Jason Davis has worked with all the biggest artists in the world
Music Industry Mogul Jason Davis has worked with all the biggest names in Popular music. I mean let me just list out a small list of artists he has been involved with:
Michael Jackson, Kelly Clarkson, Keri Hilson, Dolly Parton, Pink, R Kelly, Miley Cyrus, N Sync, The Cheetah Girls, 10 Years, Linkin Park, Leighton Meester and Britney Spears. And that is not an exhaustive list!
This guy knows how to get involved with hit records and although many people here might not be personal fans of popular music we decided we would, given this amazing opportunity ask Jason Davis, some questions about his views on the music industry, where it is right now, where it is headed and everything else in between. I mean it is not every day you get to speak to someone with Jason's skills, business acumen and experience at the highest levels in the music industry. This feature was a collaborative effort between myself, Robin Renwick and Floris Stoter so thanks to all involved in making such a great feature.
Altsounds.com: You have put your own success, and that of your company, down to a few simple things, mainly your love for music itself, self discipline and hard work. Are these the qualities you look for in the artists you represent?
Jason Davis: If we are going to take on an artist they need to be prepared to show up and work. We generally don’t take on an artist that we first meet right away. I usually will give an artist quite a bit of time and sometimes even a game plan for that artist to see what they do with it. We like finding out an artist’s work ethic, how responsive they are to phone calls, and what they are doing every day are all very important to us and me. The most important thing I am looking for in anyone I work with is how passionate the person is about music because if the passion is there the work ethic will usually also be there.
Altsounds.com: When signing artists to your agency, obviously the quality of the music is foremost in importance. If you feel that the artist/artists character is not up to par, would you stay clear, or attempt to take on a more parental/guidance role in the relationship and therefore their career?
Jason Davis: That is an incredible question. From my experience, if the character of an artist is off, or the artist has issues that may hold back their success I would generally put them in the category of something that will not work. You can’t really change people. You can plant seeds and inspire people but you can’t change them. With that said, there are many artists I work with who are not where they need to be on this particular issue and I still maintain relationships with them, I still return their phone calls and I still care about them because for me it is not just about the music it is about people too.
Altsounds.com: You have been quoted as saying “that the way to create lasting success is to let the artists have the space to be themselves, rather than dictating the direction they should follow”. Do you think that in the 21st century artist image and persona is just as important as the actual music? Are people buying the “brand” rather than the music?
Jason Davis: That’s a major problem with music today. In mainstream music it is becoming more about entertainment than it is about music. I think the reason that’s happening is that the music of today is not carrying the weight it should and is not really good enough. To distract from this there has to be a lot of show and distraction. If artists worked harder on their craft from childhood, put down the video games and guitar hero, actually picked up a real guitar and really worked on their craft over the years then the music of today would carry the weight of yesterday.
Altsounds.com: There has been a lot said and written on the music industries state of flux at the moment and the global economic downturn has probably emphasized this even more. Do you personally think music as a whole will suffer for this, or will it merely create more artists with more telling and interesting stories to tell?
Jason Davis: What’s happening right now in the music industry is that people that shouldn’t be in the industry, or are not serious about it are getting flushed out. Any time there is a cleansing it purifies to some level what is going on. This period of time will birth more artists that are real and have really focused on their craft and artistry than perhaps the artists that have popped up over the last 10 years.
Altsounds.com: You are quoted as being of the view that P2P file sharing is not entirely to blame for the downturn in music sales. There has been a lot written, mainly by economists, that this view has quite an amount of truth in it. What other factors do you think there are/has been?
Jason Davies: One major factor for the downturn of music is that the youth of today are not focusing on music as much. They are not growing on an instrument or growing as a songwriter and that is a result of technology. Kids are growing up very distracted today. They are inundated with their cell phone, text messages, their computer and video games, 500 channels on television. There is no room for a child to be bored today that would have in the past lead them to take up music or would have lead to them being more creative in general. That is a major thing and technology is a big factor in it all.
Another big factor is that record labels are being run by corporate companies. This doesn’t allow artists a chance to be incubated and to grow, instead artists are just thrown at the wall and they either stick or they don’t. Twenty years ago artists were given a lot more time and space to get it all right.
