State Champ Radio Independent
Some of the most important workplace skills can only be learned on the job — from building relationships with colleagues to positioning yourself for a promotion to dealing with long hours to being able to tell if a work situation is truly strange or totally normal.
But for women — many of whom find it easier to confide in other women at work — finding a colleague to figure these things out with can be harder in a male-skewing industry like the music business.
A 2023 study conducted by Luminate, Tunecore and Believe found a host of female-specific challenges in the music industry, including increased instances of sexual harassment, ageism and unequal representation along with a persistent wage gap. These challenges are particularly acute in the indie realm, where, despite some improvements, senior leadership continues to be largely male.
“Independents tend to be niche spaces and our company sizes are smaller,” says Katie Alberts, COO of the Atlanta-based Reach Records. “If you have a historic trend of men being in leadership and your company only has 10 people, you might not have that female executive within your company as an example for other women.”
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To take on the issue, Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for independent labels, launched a new mentorship program for women, Merlin Engage, early last year. The program paired 18 executive-level mentors with mentees from around the indie label space for a six-month program designed to offer community, leadership skills and advice on how to thrive and rise within the industry and the indie space in particular. The program was initiated by Marie Clausen, managing director of Ninja Tune North America and a Merlin Engage mentor. The 2024 Merlin Engage program starts March 20.
When she applied for the debut program, Magali Ould of Secret City Records was in discussions with upper management about a possible promotion. “We’re 14 employees,” she says. “It’s not a huge company, so every promotion is crucial.”
Magali Ould and Katie Alberts
Nadia Zheng; Courtesy Photo
Secret City president/CEO Justin West, who’s also a Merlin board member, suggested that Ould apply to the Engage program to connect with other women in leadership roles. Ould was accepted and paired with Jenna LoMonaco, the head of U.S. marketing at digital distribution service ONErpm. Over the next six months, the pair regularly spoke on the phone, discussing things like how to build and demonstrate leadership skills, how to prioritize, personality management within the company, public speaking, and presenting skills and relationship building.
Having a mentor, Ould says, gave her a “better understanding and perspective on what it takes to be upper management.” It also helped her score the promotion she was aiming for: Secret City GM.
Ould says working with LoMonaco also helped her see that many of the situations she was dealing with at work, and which seemed potentially unique to her work life, were actually common. Ould says this understanding enhanced her confidence, particularly in moments when she would have previously second guessed herself. She says this knowledge and confidence have helped her stand her ground as a woman in a leadership position.
“Jenna said, ‘Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness,’ which was very helpful for me,” Ould recalls. “I think women can be perceived as being nice, but then we don’t take our space so people might think they can just get their way. This experience showed me how to be caring and also how to still get s— done.”
Alberts of Reach Records served as a mentor in the program and says the experience was extra special because her mentee was pregnant. As such, the pair not only talked about professional goals, but also created a plan for her transition back into work after maternity leave and adjusting to life as a working mom. While the official program is over, Alberts and her mentee are still in touch on work and life matters.
“To see that we did the prep work for a smooth transition back to work, then seeing her reintegrate into working life as a new mom, is super cool,” says Alberts.
In addition to ongoing one-on-one meetings (for which mentors and mentees set their own schedule), the debut Engage program included three program-wide meetings over Zoom, with participants from across the United States. along with cities including London, Brussels and Cape Town, South Africa. The second Engage program will include 15 mentor-mentee pairings, with participants from 10 countries and 28 different Merlin-affiliated companies.
Alberts, who’s returning as a mentor, says there won’t be any major changes to the program except for potentially more of the program-wide Zoom meetups given how much information was mined from hearing about other mentor/mentee experiences. These wider meetings also allowed for participants to collaborate across companies and territories, with the diversity of Merlin affiliated labels allowing for noncompetitive knowledge sharing.
“We’re able to learn and grow from each other through this exchange of information,” says Alberts. “Like, ‘Hey, we made this mistake on this platform, or here’s how we optimized in this in a really interesting way.’”
“That allows us to pool resources,” she continues, “And I think there’s a lot of alignment with Merlin’s vision in that too, because it’s about the collective weight of independents together.”
