BrownHEN interviewed Jeff Daniel,
Brown '91, President , Rock River Music, San Francisco, CA.
1. Jeff, just in case someone has not read about you in the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times, can you review what Rock River does?
We are a Music Branding Agency, working with Fortune 500 Brands to guide music strategy as it relates to the Brand’s marketing, advertising and products. We help our clients navigate the confusing (and confused) world of the music industry and in the process, advise our clients on what’s cool, what’s appropriate (which are not necessarily the same) and which content distribution technologies to use.
2. Please describe how you came to be president of this major music distribution company. Did you come into it primarily through an interest in music or through an entrepreneurial urge?
I was always a musician and songwriter, and after Brown, while struggling to get noticed in New York City, I decided to learn the inside of the industry so I wouldn’t be taken advantage as a musician. Well, the industry work came together more easily than the writing / performing, and eventually allowed me a great deal of creative control as well. This made it much easier to pull back from the performing—after all, I’m still doing what I love.
While at Brown, I attended a talk on the music industry with three Brown alumni, including Josh Deutsch, who was at the time doing A&R—signing and developing new talent—at Capitol Records. I reached out to Josh after graduation and had an informational interview with him at Capitol—he marched me into Human Resources during our meeting and asked them to find me a position one Friday afternoon. Monday morning, they called me with a temp position: answering phones for other A&R folks whose mantra was “I like the new tracks but still don’t hear a single.” It’s a cliché, and I’ve heard it a hundred times.
I eventually settled in the reissue area of EMI Records, producing box sets and compilations of EMI’s early artists. At the time, compilations were a fringe area of the recorded music, but later grew with the popularity of soundtracks and branded CDs.
Fast forward (forgive the pun) six years and I had achieved some success with EMI. I then produced heavy rock and metal reissues for Roadrunner Records; this was followed by a four-year stint at Time Inc. magazine.
I met my business partner and Rock River Communications founder Billy Straus in 1995 and helped him build Rock River from the first production of branded retail CDs (first for the Gap and Pottery Barn) to our current state.
3. Now that you are established, do you ever worry that you may lose your affinity to contemporary tastes in music?
No. After all, I am still first and foremost a music fan. I still get super excited when I hear an amazing new song or see a performance by an artist who blows me away. We also have a great staff of tastemakers, each with their own musical focus and tastes. I have learned to let them do their jobs and I’ve also learned to separate my musical tastes from what is right for a particular brand, which is easier said than done. Labels, publishers and artists send us scores of new albums each week for our consideration, so working through my “in box” helps me keep up with new trends.
4. Are you surprised that the major music companies are not focusing on distributing podcasts? Are you concerned that the major music companies will produce podcasts and eat your lunch?
I doubt it. Most major labels still don’t understand what podcasts really are or how to harness them as a music distribution model. We are still one of the only podcast producers using licensed unprotected audio and video files from the major labels and publishers. For the content owners like the major labels, podcasting could be a new revenue source and a method for building an ongoing relationship with an artist’s fans, but they are too busy focusing on how to hold onto their historically lucrative old distribution methods.
5. Did you find it difficult to deal with established companies like the Pottery Barn, Ford, or Wells Fargo who are not used to thinking of music supporting the retailing experience?
In the early years of our work (‘95-‘97), it was a bit more difficult to explain to clients, but over time many retailers and brands realized they were trying to sell a lifestyle. Music can act as a very effective way to express these lifestyles and emotions. Now, most brands think long and hard about the music in their TV spots, their stores and their products.
6. You seem to have an impressive team. Can you give advice to other entrepreneurs who need to build a team?
Find people who love what they do and are in their line of work for the right reasons. Most of our team has been with us 4 or more years, which attests to the tight-knit family we have built.
7. Rock River has been very successful at using new technology. Do you see big changes in the technology associated with music?
Sure. Digital distribution changed the landscape forever. Apple was the first to organize it well and commands a healthy lead on hardware (iPods) and software (iTunes). Mass communications vehicles like Myspace have helped add to the tools available to artists. With these means of communication, distribution and low-cost recording tools like Garageband and ProTools, any band has the opportunity to express themselves and to distribute to their fans. With the wisdom of the crowds, the cream begins to rise to the top. It still takes bands a lot of hard work and lot of touring to build a fan base, but at least it’s becoming more merit-based and less based on the “golden ear” of a major label A&R person who says “I still don’t hear a single.”
8. Are other Brown graduates part of Rock River? Was the Brown network of help to you?
Billy Straus, who founded Rock River and brought me in, was originally Brown class of ’89, but dropped out to pursue his musical career. The “Brown Music Mafia” has been helpful at times and is still a vibrant community of folks in the Entertainment and recording world. There are many alumni in the industry.
9. Would you speak about fear as a motivation or hindrance toward accomplishment? How has that played a factor in your path, if any?
When I first began my career in the music industry, I found it a bit daunting. It was hard to break into an industry that was populated with those who thought they were invincible. The huge shifts in digital distribution have shown this kind of thinking to be self-destructive and allowed the younger, more progressive thinkers in the entertainment field to leapfrog ahead of the old guard. Our world—brands and music—was non-existent when we started and has grown into one of the few growth areas in music.
10. Do you have a mentor who has helped you in your career path / personal development?
In the early ‘90s, I worked for Adam Block at EMI, whom I still appreciate as an incredibly supportive boss. He gave me a great deal of responsibility and he always gave me credit for my work—both of which were very unusual in that world. Over the years, Adam helped me several times with several opportunities. Also, my business partner Billy Straus was both a mentor and a partner—he has always been a great problem-solver for complex issues and someone I can always rely on.
11. Who are three other individuals (dead or alive) who have influenced you?
My Grandfather overcame incredible adversity and built a very successful business. He has been a great influence on me by showing that a business owner should know how to do every step of the process, but should then learn to delegate roles to others to be effective and to grow.
12. What is the latest insight (about life, work, play) that you picked up and would like to share with BrownHEN?
Just to stick with what you love. You will always be more successful in a field you love, and you also won’t mind the late nights and weekends you’ll spend building your business.
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