Those are the big things. The economy is an excuse and the internet is an excuse. The internet is not really the cause; it is more the response to the public feeling like music just wasn’t / isn’t that good anymore.
Altsounds.com: Umair Hague in his Economics of Music (2004) stated that “record labels primary objective is to act as an agent, sourcing good new music”. Do you think that some of the large labels have failed in this concern, and that this in turn has opened up opportunities for companies like yours?
Jason Davis: I don’t view record labels as an agent at all. I view record labels as a bank and a promotion company that gives investments to artists they believe that could go somewhere and getting it out to larger media streams like TV and Radio. Record Labels don’t really represent an artist they simply invest money into them and throw out a ton of artists work exposing it to the public to see if it will catch on. This has opened up doors for companies like mine because there is no artist development at labels any more and our number one passion, and the single most important factor as a company has always been artist development. It’s what we love to do and what we are best at and the majority of the record companies know this which is why they send so many artists to us to develop as they have no interest in taking any chances or trying to shape anything themselves. This gives companies like mine a lot of scope to do what we do and love best.
Altsounds.com: There has been a huge increase in the amount of genres that are in the marketplace now. Do you think this has helped or hindered the industry?
Jason Davis: I think the amount of genres that exist is a result of the fact that there is no one artist or movement that is huge. Throughout the decades there has always been musical movements be it Rock, Rap, Pop or Country. The closest thing we are seeing to a movement right now is probably what is happening with Taylor Swift but we have not seen a movement like this since Britney Spears. You had 80s rock artists, and then along came Nirvana followed by the whole Pop thing with N Sync and Britney. There hasn’t really been a movement as such since that. There has been a dry period and that is due mainly to the lack of inspiring talent. Anytime one specific genre is not leading the way and taking over it leaves room for a whole bunch of other genres to be present at the same time. All of those genres presence will be diminished when a truly huge artist comes along.
Altsounds.com: We are seeing a large role nowadays being given to producers / engineers. Do you think that this is merited and do you think that we will start seeing Producers and Engineers as being the bedrock of good music, rather than the singers/instrument players? Do you think that this will affect the music industry itself?
Jason Davis: That is a small problem in that too much emphasis these days is put on Producers. I work with Producers and Producers are the ones who can make or break a hit record. I don’t think you’re going to make it in the music business today without a phenomenal Producer by your side. The Producer to me though falls slightly down the pecking order below the actual songwriters. They are the ones that will create the bedrock of music. Producers are good at recognising and producing those special songs but a hair above their role in terms of importance is the songwriters.
Altsounds.com: Social Networking has seen an immense revolution recently. Do you think that this form of artist “value added” can be the saviour for the industry? Do you think there should be a limit as to how close artists should be to their fans?
Jason Davis: That is a phenomenal question. It has been proven throughout the years that if something is a little out of reach it becomes more in demand and if something is too easy to get then there is less demand. There needs to be a process found through the new technologies today where artists still remain just a little out of reach for them to be as big as past artists. I am not sure in today’s world if we will ever see as many big artists as there used to be. I think instead we will see a lot of artists doing well and making a living from music but they won’t have the fame or successes of past artists. Until some system comes along that makes artists a little harder to reach then the demand will not remain. In times past, the distance between the fan and the artist is one of the reasons why there were so many album sales and there was such a demand for those artists. The access to artists today is one small reason why music sales are down. I do believe this would all change if an artist came along that could write songs as good as The Beatles and consistently wrote songs as good as The Beatles for 10 years. They may not end up being as famous as The Beatles but they wouldn’t be far off.
Altsounds.com: You have been quoted as saying that “record sales are directly related to radio airplay”. Do you think that the media are also partly to blame for the downturn in the music industry? In my experience, it is very hard to find “new” music on the radio, as the majority seem to stick to generic playlists. Obviously digital and internet radio has helped to cure this, but how would you like to see the mainstream media change, so as to help promote and advertise new artists and especially new genres?