UnitedMasters has officially launched in Nigeria, Billboard can exclusively announce. The global music distribution platform aims to connect independent African artists to the global stage.
With UnitedMasters’ premium music distribution services, innovative technology and first-of-its-kind artist marketing solutions, Nigerian artists will be able to upload and distribute their music to global media parters — such as Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, Apple Music, YouTube, Snap and TikTok — as well as critical African services, like Boomplay, Audiomack, Muska, Music in Ayoba, Anghami and Joox.
“UnitedMasters’ move into Nigeria is the next logical step in making independence the standard setting for the music industry all around the globe,” UnitedMasters CEO Steve Stoute said in a statement to Billboard. “While we’re active in a number of exciting markets around the world, Nigeria is simply second to none when we talk about talent density and untapped potential, both for individual artists and the Naija diaspora as a whole.”
UnitedMasters offers tailored music distribution plans for artists, from the “Debut” tier with 90% royalty retention to “Select” tier, which includes unlimited music releases and brand collaborations. For the special Nigerian launch, UnitedMasters will introduce reduced pricing, with the “Select” tier at 20,000 NGN/year, as part of its commitment to accessible, high-quality music distribution for all independent artists in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is already a musical powerhouse, and our role is to ensure that the cultural command it enjoys today becomes an economic and political annuity for generations to come,” said Stoute. “Our promise that you can shape the future of music without sacrificing your ownership is critical to establish in Nigeria, while artists from around the world seek to emulate the success of these Naija heroes. As we see it, winning with, not just within, Nigeria is the one move that will accelerate our cause in every market.”
Nigerian American rapper Tobe Nwigwe and Nigerian producer Sarz are already on the platform. In June, Billboard exclusively announced that UnitedMasters was partnering with Sarz and his 1789 imprint in efforts to discover, develop and empower the next generation of African artists and producers. Sarz recently released his “Happiness” single, featuring Asake and Gunna, via 1789 and UnitedMasters ahead of his new album, which is due in 2024. “Happiness” arrived three months before his previous “Yo Fam!” single with Crayon and Skrillex.
As part of the launch, Nwigwe and Sarz will perform during a “Live from Lagos” concert on Thursday (Dec. 14) in collaboration with Don Julio, with VIPs being served Don Julio 1942. In the coming months, Don Julio and UnitedMasters will continue working together by unveiling a series of programs aimed at spotlighting independent Nigerian artists and making strategic investments in the future of Nigerian music. UnitedMasters will utilize the brand partnerships they already have with Don Julio, Coca Cola, the NBA and more, while simultaneously building relationships with brands on the ground to support local artists and contribute to the prosperity of the Nigerian music industry.
“Don Julio partnerships are often driven by cultural truths. Don Julio has organically been a part of the Afrobeats scene for years, so when we were looking for meaningful ways to enter into the Nigerian market, the UnitedMasters launch was an obvious choice,” added Sophie Kelly, svp of global tequila and mezcal at Diageo. “This partnership will begin in December, but ultimately expand Don Julio’s presence in the music scene of Nigeria throughout 2024.”
Whenever Ed Sheeran has toured Australia and New Zealand, he has partnered with Frontier Touring, the live division of the dominant independent music company, Mushroom Group. And he breaks records with almost monotonous regularity.
He did it with his Divide tour in 2018, which sold more than 1 million tickets in the market, according to Frontier, breaking Dire Straits’ record that had stood since the 1980s. And Sheeran did it again with his most recent trek, The Mathematics Tour, which filled stadiums across the country earlier this year, smashing the all-time ticket sales record on consecutive nights (March 2-3) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, according to Frontier.
But this year’s tour was different. Mushroom Group’s legendary founder, Michael Gudinski, was not waiting at the airport to greet Sheeran. No Michael to see him off, either, or run amok on the adventures for which the good friends were famous.
