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10 Questions with ... Danny "C" Coniglio
March 14, 2006
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NAME:Danny "C" ConiglioPOSITION:VP Crossover PromotionCOMPANY:TVT RecordsBORN:Brooklyn, NYRAISED:Staten Island, NY
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Forgot the years... lol
- Interned @ Mercury Records
- Maxi Records (a boutique Dance label)
- Arista Records (Bad Boy / LaFace)
- Priority/Capitol Records
- TVT Records1. What was your first job in the business?
I started off as a DJ spinning records at parties, and then clubs. I DJ'd parties where Wu tang Clan performed before their deal with Loud. They came down from Park Hill projects to the club. I saw Method Man at a show a while back, and mentioned to him about performing way back when, he bugged out! It was a great time!
Music always fascinated me, and I wanted to see the "other side". While in college, I got an internship at Mercury Records. I received 1 semester of credit, then stayed on another 2 or 3 semesters for no credit. I was hooked! It was the early 90's, hip hop was emerging, and dance and pop records were the rage. I was interning at Mercury while they were working Blacksheep "The Choice is Yours", "The Comfort Zone" Vanessa Williams, "Be A Father To Your Child" Ed O G & The Bulldog, Diamond D, and David Morales started the craze of remixing records that "normally" wouldn't warrant a dance mix. He did a housemix of 'Strobelight Honey", Blacksheep that I still play. What a time at my first stop in the business.
2. What is TVT doing differently from the major label groups at the promotion level?
First and foremost, I need to credit my staff, both promotion and A&R. These guys are amazing! It is because of this TEAM, that we are so successful.
Joey Carvello (Sr VP Promo)
Bryan Leech (VP A&R)
Nycole Patterson (corporate gangxta)
Veronica Amarante (West Coast queen)
Mike Snow (South Promo)
Cat Collins (SE Promo)
Ricardo Hunter (holding down the deep south)
Todd Ashman (Midwest)
Eric Parler (Mixshow)
LP (mixshow and west coast promo)
Don Juan "the executer"
John Soucheck Top 40
Kathy Marchetti (NE )
Kuti Mack (mid Atlantic)
John Perrone (the minister of information)
Tone Capone (holding the streets down)One of the things we were doing for a while was impacting MP3's at the streets and at Radio. We were getting our records buzzing in the streets and in the mix, and they were finding their way on to the radio. We would be +800 spins at radio, and on the chart off an MP3!
We are so focused on exposing our artists to the masses. We often go 3-5 singles on an album, and that is a credit to A&R. We went (4) singles deep on Ying Yang, and (5) on Pitbull. Artists get a real shot at TVT. Radio knows that when they get a TVT CD pro, or hear a TVT record in the mix that they are going to hear from us about getting it into rotation almost immediately.
We are very cost conscious company, and really try to maximize everything we do. We stay with projects a lot longer than majors, and are concerned with factors that a major may not be concerned with. We are very focused on being cost effective in every capacity. I worked at a major, and the differences are compelling.
3. What's the biggest way that your job of record promotion has changed over the last 3 years?
I think it has changed on MANY fronts. The digital and cellular age is among us. We are very focused on internet promotion, and getting our artists to embrace it with special versions of their songs, intros, etc. iTunes and ringtones are massive profit yielding avenues that have evolved in the past few years that we as promotion people need to embrace. I use the Ring Tone chart in promoting some of my records. It is a great stat to use in talking about your music to a PD or MD. It is "instant research.
I am hoping that radio and records to start to work closer together. It feels as though the two are drifting apart, instead of working closer in this time of downloading, boot-legging and lackluster sales. There are radio chains that are not allowing their PDs to talk to labels. That's insane! We use information radio provides to us about OUR records to sales, marketing, and the various video outlets to further our artists careers, as well as sales. Not to be able to talk to them continues to baffle me. We are in a business that is VERY young and hip, and the continued flow of information is VITAL for its existence..
In our case, the emergence of the "Hurban" format is something we have had to deal with. Because of TVT's Hispanic leaning roster, and the fact that our records excel at the Hispanic leaning rhythm stations, we now work a panel of Latin stations. They are proving to be dominant forces in their respective markets, and are also showing signs of sparking sales.
4. Which Rhythm-Crossover PD or MD have you been working with the longest?
I have been fortunate to work with people who have "come up" with me, I have seen many mixers at radio become a part of the programming staff. I worked them when they were mixers and I did mixshow promotion. Some of the people I worked as a mixshow guy that I now work with as a programmer are:
Ebro (Hot 97)
E-man (Power 106)
Jazzy Jim (KYLD)
Von (KMEL)
T-Ski (Z-90)
Homie Marco (KKSS)
Steve and Charles Chavez plus Boogie D (before they came to the "Dark Side"
Steve Nice (KKDA)
Eddie Mix / Tony The Tiger (WPOW)
G-Wiz (WJBT)
Most recently, DJ XCEL (WMBX)These are people I've known a long-ass time.
5. What's the first job related thing you do in the morning?
Trick question... Because we have such an active roster, I am often dealing with artist managers, travel issues, etc, till the wee hours of the morning. Technically that is the morning. I wake up at 5-5:30am and look over Mediabase and BDS. I get the #'s out to my staff and highlight the problems to be fixed. It is such a part of who I am, I do it on the weekends. Promotion truly is 24 hours / 7 days a week.