Jason Davis: With companies like BDF or Mediabase a record company can see what is working on the radio week by week. Because radio stations are corporate they too have to be careful and safe because of the cost of running a business. Radio Stations usually try to stick with things that are getting a quicker or sustained reaction by the public. This is why you tend to hear the same songs being played over and over again on the radio because the public, on some level are saying they want to hear those songs. A new artist is harder to break on radio because the fan-base does not have as much of a relationship with a new artist that they would have with an established artist. The only way they are going to care about a new artist is through their songs. I don’t think new artists today have songs that can truly create a movement. Also where things are today from a financial perspective, labels don’t have as much disposable money to try different things so in turn they too are playing it safe.
Let’s use New Kids on the Block for example. Years ago their record label decided they would be best suited to Urban radio and they were not really getting a buzz from that crowd. There was one guy on a pop radio station who happened to play it without being asked to by the record label and his phones blew up. New Kids On The Block was a band that the labels weren’t even going to push anymore because it wasn’t working as they had expected at Urban radio. The label themselves didn’t even think to play it on pop radio. Stories like this will be fewer in the future because record labels are not throwing out their product as intensely as they used to.
Altsounds.com: What to you personally is the biggest challenge in music business?
Jason Davis: Getting the right song for an artist is the biggest challenge in the music business. That’s what all record companies struggle with and it is what every artist struggles with. It is all about finding the right song that will react emotionally with the public. It is the hardest thing to do in music.
Altsounds.com: What is it that attracts you to the business side of music business?
Jason Davis: To me the business side of the music business IS the music business. To me what you see on stage is just a show. Everything is a business leading up to the stage. I enjoy the artistic side of it though. Of having a vision and of being a part of the process that eventually helps that vision grow towards the stage or on to a record. It is a very exciting thing. There is nothing like sitting in the audience of a concert hearing songs, or seeing a production that you were a part of creating. To me that’s the most amazing thing about the music business.
Altsounds.com: Thanks for enlightening us today Jason and all the best with your future endeavours.
Jason Davis: Thank You very much for taking the time out to talk with me, it was lovely speaking with you. Kind Regards.
NOTE: THIS FEATURE IS CLOSED FROM COMMENTING.
Michael Jackson, Kelly Clarkson, Keri Hilson, Dolly Parton, Pink, R Kelly, Miley Cyrus, N Sync, The Cheetah Girls, 10 Years, Linkin Park, Leighton Meester and Britney Spears. And that is not an exhaustive list!
The photo above shows Music Industry Mogul Jason Davis with Dolly Parton in the recording studio.
This guy knows how to get involved with hit records and although many people here might not be personal fans of popular music we decided we would, given this amazing opportunity ask Jason Davis, some questions about his views on the music industry, where it is right now, where it is headed and everything else in between. I mean it is not every day you get to speak to someone with Jason's skills, business acumen and experience at the highest levels in the music industry. This feature was a collaborative effort between myself, Robin Renwick and Floris Stoter so thanks to all involved in making such a great feature.
Altsounds.com: You have put your own success, and that of your company, down to a few simple things, mainly your love for music itself, self discipline and hard work. Are these the qualities you look for in the artists you represent?
Jason Davis: If we are going to take on an artist they need to be prepared to show up and work. We generally don’t take on an artist that we first meet right away. I usually will give an artist quite a bit of time and sometimes even a game plan for that artist to see what they do with it. We like finding out an artist’s work ethic, how responsive they are to phone calls, and what they are doing every day are all very important to us and me. The most important thing I am looking for in anyone I work with is how passionate the person is about music because if the passion is there the work ethic will usually also be there.
Altsounds.com: When signing artists to your agency, obviously the quality of the music is foremost in importance. If you feel that the artist/artists character is not up to par, would you stay clear, or attempt to take on a more parental/guidance role in the relationship and therefore their career?
Jason Davis: That is an incredible question. From my experience, if the character of an artist is off, or the artist has issues that may hold back their success I would generally put them in the category of something that will not work. You can’t really change people. You can plant seeds and inspire people but you can’t change them. With that said, there are many artists I work with who are not where they need to be on this particular issue and I still maintain relationships with them, I still return their phone calls and I still care about them because for me it is not just about the music it is about people too.