“The reason I’m here right now,” Sheeran told the 105,000-strong Melbourne audience on March 2, “is because of an idea that he formed about eight years ago, and said, ‘Ed, you need to play in the round, in the MCG, with a band.’ I’d only started playing stadiums at this point, and I was like, ‘That place is really big. I’ve never played with a band.’ ” But Gudinski “convinced” him, he says, after his Divide tour ended. “I really wish he was here tonight,” Sheeran added.
Michael, the larger-than-life chairman and founder of Mushroom Group, which includes Frontier Touring and more than 20 music company brands, died March 2, 2021, at age 68.
The Mushroom Group and its staff was a family under Michael, and it remains so under his son, Matt, who now helms the company as chairman/CEO.
Michael (left) and Matt Gudinski in 2019.
Mushroom Creative House
Matt, 38, steered the business and its 300 staffers through the pandemic that crushed the live industry. Now Mushroom’s touring and agency activities have bounced back, and business is booming. As the company celebrates its 50th anniversary, Matt has taken the opportunity to look ahead and to remember the company’s achievements and challenges.
Matt had little time to grieve the death of his father. With his appointment to the top job confirmed in April 2021, he hit the ground running. He was at the helm when Mushroom announced its new talent management division, Mushroom Management; a multilayered international pipeline deal with Universal Music’s Virgin Music; the realignment of Frontier Touring; the launch of new booking agency MBA and events/touring company MG Live; and a partnership with hip-hop specialist Valve Sounds.
In 2021, he navigated Mushroom’s break with Harbour Agency, following claims from former staff of past management misbehavior at the agency.
On Nov. 26, dozens of Australia’s leading artists performed at Mushroom’s 50th-anniversary concert at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena — a venue where a statue of Michael, holding aloft his finger in the familiar No. 1 gesture, stands outside the entrance. Such Mushroom family acts as Jimmy Barnes, The Teskey Brothers, Amy Shark, The Temper Trap, Vika & Linda, DMA’S, Paul Kelly, Ross Wilson, Kate Ceberano and Missy Higgins joined the event that aired on the Seven Network, performing a mix of originals and classics from across the Mushroom catalog, including “Working Class Man,” “Holy Grail,” “Sweet Disposition,” “Riptide,” “It’s Only the Beginning,” “Before Too Long” and “Living in the 70s.”
The countdown to the concert included the Nov. 24 release of an all-star covers collection, Mushroom: 50 Years of Making Noise, and the theatrical release in August of Ego, The Michael Gudinski Story, a documentary on the executive whose death was mourned by many of the superstars he worked with, from Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen to Dave Grohl and Sheeran.
Veteran Mushroom artist Paul Kelly was among those on the bill of a Nov. 26 televised concert to mark the company’s anniversary.
Tim Lambert/Mushroom Creative House
In 1972, when Michael was just 20, he launched Mushroom Records, which soon became Australia’s indie music juggernaut. The company has shaped the country’s music culture like no other brand. Today, Mushroom Group embraces touring, booking agencies, publishing, merchandising/marketing services, venues, exhibition/events production, neighboring rights, branding, labels, talent management and more. (Warner Music acquired and absorbed the Mushroom Records label in Australia over a decade ago.)
“To survive 50 years as an independent music entertainment company is something we’re extremely proud of,” Matt says. “And throughout this year, we’ve tried to celebrate not only the history of the company, but the future.”
What were the first business challenges you took on when your father died?
We were still deep within the pandemic. And there were a lot of unknowns about how the music industry and the wider entertainment industry would move forward and recover from that. Without live music, it was an extremely challenging time for Mushroom Group and its survival. I’m really proud to be sitting here two-and-a-half years on from that, and I can confidently say that the Mushroom Group as a whole is in its best shape it has ever been.
What is your earliest memory of your father at work at Mushroom?
I’d always come into the office from a very young age, after school or even on holiday. We’d be going on tours together, whether it be Jimmy Barnes or Billy Joel. Before I’d even hit double [digits], I had a real passion for it. I was a budding concert promoter and entrepreneur, similar to my dad at a young age.
What was your first job in the music business?
When I was around 12 years old, I started trying to run some different events at different town halls, mostly for [those] under 18 and promoting bands. The first event I did wasn’t that successful; thenI started to hit my stride and was pretty much hooked. When I was about 16, I started getting involved with managing some upcoming artists and began to have influence in the A&R side of the group.
