BrownHEN / BrownHEN.org

Interview with Elias Roman, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Amie Street

BrownHEN interviewed Elias Roman, Brown '06, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Amie Street, Long Island City, New York.

1. Eliot, please explain the model used by Amie Street. Why is it different from other sites where one can download music?

Amie Street uses word of mouth as the dominant filter to provide users with music recommendations deemed relevant by their social network. We use dynamic pricing (with all songs starting at zero) to both allow price to serve a quality metric and to encourage people to experiment with music they may never have heard of. We also forbid DRM on our songs. Digital Rights Management in some ways causes consumers to only lease what they thought they had purchased.

2. Amie Street has had really remarkable growth, even before the recent investment by Amazon. Please analyze the reasons for the growth. Is it sustainable? (We know, of course, that one reason is that you and your co-founders, Josh Boltuch and Elliot Breece, are very smart.)

I certainly believe it is sustainable. We have been focused on building a product that markets itself. We continually upgrade the product to be a good and fun experience so people will share it their friends.

3. So what kind of music do you prefer?

Thanks to Amie Street, I'm loving a lot of music I didn't think I liked before: country, folk and indie rock in particular. I've always been a fan of blues, rock and hip-hop.

4. Does Eliot (and/or the rest of you) contribute songs to the Amie Street list?

I do  have music on the site for sale, but under a nickname, since I'm too embarrassed to have it under my name. (I don't think my singing is quite there, yet).

5. You must be using some sophisticated computer algorithms. How did you get these written?

We had months and months of free time during college to think them through.

6. Are the offices for Amie Street in one of your parents' home—the stereotype basement or garage?

Our offices started in Brown University housing. Next, we moved to two other houses in Providence, then to a house in Hicksville, New York, and finally to offices in Long Island City. At this point, the founders have been living together 24/7 for 16 months straight.

7. Would you speak about fear as a motivation or hindrance toward accomplishment? How has that played a factor in your path, if any?

It certainly has been a good motivating factor, in that I left an offer for what I thought was my dream job to stay with Amie Street. That being said, since I love getting up every morning and working on Amie Street, the only real fear is letting our supporters down.

8. What is the latest insight (about life, work, play) that you picked up and would like to share with BrownHEN?

I have found that taking the extra few seconds to make decisions, and then going with what seems to be the dominant move at the time, saves me a lot stress later on. I can look back and know I did my best. That's all you can really ask of someone.

9. The music business is rumored to be very competitive—cutthroat and lacking trust. How are three nice young Brown graduates doing so well?

We have received a lot of positive feedback for doing business so honestly. We have also dealt with some true sharks. In particular, saving the "I'm walking away if you can't agree to this" threat for only when you truly mean it, and only late in the negotiations, gets you a lot of mileage, too.

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Copyright 2007 – BrownHEN.org

Interview with Craig Kallman, Chairman & CEO of Atlantic Records

 

BrownHEN interviewed Craig Kallman, Brown '87, Chairman & CEO, Atlantic Records, New York, NY.

1. Craig, how does the CEO of Atlantic Records spend his working hours? What do you see as your major professional priority?

I wake up at 6:00 AM and start with international calls to my affiliates and general music industry, primarily in the UK. Then I spend my day in the office listening to music of my artists or for my artists, and submissions from my staff and managers, producers, songwriters etc. I am in meetings though out the week on operational issues for Atlantic. Every night I attend  a music dinner of some kind; then I am off to the studio and to live shows. I am generally home by midnight. 

2. You were at WBRU, then at the independent Big Beat, and now managing the top-selling record label in the US. During which part of your career did you have the most fun? Are you still having a lot of fun?

I feel like the luckiest person alive. I had a blast in high school deejaying all the big clubs in NYC while at Trinity. At Brown, I opened nightclubs, ran Funk Night, worked for CBS Records, programmed shows for WBRU, threw big campus parties, and made mini movies to promote them. In addition, I went to class and managed to do all my homework. I was having the time of my life on College Hill. I spent the next four years starting up and running my own independent label and got a crash course on learning the record business. Since then, I have had the time of my life working my way up the ladder at Atlantic Records, my favorite label since childhood. I have been there 18 years. It has all been a blast.



3. A question many have asked for a long time: how, when you were a student, did you get James Brown to come to Brown?

I networked for all of the celebrities I had booked for the Mike’s Party videos. I used every connection I had, and often just cold called and begged. Begging works sometimes.



4. A more important question: how do you gain and retain the trust of artists?

Honesty, consistency, transparency, and vulnerability.



5. A question that must get asked many times: how do you see the future of the music business in terms of how people will get their music—CDs, iTunes, mobile phones, and so forth? Do you see entrepreneurial opportunities?

I think there is always going to be a mixed menu as different people have different habits. Digital files, all access models, CDs, and vinyl. There are always entrepreneurial opportunities as technology continues to evolve.



6. Many Brown people have played important roles in the music industry, for example, Manny Gerard—one of the founders of Warner Communication; the late Steve Massarsky—represented Cyndi Lauber, The Allman Brothers, and others; and Amie Street—a new model for supporting artists. What aspect of the Brown experience do you suggest a person aspiring to be in the industry embrace? Why so many Brown people?

Brown always has attracted a creative body of students. The WBRU radio station, the Brown Daily Herald, and the concert agency are great places to start. Plus, add any local experience you can obtain in Providence.



7. You are famous for your collection of almost 300,00 LPs. Do you have time to listen to them?

It is definitely hard since I have so much music of my Atlantic Roster to get through and then the entire outside world of recommended submissions of new acts so it is always a tough decision on the weekends. I so like discovering new talent and there is always so much amazing embryonic new talent out there that needs to be heard; I always am a sucker for the newest exciting artist. But I do love to fit in some personal listening whenever I can. There is just too much great music to always get through.



8. What did you study at Brown and how has your Brown experience served you since?

English and economics. I wanted to communicate well and also to acquire some basic knowledge of business. I felt that with this background and a little worldly knowledge, I could sit with anyone and have an interesting conversation. Most important, the key factor that enabled me to get the most out of my Brown education was the ability and opportunity to fit the entrepreneurial component into my four years on College Hill.

9. Would you speak about fear as a motivation or hindrance toward accomplishment? How has that played a factor in your path, if any?

Never have known fear interestingly enough. I think blind ambition for something I knew and loved from the earliest age gave me the confidence to always keep charging ahead. I knew I had found my calling in music so nothing was going to stand in the way.



10. Do you have a mentor who has helped you in your career path/personal development?

Lyor Cohen, Ahmet Ertegun, Julie Greenwald, and Doug Morris, all have played a significant role in helping shape me along the way.



11. Who are some individuals who have influenced you?

The list above and Irving Azoff, Chris Blackwell, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Clive Davis.



12. What is the latest insight (about life, work, play) that you picked up and would like to share with BrownHEN?

Find what you most love to do and pursue that with all you got. You will never feel like you have worked a day in your life.


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BrownHEN postscript - If you would like to read more about Craig, we've come across a two-part interview by Michael Laskow of bmusic.com.au. Enjoy!

http://www.bmusic.com.au/links/industry/archives/ararchiv/kallman_partone.htm

http://www.bmusic.com.au/links/industry/archives/ararchiv/kallman_parttwo.htm

 


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