Altsounds.com: You have been quoted as saying “that the way to create lasting success is to let the artists have the space to be themselves, rather than dictating the direction they should follow”. Do you think that in the 21st century artist image and persona is just as important as the actual music? Are people buying the “brand” rather than the music?
Jason Davis: That’s a major problem with music today. In mainstream music it is becoming more about entertainment than it is about music. I think the reason that’s happening is that the music of today is not carrying the weight it should and is not really good enough. To distract from this there has to be a lot of show and distraction. If artists worked harder on their craft from childhood, put down the video games and guitar hero, actually picked up a real guitar and really worked on their craft over the years then the music of today would carry the weight of yesterday.
Altsounds.com: There has been a lot said and written on the music industries state of flux at the moment and the global economic downturn has probably emphasized this even more. Do you personally think music as a whole will suffer for this, or will it merely create more artists with more telling and interesting stories to tell?
Jason Davis: What’s happening right now in the music industry is that people that shouldn’t be in the industry, or are not serious about it are getting flushed out. Any time there is a cleansing it purifies to some level what is going on. This period of time will birth more artists that are real and have really focused on their craft and artistry than perhaps the artists that have popped up over the last 10 years.
Altsounds.com: You are quoted as being of the view that P2P file sharing is not entirely to blame for the downturn in music sales. There has been a lot written, mainly by economists, that this view has quite an amount of truth in it. What other factors do you think there are/has been?
Jason Davies: One major factor for the downturn of music is that the youth of today are not focusing on music as much. They are not growing on an instrument or growing as a songwriter and that is a result of technology. Kids are growing up very distracted today. They are inundated with their cell phone, text messages, their computer and video games, 500 channels on television. There is no room for a child to be bored today that would have in the past lead them to take up music or would have lead to them being more creative in general. That is a major thing and technology is a big factor in it all.
Another big factor is that record labels are being run by corporate companies. This doesn’t allow artists a chance to be incubated and to grow, instead artists are just thrown at the wall and they either stick or they don’t. Twenty years ago artists were given a lot more time and space to get it all right.
Those are the big things. The economy is an excuse and the internet is an excuse. The internet is not really the cause; it is more the response to the public feeling like music just wasn’t / isn’t that good anymore.
Altsounds.com: Umair Hague in his Economics of Music (2004) stated that “record labels primary objective is to act as an agent, sourcing good new music”. Do you think that some of the large labels have failed in this concern, and that this in turn has opened up opportunities for companies like yours?
Jason Davis: I don’t view record labels as an agent at all. I view record labels as a bank and a promotion company that gives investments to artists they believe that could go somewhere and getting it out to larger media streams like TV and Radio. Record Labels don’t really represent an artist they simply invest money into them and throw out a ton of artists work exposing it to the public to see if it will catch on. This has opened up doors for companies like mine because there is no artist development at labels any more and our number one passion, and the single most important factor as a company has always been artist development. It’s what we love to do and what we are best at and the majority of the record companies know this which is why they send so many artists to us to develop as they have no interest in taking any chances or trying to shape anything themselves. This gives companies like mine a lot of scope to do what we do and love best.
Altsounds.com: There has been a huge increase in the amount of genres that are in the marketplace now. Do you think this has helped or hindered the industry?
Jason Davis: I think the amount of genres that exist is a result of the fact that there is no one artist or movement that is huge. Throughout the decades there has always been musical movements be it Rock, Rap, Pop or Country. The closest thing we are seeing to a movement right now is probably what is happening with Taylor Swift but we have not seen a movement like this since Britney Spears. You had 80s rock artists, and then along came Nirvana followed by the whole Pop thing with N Sync and Britney. There hasn’t really been a movement as such since that. There has been a dry period and that is due mainly to the lack of inspiring talent. Anytime one specific genre is not leading the way and taking over it leaves room for a whole bunch of other genres to be present at the same time. All of those genres presence will be diminished when a truly huge artist comes along.
Altsounds.com: We are seeing a large role nowadays being given to producers / engineers. Do you think that this is merited and do you think that we will start seeing Producers and Engineers as being the bedrock of good music, rather than the singers/instrument players? Do you think that this will affect the music industry itself?
