly come after time and not in spurts anymore. So people should be forced to develop. Rock fans stay loyal if done right. The audience is smarter; they want to be a part of it like everything else. Rock is a lifestyle, not a fad. Treat your artist the same way.

BONUS QUESTION: 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 CDs are a "must" to have with you? What five movies?

CDs:
Metallica "Ride The Lightning"
Machine Head "Burn My Eyes"
Life Of Agony "Ugly"
Dredg "Catch Without Arms"
Poison "Greatest Hits 1986-1996"

Movies:
Caddyshack
Hitchhikers Guide To The Universe
Nightmare On Elm Street
Beetlejuice
Evil Dead II