5/26/2023 0 Comments Ken schwartz![]() Just to be near the industry I loved the most. I did promotion for bands no one ever heard of. I worked in mailrooms, I stuffed envelopes, I worked for bands and booked tours. I talk about this in my book, but I did everything humanly possible to get into the music business. ![]() And that’s where you have to find your own space. But the industry does still exist in its own new and modern form. Gone are the multi-national conglomerates scouring the earth for bands, feting them with three-martini lunches, and imploring them to sign on the bottom line. Well, it’s no small thing to say that the music industry had changed completely since I first started my journey. What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success? The moral of the story is: it's ok to work your butt off, but always keep your head up so you can see where you are going! I profusely apologized and made a joke about hustling for the boss, but they just stared at me, shook their heads, and walked on by. I jumped up some stairs three at a time, and literally ran headfirst into the entire band, Soundgarden, who were there to promote their brand-new album, Superunknown. I did what was I was told and ran across the lot to deliver this message. (This was before email so yes, it had to be hand-delivered!). When I was an intern at A&M Records in the early 90s, my boss told me to run something across the lot to someone else and make it quick. And it never made me want to plunk down thousands upon thousands of dollars for records, tapes, CDs, concerts, t-shirts, and cassingles!Ĭan you tell us the most interesting or most funny story that happened to you since you began your Rock & Roll career? It never kicked me in the chest and made me want to pump my fist and bang my head. ![]() But they never spoke to me the way Rock still does. Glenn Campbell, RB Greaves, even synth bands like Missing Persons and The Human League. I listen to music in the ’70s and early ’80s that wasn’t Rock, and some of it was very cool. Dad knew what he was doing for sure.Īnd it's hard to explain exactly why Rock & Roll attracted me in particular. It was all a great ground-level experience. Working with unknown bands, promoting them in clubs around Los Angeles, even interning at the local record label, which is sort of where I got my start. I was devastated but he was right, so we came up with a plan to get some real-world music experience. I wanted that whole lifestyle! I told this to my dad one day thinking he would embrace me and say, “c’mon son, let’s go change the world” but instead he looked me up and down and said, ‘what the hell do you know about the music business?’ But I wanted to do it with ‘my’ music, Rock & Roll! I wanted to sign bands. The truth is, I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps. Between this, and the music from my folks, it made me want to do something with music for the rest of my life.Ĭan you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path? Are you able to share a story with us about what first attracted you to Rock & Roll in particular? I grew up in the ’80s where Rock & Roll was king! The Sunset Strip. Between the both of them, I was surrounded by just about all the great music you can possibly imagine. My mom grew up in the clubs of Hollywood in the ’70s and has a life-long love for Motown music. ![]() So, there was always music being played, music being discussed, and healthy debates on why ‘this new groove’ is going to take over the world. He’s most famous for signing and working with bands like Tommy James & the Shondells, Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions, and Kool & the Gang. My dad, Red Schwartz, was a legendary promotion and A&R man for multiple companies throughout his career. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up? Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. ![]()
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