Jason Davis: That is a small problem in that too much emphasis these days is put on Producers. I work with Producers and Producers are the ones who can make or break a hit record. I don’t think you’re going to make it in the music business today without a phenomenal Producer by your side. The Producer to me though falls slightly down the pecking order below the actual songwriters. They are the ones that will create the bedrock of music. Producers are good at recognising and producing those special songs but a hair above their role in terms of importance is the songwriters.
Altsounds.com: Social Networking has seen an immense revolution recently. Do you think that this form of artist “value added” can be the saviour for the industry? Do you think there should be a limit as to how close artists should be to their fans?
Jason Davis: That is a phenomenal question. It has been proven throughout the years that if something is a little out of reach it becomes more in demand and if something is too easy to get then there is less demand. There needs to be a process found through the new technologies today where artists still remain just a little out of reach for them to be as big as past artists. I am not sure in today’s world if we will ever see as many big artists as there used to be. I think instead we will see a lot of artists doing well and making a living from music but they won’t have the fame or successes of past artists. Until some system comes along that makes artists a little harder to reach then the demand will not remain. In times past, the distance between the fan and the artist is one of the reasons why there were so many album sales and there was such a demand for those artists. The access to artists today is one small reason why music sales are down. I do believe this would all change if an artist came along that could write songs as good as The Beatles and consistently wrote songs as good as The Beatles for 10 years. They may not end up being as famous as The Beatles but they wouldn’t be far off.
Altsounds.com: You have been quoted as saying that “record sales are directly related to radio airplay”. Do you think that the media are also partly to blame for the downturn in the music industry? In my experience, it is very hard to find “new” music on the radio, as the majority seem to stick to generic playlists. Obviously digital and internet radio has helped to cure this, but how would you like to see the mainstream media change, so as to help promote and advertise new artists and especially new genres?
Jason Davis: With companies like BDF or Mediabase a record company can see what is working on the radio week by week. Because radio stations are corporate they too have to be careful and safe because of the cost of running a business. Radio Stations usually try to stick with things that are getting a quicker or sustained reaction by the public. This is why you tend to hear the same songs being played over and over again on the radio because the public, on some level are saying they want to hear those songs. A new artist is harder to break on radio because the fan-base does not have as much of a relationship with a new artist that they would have with an established artist. The only way they are going to care about a new artist is through their songs. I don’t think new artists today have songs that can truly create a movement. Also where things are today from a financial perspective, labels don’t have as much disposable money to try different things so in turn they too are playing it safe.
Let’s use New Kids on the Block for example. Years ago their record label decided they would be best suited to Urban radio and they were not really getting a buzz from that crowd. There was one guy on a pop radio station who happened to play it without being asked to by the record label and his phones blew up. New Kids On The Block was a band that the labels weren’t even going to push anymore because it wasn’t working as they had expected at Urban radio. The label themselves didn’t even think to play it on pop radio. Stories like this will be fewer in the future because record labels are not throwing out their product as intensely as they used to.
Altsounds.com: What to you personally is the biggest challenge in music business?
Jason Davis: Getting the right song for an artist is the biggest challenge in the music business. That’s what all record companies struggle with and it is what every artist struggles with. It is all about finding the right song that will react emotionally with the public. It is the hardest thing to do in music.
Altsounds.com: What is it that attracts you to the business side of music business?
Jason Davis: To me the business side of the music business IS the music business. To me what you see on stage is just a show. Everything is a business leading up to the stage. I enjoy the artistic side of it though. Of having a vision and of being a part of the process that eventually helps that vision grow towards the stage or on to a record. It is a very exciting thing. There is nothing like sitting in the audience of a concert hearing songs, or seeing a production that you were a part of creating. To me that’s the most amazing thing about the music business.
Altsounds.com: Thanks for enlightening us today Jason and all the best with your future endeavours.
Jason Davis: Thank You very much for taking the time out to talk with me, it was lovely speaking with you. Kind Regards.
NOTE: THIS FEATURE IS CLOSED FROM COMMENTING.
