www.musicweek.com
06.09.13 MusicWeek 19
GRAINGE: ‘I’M THRILLED TO WELCOME RUSSELL BACK TO THE UMG FAMILY’
“The exponential growth of Internet-based video has created a powerful new outlet for music and music-based content, and the launch of All Def Music is a part of our broader strategy to partner with some of the most experienced entrepreneurs in media and technology to identify future stars and develop powerful content on the world’s fastest growing media platform.” “As one of the most successful entrepreneurs
this new project? Well I don’t know if we’re going to make the newest music that no-one’s ever heard, but it’s possible that through the internet we will discover the new innovators. I don’t know if I have it in me to produce a record that doesn’t sound like anything else, that feels different, that becomes a pop hit, but I’m counting on young people to do that for me. If I find something and I put it in the All Def
Digital system, it’s probably going to be something you play and everyone in the record business says, “Oh that’s a hit”, because I’m old. You know what I mean? “Oh yeah that’s a hit Russ!” They probably won’t be, “What the fuck is that?” But somebody will give me, “What the fuck is
that?” and I’ll listen to it and hopefully I’ll be like [former Warner Bros. Records boss] Mo Ostin when he was listening to I Need A Beat from LL Cool J. His whole staff had their heads down quiet, they didn’t know what the fuck they were listening to, they were quiet like they were listening to a ballad. Mo Ostin was the only mother fucker bobbing his head, but all the young A&R directors didn’t know where they were! Hopefully I can be like Mo Austin or Clive Davis, and hear it when they give it to me. I can’t make it. Maybe Steve [Rifkind] can make it still, but I can’t make it.
What’s your perspective more generally on how the music industry works today and is it possible to have the same sort of impact and success today as Def Jam did in the 80s? Extraordinary acts can exploit an old system and do tremendously well, but under the new scenario they won’t do as well as they would have done. You can be huge and have great success. All you have to do is be great at what you do, but it will
“To be what Def Jam was today, in terms of sales and success, you need to be even more creative. It’s a tougher market, no question” RUSSELL SIMMONS
take a lot more ingenuity. You need more lucky breaks… I had lucky breaks and creative people around me. To be what Def Jam was today in sales and success you need to be even more creative. It’s a tougher market, there’s no question. But, on the other hand, the artists can go on to make more money and find more ways to exploit, and we will. One day they’ll find so many ways to monetise music that they’ll be back in business. They’re always coming up with new innovations, some are not so successful and profitable, and they’ve made mistakes, but some will be more profitable and more creative ways to exploit the artist. Big companies can survive with a couple of lucky breaks and a couple of innovators. In the short- term they’re working and looking at all kinds of ways to exploit artists’ music and hopefully they’ll find more.
There was a party in New York to celebrate 40 years of hip hop recently. What’s your take on the genre’s evolution, where it is today and its future? It’s always in cycles. They’ve been very consistent over all this time. An 18-year-old boy was in Steve Rifkind’s office and I walked in and I saw him. Steve Rifkind was there bobbing his head with his promotion man that he’s always had with him. I walked in and I started bobbing my head and got all excited. I’m like, “Which cut off the Brand Nubian album is this?” Then the kid
ABOVE One good reason: Rapper, poet and comedian Spoken Reasons is one of the first All Def Music signings benefitting from the ADD platform
in media, Russell has built a global organisation based on developing cutting-edge entertainment for generations of fans. “We’re excited to partner with Russell as he
extends his incredible track record to platforms such as YouTube, and I’m thrilled that we can welcome Russell back to the UMG family where he has been instrumental to this company’s evolution with Def Jam. In addition, Brian Robbins’ proven track record of exceptional content creation specifically designed to harness the power of YouTube has made him one of the most successful producers in media today. And with Steve’s wealth of experience as a music entrepreneur, I couldn’t think of a better executive to launch this label.”
started talking about skateboarding and shit and I looked at the 18-year-old that had made the record. So, it hasn’t changed so much. You need a good chorus, a good melody and you’ve got to write some dope rhymes. And ballads, when they’re pretty, the melody is the melody. Rhythmically hip hop hasn’t changed so much and lyrically… You know, some more poppy records play, but then some more hip hop records play – hardcore, old school beats. Jay Z’s [latest] album and J Cole’s album sound like hip hop hit records from any set of years.
If there was one thing you could change about the music industry overnight, what would it be? Nothing. It is what it is. I don’t like to think about what I would change about anything. I try to accept the moment and accept where I am and what we’re doing. A challenge is fun. Whatever we change wouldn’t change our state of mind or our happiness. Let’s just go to work every day and enjoy the challenge.
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