6. Does it matter to you at TVT if COX, CUMULUS or CLEAR CHANNEL stations "add" your records?
At a major, I was concerned about the "add". At TVT, I am concerned with airplay and audience. The "add" really is meaningless, except to quantify a Tuesday, but when the chain cuts off all communication regarding records is where the breakdown occurs. I am concerned with spins, (where they are in the course of a station's day) and audience. If radio were not so caught up in chart position, I wouldn't really care about that either. We are so focused in maximizing airplay in each specific market, and moving that info to sales, marketing and new media so they can maximize it to our artists benefit.
7. Who do you consider to be your mentor(s)?
For all the old school heads, Mario Rios was my first "boss", while I interned at Mercury Records. I NEVER got his dry cleaning or got his lunch. I am eternally grateful he didn't treat me as an errand boy, but rather a student in the class of music 101. He taught me about Billboard Dance promotion, record pools, and made me make promotion calls. I was hooked. I would take the ferry into NYC on days I didn't have classes, and stayed way after everyone left.
I have had the fortune of working with people whom I consider ICONS. While at Arista, I had the opportunity to work with Clive Davis and Richard Palmese. It was truly the most AMAZING experience of my career. To feel their passion for their artists, and their "never say die" ideology was TRULY inspiring. I spent almost five years there, and still feel that it was "magic". We had 6-10 priorities at any given time, and almost nothing fell through the cracks. It was there that I understood about the concept of a "song", and the power of lyrics. I hadn't felt a record until I truly understood what a "song" was really made of. I continue to try and execute what I have learned there with my current staff. While at Arista, I was fortunate to work for Tom Maffei. Tom taught me the workings of Crossover, and was a boss who EMPOWERED me. Too many people in this business are caught up in their own advancement, their own power trips, and not on mentoring the people around them. Tom was not that kind of superior. He was able to channel my novice-ness into focused passion and emotion, and I credit him for a major part of my success. A friendship evolved out of our working relationship.
Joey Carvello has been instrumental in teaching me to execute differently as the business model changes. Working at TVT, we do many things a 'lil left of center.. (lol), and Joey has been amazing in mentoring me to look at things differently. He stands by my decisions, and empowers me as an executive. To find that today is really a challenge! Thank you, Joey. Your words of wisdom, your encouragement, and your belief that I can run this department. I will NEVER forget you for that.
8. After a long day in the office with Sr. VP JOEY CARVELLO and 30 PDs and MDs in your ear, what do you do to relax?
HAHAHA, working for Joey is a BLAST! I actually put more pressure on myself than he puts on me! For that, I love him. I have a long drive home every night, so I try and finish up all my calls I couldn't get to. I collect various artwork, and I still DJ. I am an avid sports junkie, especially around the NFL season. Fantasy Football is nutz! There needs to be a cool down period after a day that didn't go the way I had planned. I will put on the lite station, and roll down the windows in the car. It is amazing how a 'lil Barry Manilow can make you forget about the day! I love Italian food, and playing cards. Lately, we have been combining the two. Needless to say, I have been popping Tums like Tic Tacs.
9. What new artist(s) will radio still be playing in five years?
I think that because the trends change so quickly, artists and producers need to constantly reinvent themselves, whether it be in the musical genre, or now seeing the move into movies and Broadway. Would you have ever thought that Queen Latifah, who was singing about "Ladies First" back in the 80's would be up for an Academy Award?
Artists that I think have the ability to reinvent themselves will survive. I believe that we will hear from, in some capacity, will be Ludacris, Lil Jon, Ne-Yo, Puffy, Usher, Jay-Z, 50, Beyonce, Kanye, Mariah, Kelly Clarkson and Christina Aguilera. I am very impressed with some of the new artists that have emerged, Chris Brown, Pitbull, Ne-Yo and Ciara will be around for years to come.
10. What's on the way from TVT?
WOW, we are gearing up for one of the most successful years in the company's history.
Lil Jon "Crunk Rock" Yes, Lil Jon is back, and with the "Snap Your Fingers" single EXPLODING at radio, we are setting up for a September album. Jon will deliver an AMAZING album with top of the line guest stars. Get ready!!
Pitbull "El Mariel" First single "Bo Jangles", produced by Lil Jon. This single and album will be groundbreaking for Pitbull. With a gold album under his belt, everything he is on is FIRE! Pitbull is really about to arrive with this June release.
Da Musizianz This group was formed by D-Rock of the Ying Yang Twins. He is also in the group. They have a single out now "Camera Phone", that is about to EXPLODE! Video being shot in a few weeks, and who doesn't "want to shake their ass for the Camera Phone". Produced by Mr.Colli Park. Album in stores in May! This album is chock full of Party anthems, after all, look whose group it is.
Marcos Hernandez "The Way I Do"... It sounds like this single will be a Top 40 smash. Marcos is doing a ton of stuff in Europe, and on various corporate sponsored tours here in the U.S. Marcos is a star. Watch out for amazing things coming from Marcos.
We have a new Ying Yang Twins album slated for later this year. We'll have a new Teedra Moses album later this year plus an album from Yo Gotti due in May. This Memphis MC is the real DEAL!
Bonus Questions
Which programmer(s) that you work with, could you clearly see having a successful career in record promotion?
Steve and Charles Chavez made the switch very successfully. Boogie D just did it, too. I think that DJ XCel from WMBX, Jazzy Jim (KYLD), JB King (KLUC), Karen Wild (KUBE) and Big Al (XHTO) would do really well on the record side They are real music people, understand the genre, and how fast it changes. I'm sure that I forgot a few people, but this group jumps out at me.
Sushi & sake or Beer & pizza?
I have a vowel at the end of my last name, and work seven blocks from "Little Italy". You tell me!
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