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10 Questions with ... Howie Pivar
July 13, 2020
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
1999-2000: Elektra Entertainment Group - Executive Assistant
2000-2006: Atlantic Records Regional Promo - Seattle
2006-2007: Republic Records Regional Promo - Chicago
2007-2012: Republic Records Sr. Dir./Top 40 - L.A.
2012-2015: Warner Bros. Records VP/Top 40 - L.A.
2015-2017: Hit by Pitch – Music Promotion & Marketing
2017-Present – Concord Regional Promo - Seattle
1. What got you interested in the record business?
Growing up, our parents always played music in the house. I’d wake up every Sunday to the smell of fresh bagels and hazelnut coffee, the soundtrack was often Monterey Pop, CCR, Dylan, Moody Blues, Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, and the occasional Fine Young Cannibals. But it wasn’t until I was in college that I considered this as a career. My brother was already working at RCA, my roommate had one of the hotter bands on Columbia’s campus at the time, and another friend was assisting a writer in his research for an upcoming Springsteen biography. I realized this was an industry I could participate in, while not being able to play a lick.
2. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
WNEW-FM
3. Has Concord been approaching promotion differently since the CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) pandemic began?
We’re more nimble and creative in finding ways to connect our artists with radio and the community without the benefit of having them on the road. Our daily goals have shifted from the traditional chart grind to providing unique content for our partners, understanding their specific needs and capabilities, while identifying how to best serve the acts on Concord’s variety of labels. We’re also just more patient, compassionate, charitable and respectful of others in this climate which I see as a real silver lining.
4. Where do you get your greatest pleasure in doing record promotion?
Had you asked me that question 10 years ago, the answer would’ve been markedly different. Today, my pleasure comes in representing the best quality music in the marketplace, working on behalf of the same bands for whom I have a personal passion, and providing an expertise that hopefully serves to further each of their careers. Adds are pretty damn pleasurable too.
5. How does your label increase exposure of your artists outside of traditional radio promotion?
Soccer Mommy’s recent 8-bit video game “tour” was one of the more creative moments necessitated by the pandemic. We premiered market-specific videos with The Current, KEXP and KUTX respectively, and the response was strong. We are grateful for the trust we feel from the Triple A community to be purveyors of music of a certain caliber. I’ll take that every day versus simply jamming metrics down a programmer’s throat.
6. What new artists on the roster are you most excited about?
The War And Treaty, Katie Pruitt, Margo Price, Avi Kaplan, Matt Berninger…
7. What is the toughest part of your job?
Besides not being able to travel and having to subject my wife and daughter to the echoes of countless Zoom calls? I’d say trying to balance a strong but voluminous release schedule with the desire to give every song we put out a genuine shot at success.
8. What's the wildest thing you ever did to get "the add" at a station?
Wear a NASA spacesuit into a station while working Brandy’s “Full Moon.”
9. What would surprise people most about you?
That I once got an add by dressing like an astronaut.
10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without …
Words With Friends.
Bonus Questions
Last non-industry job:
The Gap
First record ever purchased:
Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet
First Concert:
The Jacksons’ Victory Tour at Comiskey Park
Favorite band of all-time:
The Night Sweats
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from work?
Attending my kid’s soccer matches; cooking and listening to music with my wife; taking the ferry across Puget Sound to play golf; dying hard with the Cubs and Dolphins.
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