Your father was such a boisterous individual. What’s your management style?
It’s always an open-door policy and very collaborative. My dad was obviously a larger-than-life figure, and maybe some people out there thought that Mushroom was all about him, a one-man band. It was never that, never will be. Now there’s an opportunity for so many great people who’ve been part of the Mushroom Group for a long period of time to build up their profiles and really make a mark on this company and its future. Bringing their vision to life is something I’m very passionate about.
A U.S. No. 1 hit was high on your father’s wish list. What’s on yours?
At the time he had that dream, Australian artists having success [in] the biggest music market, the U.S. — outside of a very select few — was a foreign concept. Now there are so many artists that are making noise, having success globally. International success is a big priority, a big goal of mine. We have some artists who are doing really well, but we’d like them to go even further.
Michael Gudinski in 1979.
Mushroom Group Archive
You’ve recently had Robbie Williams, Paul McCartney, Sam Smith and Paramore tour Australia with Frontier Touring. Foo Fighters are next up. How would you describe the live business right now?
We’ve definitely had the biggest touring period in our history since the return to live. More artists are wanting to come here than ever before, and so many artists are selling more tickets than ever. But there’s still so many challenges to deliver these tours, whether it’s rising costs, economic challenges or just the competitiveness in the market. Everyone’s selling more tickets, but it’s more competitive than ever.
Your father was very proud of you for landing a Drake tour. How did that come about?
Drake was an artist that I was following from quite early and had been trying to get to come to Australia for many years before we finally landed his tour in 2015. It was a coup to get such a global superstar like Drake to tour Australia when we did. And we’ve had a few successful tours with him since then. Bruno Mars was another artist I brought to Australia very early.
Taylor Swift’s last tour in Australia was with Live Nation. Now Frontier Touring is producing her tour, which is scheduled for February.
We’ve worked with Taylor many times before. She loves Australia. And we’re looking forward to hosting her again. To get her back working with Frontier is something that we’re really excited about. I know it would have meant a lot to my dad, who had a great relationship with Taylor. I don’t think we’ve ever seen that demand for a tour like this, not just for Frontier, but for any promoters. For every one person who has bought a ticket to her tour, there are probably another 20 in Australia who want a ticket.
Your father was a relentless traveler and loved it. Is that something you enjoy?
My dad loved getting out there and building relationships, showing up anywhere in the world to see an artist that we worked with or that we wanted to work with. I definitely do the same. Travel in our industry coming out of the pandemic has probably changed a little bit, and the technology has evolved, but that’s how you create, maintain and grow great relationships.
How has Mushroom survived as an independent while so many other indies have gone belly up or been absorbed by multinationals?
The core of Mushroom is to invest in supporting Australian talent and to take it to the world. My dad was big on the saying of being a leader, not a follower. We’ve continued to evolve and adapt; it’s why we sit here with so many different business arms to the Mushroom Group, because we’re not reliant on one. If we were just a record label, we would have struggled to survive to this point. [We’ve been] able to continually evolve and ensure that we’re looking for the next thing, not the current thing. And investing in great people and other great entrepreneurs has really allowed us to stay successful over such a long period of time. Part of what makes us unique is the fact that it is a family affair. So many people at Mushroom have been there a long time. And we’re really an extension of our family. That’s what else has made us survive.
How did your father prepare you to take the reins at Mushroom?
It’s all about reputation in our business. He just instilled into me those key fundamentals: how to ensure that the business moves forward and all the foundations that he’d laid go on for a long time. Mushroom’s success is really down to amazing people, great artists, loyalty and strong overall values. I was lucky enough that for a number of years my dad and I were working closely together, and the Mushroom Group expanded so much over the past 10 years. A lot of the areas we moved into were things that not only were we driving together, but that I was driving and really taking the reins on. I was well prepared to take on the greater responsibility. I’ll always say it: My dad and I love what we did so much because we did it together. It’ll never be the same doing it without him.
Overcoming the Tyranny of Distance
A restructured Frontier touring continues to bring superstars to Australia.
Dion Brant was named CEO of Frontier in 2022.
Ian Laidlaw
Australian promoter Frontier Touring has come roaring back from the 2021 death of founder Michael Gudinski and a pandemic that hobbled the live industry.
“We’ve completed around 160 tours since the restart of touring in mid-2022,” Frontier CEO Dion Brant says. “It has been a strong 18 months,” he adds, noting the company had 44 tours on sale as of early November. According to year-end Billboard Boxscore data, Frontier ranks as the No. 7 promoter worldwide for 2023.
Founded by Gudinski in 1979, Frontier was established on the core value of prioritizing artists and fans. The company has continued to channel this ethos since touring restarted following the health crisis.
In recent months, Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish, Sam Smith and Luke Combs have played stadiums and arenas across Australia as part of Frontier-produced tours. Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour sold over 830,000 tickets across 12 shows in Australia and New Zealand and left excess demand, Brant says.
The heat isn’t dissipating from the market anytime soon.
Throughout the Southern Hemisphere summer, Frontier will promote treks for Robbie Williams, Foo Fighters and Taylor Swift, whose Eras Tour has sold out seven 2024 stadium shows across Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s most populous cities.
The so-called “tyranny of distance” — a phrase coined in 1966 by Australian historian Geoffrey Blainey — makes the country a challenging touring market. “It is more expensive” post-COVID-19, Brant says. The cost to “move people and freight is much higher than pre-COVID. An already marginal business is even more marginal.”
Even the price of replacement turf has soared. “Artists and their agents are working harder than ever to make touring viable, to get their artists in front of audiences in a way that still stacks up financially,” Brant continues. “We all play our part in that.”
Brant was promoted in March 2022, heading up a new leadership team, part of wider restructuring designed to help the “legacy, mission and culture” of Frontier to flourish following Gudinski’s death in March 2021.
Brant reports to the Frontier board, which includes Michael’s son, Mushroom Group chairman/CEO Matt Gudinski; Jay Marciano, chairman/CEO of AEG Presents, which has a joint venture with Frontier; and AEG Presents Asia Pacific president/CEO Adam Wilkes, who was appointed Frontier chairman as part of the restructuring.
Legendary Australian concert promoter Michael Chugg, executive chairman of Chugg Entertainment, reunited with former business partner Michael Gudinski to form a joint venture in 2019. More recently, Chugg joined the Frontier leadership team alongside Matt, Frontier senior promoter Gerard Schlaghecke and others.
As live entertainment returned, Frontier has welcomed a new golden age of stadium shows, promoting gigs by Billy Joel, Foo Fighters and Elton John. In years past, Australia would host “two to three stadium tours a summer for all promoters, if we had a big summer,” Brant says. “That seems to have changed.”
“Twenty years ago, people were lamenting what would happen to the business when The Rolling Stones, Eagles and Neil Diamond-type acts stopped filling stadiums,” he says. Not anymore. Brant points to the evolution in stage production and the quality of new artists now making their mark.
Adds Brant: “To be in stadiums eight times over a couple of summers is big for Frontier.”
This story originally appeared in the Dec. 9, 2023, issue of Billboard.
International independent pioneers Michel Lambot and Kenny Gates received IMPALA’s Outstanding Contribution award to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the [PIAS] group. The award was announced on Tuesday (July 4).
Over the last four decades, [PIAS] has grown from a vinyl record importer on behalf of UK independent record labels into a key European and global recording, marketing and distribution outlet. [PIAS] currently has 19 offices and 280 employees active globally.
Lambot and Gatesalso founded IMPALA in 2000 to develop a single voice for the independent music sector in Europe. They were instrumental in creating Merlin as well as Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), with a view to supporting and expanding the independent music ecosystem internationally.
Lambot and Gates were presented with their awards by Helen Smith, executive chair of IMPALA, at their BXL CENTRAL – CHEZ [PIAS] record shop and office located on Rue Saint Laurent in Brussels.
“Michel and Kenny’s story is an inspiration to all emerging independents starting out in the sector,” Smith said in a statement. “The contribution of [PIAS] to the European music sector is totally unique. [Their] amazing 40th-anniversary re-releases speak for the artists and great music, and IMPALA, Merlin and WIN speak for their approach on collaboration making everyone stronger.”
“Back some 25 years ago, we had the idea to combine forces of a handful of independent companies to increase our market leverage and playing field,” Lambot said in a statement. “That sounded crazy and naive: trying to unify independent companies owned and run by people fiercely independent was antinomic… And now getting an award by IMPALA which has become a kind of institution makes me feel so proud and so happy. The recognition by our peers of what we did all these years and are still doing, Kenny and myself, as [PIAS] on one hand, and for the independent world on the other hand, is very moving”.
Gates, who serves as CEO of [PIAS] added: “Our goal at [PIAS] has always been to expand our dreams by creating a company of holistic values that reflects a pan-European diversity. It’s been an incredible journey of constant adaptation, and we couldn’t receive this award without thanking all our staff and friends.”
IMPALA’s Outstanding Contribution Award is designed to put a spotlight on European independent music and those who drive it, as well as initiatives that deserve particular recognition. Previous recipients include Tony Duckworth, Didier Gosset, FONO, Kees Van Weijen, Keith Harris OBE, Tom Deakin, Love Record Stores, Music Declares Emergency, Markus Tobiassen and newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, Jonas Sjöström, Plus 1 Refugees welcome!, Alison Wenham, Label Love, Eurosonic Noorderslag, Sabine Verheyen MEP, Armada Music/Armin van Buuren, Martin Mills OBE, Mary Moneyball MEP, Charles Caldas and Mario Pacheco.
Lambot and Gates previously received the Indie Champion award at the AIM Music Awards 2022 in London.
Late British media journalist Juliana Koranteng previously invited Lambot and Gates to share their story on her 20MinutesWith podcast. In this episode, the two executives talked about their ambitions, successes and challenges in growing the [PIAS] network over the years. (Sadly, it turned out to the last episode Koranteng recorded. The journalist died in February at age 64.)
IMPALA was established in 2000 and now represents nearly 6,000 independent music companies. The organization’s mission is to grow the independent music sector sustainably, return more value to artists, promote diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access, inspire change and increase access to finance.
As part of our annual Indie Now package, we asked notable figures in the independent scene to offer advice on how to succeed in the industry. Below, electronic producer/digital artist Pat Lok talks to Billboard’s Katie Bain.
I was lucky enough to write an NFT clause into an indie single deal of mine back in February 2021, via the Australian label Club Sweat [a subsidiary of Sydney-based record label Sweat It Out]. Verbatim, the contract said, “Licensers shall retain exclusive rights to create and exploit NFTs in connection with license masters.” I actually did exploit that for my Alaska drop, a collaboration with Party Pupils, on [NFT marketplace] Catalog in October 2021.
[These clauses] allow you to be versatile in a way that’s reminiscent of the SoundCloud and Hype Machine era, where the energy was, “Who knows what we’re going to do today?” You can talk to your audience and get them excited about something you’re dropping tomorrow. That’s something labels traditionally shy away from. Often, it’s hard to get even a same-day response from a label because they’re so busy.
The thing to keep in mind is that a lot of NFT collectors are already following artists they like or have found [out about] through the Web3 space, so the marketing of NFTs is really driven by artists doing the legwork. My perspective is to consider the value-add [of a label]. There are a few different scenarios of how they may be involved with an NFT project, but a lot of labels are not even really thinking about it yet because even the majority of artists don’t yet know how to do this. It’s cool if you’re able to say, “We agreed upon 10% for the gross of my share.” That seems super fair, as it’s similar to an agent contract. Meanwhile, the manager/artist split on this stuff is also all over the board, and that should be as important [as a conversation with a label] because the manager is going to be talking to the label side.
These clauses are niche, but very important, and I think the standard is being built deal by deal right now. It’s important we have conversations about NFT clauses so that artists, especially new artists, don’t just give up their NFT projects before knowing what they’re worth. It’s just like with your masters.
This story will appear in the Nov. 5, 2022, issue of Billboard.
While attending law school at the University of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia native Reynold Jaffe was booking DIY shows at least three nights a week — including Bright Eyes’ first performance in the city in 1999. Through that key booking, he met agent Eric Dimenstein, whom he stayed in touch with over the years as he became more immersed in the music industry. After first working in the business affairs department at Rykodisc, Jaffe later started independently managing Kurt Vile (whom he met at the indie record store his now-wife ran at the time) and Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield.
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By 2017, after years of encouragement from Dimenstein, Jaffe finally turned his passion into co-founding his own company, Another Management Company (AMC). Today, the firm has 10 employees and a roster of just over 20 acts, from Mdou Moctar and Alvvays to 2022 breakouts Blondshell and Horsegirl. “I never thought managing bands would or could be a career,” says Jaffe. “We identified a gap between the big management companies and a bunch of rogue one-man shows … Indie labels used to be thought of as junior varsity. I don’t think that is the case anymore at all. Some of the most artistically and commercially viable records can happen in the independent sphere, more so now than ever.”
Horsegirl
Horsegirl
Cheryl Dunn
During Thanksgiving dinner in 2020, Jaffe excused himself to hide in the bathroom and listen to a Bandcamp link his friend had sent. “I immediately fell in love,” he recalls of hearing Chicago-based teen trio Horsegirl’s first three songs. “I DM’d the band on Instagram from the table and said, ‘Please, can we talk?’ ” He hadn’t felt that surprised since hearing Snail Mail five years prior, subsequently signing the then-teen act to AMC in 2016. After partnering with Horsegirl in 2020, Jaffe helped the group score a record deal with Matador this year. “My experience with Snail Mail is not a small part of what made them comfortable with pursuing this.”
Blondshell
Blondshell
Daniel Topete
Welcoming indie-rock act Blondshell into the AMC family in June was pivotal for Jaffe. “Blondshell marks one of the first instances of a band that I’m not the manager of,” he says, praising AMC’s Holly Cartwright and Shira Knishkowy. “The passion was exuding from them for this demo …They’ve been in the driver’s seat, and that was my goal for AMC.” Jaffe believes the success of Blondshell, the Sabrina Teitelbaum-fronted act recently picked to join Spotify’s Fresh Finds emerging artist program, proves what can happen when the right team comes in at the right moment “with a vision and relationships to put gasoline on the fire.”
Mdou Moctar
Mdou Moctar
Atiba Jefferson
Though AMC started working with Niger-based Mdou Moctar in the summer of 2018, Jaffe had long been a fan of the Taureg songwriter and musician. “I’ve always liked music from that part of the world, but Mdou combined the traditional sounds of that part of the world with raging Western guitars, which I also love,” he says. “I would always go see him and the band as they came to town.” Following encouragement from musician Matt Sweeney, who “was a huge early proponent” of the musician, AMC added Mdou Moctar to its roster with the goal of signing the act to a new label. In 2020, Mdou Moctar signed to Matador and in late 2021 released its sixth album Afrique Victime. “At risk of being hyperbolic, it really is that sort of rarified air of seeing that band play,” continues Jaffe, teasing that after playing an estimated 200 shows this year the band is already back in the studio working on an album he hopes will arrive in 2023.
Poison Ruïn
Poison Ruin
Courtesy of Another Management Company
The Philadelphia punk band Poison Ruïn had been on Jaffe’s radar for some time. “It was one of those things where it’s like, your little brother’s doing something cool and you don’t immediately pay attention because it’s just your little brother’s thing and then you step back and you’re like, ‘Holy cow, this is really special,’ ” says Jaffe. He recalls how the act’s first album, I, uploaded to Bandcamp in 2021, sold 300 vinyl copies in under five minutes, prompting a repressing. He and AMC manager Dan Oestreich agreed the group could transcend the DIY punk scene, and now, much like Horsegirl and Blondshell, anticipate the band’s major breakthrough in 2023. Says Jaffe: “It could definitely be their year.”
This story will appear in the Nov. 5, 2022, issue of Billboard.
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