Jeff Walker
AristoMedia Group President Jeff Walker Interview in CelebrityAccess Newsletter
Monday, August 23rd, 2010 | Aristo PR, aristomedia | No Comments
AristoMedia Group President Jeff Walker was interviewed recently by CelebrityAccess’ Larry LeBlanc. Larry’s in-depth interview with Jeff touched on numerous issues facing the Country music industry today, including the growing importance of new media, the nuts and bolts of video and radio promotion and the overall future of our business. Larry even took a comprehensive look back at the accomplished career of AristoMedia’s fearless leader and Music City’s favorite Nashvillian-by-way-of-Australia businessman. See Larry Leblanc’s full interview with Jeff Walker in Celebrity Access here.
Industry Profile: Jeff Walker
— By Larry LeBlanc
This week In the Hot Seat with Larry LeBlanc: Jeff Walker, president/CEO, The AristoMedia Group.
Few things are as genuinely Nashville as Jeff Walker,
The president/CEO of the AristoMedia Group is a virtual PR sandwich board for Music City U.S.A.
For 30 years, Walker has—with great gusto and sizeable strategic smarts—been working there, bolstering the careers of such country music giants as Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, Charlie Daniels and Jo Dee Messina.
However, Walker hails originally from Australia.
In 1980, Walker formed The AristoMedia Group. Its early success as an independent publicity firm (since rebranded as the Aristo P.R. division) prompted Walker to expand his business into video promotion in 1983.
Through its ground-breaking video promotion, The AristoMedia Group played a pivotal role in the growth of music video in country music. The company also played an integral role in establishing the careers of such acts as Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and Sugarland.
Meanwhile, The AristoMedia Group also began to provide publicity and video promotion for the Christian music genre. This included overseeing video promotion of such premier acts as Michael W. Smith, Third Day, Point of Grace, and Relient K.
In 1994 Walker formed The Goodland Group to provide video duplication services. A year later, he launched Jeff Walker & Associates that offers international and domestic consultation services.
In 2004, realizing that there was a need for dance club promotion for country artists, Walker created the Marco Club Connection.
In 2006, The AristoMedia Group launched AristoWorks to develop new media opportunities for clients, and the company branded its Christian video services division as AristoVision.
Since 2005, Walker has hosted, and co-ordinated the annual Global Events of the Country Music Association Festival. This is a series of showcases–sponsored by The AristoMedia Group, and the CMA—that brings the best international talent together. For many of them, it is the first time they’ve been in Nashville.
The AristoMedia Group was launched in April, 1980 which makes it 30 years old.
We started out essentially as a PR firm. Then, in 1983, we segued into video promotion because artists, independent artists in particular, were bringing me videos and saying, “Hey, we want to get these on the air.” So we put a little network together and we started promoting these videos.
In ’89, we took that (video) concept and applied it to the Christian industry, and we expanded to a second department there. Then, in ’91 we got into the radio promotion business with the Marco Music Group. It was initially all of the big stations. After a couple of years, we (decided to) focus on the secondary radio stations in the United States.
Country is undergoing a slight demographic change with the popularity of Taylor Swift and others; and with country radio now trying to attract the next generation of country listeners.
That (shift) is happening with a lot of these younger acts now. Taylor has been great for the country format. What an amazing career she has had in the last 2 1/2 years. It is just tremendous, really. Mass media has embraced her, and the cross-over potential (just continues).The more artists that we get like that, balancing with the other (more traditional) artists that we have in the format is pretty exciting.
Sugarland fits in there too.
Sugarland definitely fits in. Do you know that you can certainly drive to work and hear a Sugarland record, an Allan Jackson record, a George Strait record, a Taylor Swift record, and a Tim McGraw record? This shows what great diversity that we have in the country format.
People aren’t as bothered today with what country is or isn’t anymore. People have recognized that the genre can survive with diversity.
I know. I just heard the new Zac Brown Band, and Alan Jackson duet (“As She’s Walking Away”). It is a marvelous, marvelous record. It is exciting to have this sort of record in the format. Then, there’s Lady Antebellum with, “Need You Now” which is one of the biggest songs of the year. They will sell more records than anything. You can’t tell me that these aren’t mainstream artists.
It’s exciting what is happening to this format. It is almost like the rock music of the ’60s and ‘70s. Where do those fans go? People that have the same taste in music. Where do they fit in now? If you can combine (classic rock) with Easton Corbin “I’m A Little More Country Than That” you almost have within a country format a JACK (radio) format of music because the music is so diverse. It’s a great thing.
Artists like Shania Twain and Keith Urban provided early breakthroughs for that to happen.
Exactly. Keith has been great for the format. He has never denied that he’s not (traditional) country music. He has gone on, and he has held his head high. He’s still living in Nashville, and he’s still saying that he’s a country musician. That fabulous. It’s hard to deny when you look at his roots. I wish Shania would record another album. Boy, she was great for the format too. She made such good music.
What do you make of the recent Country Music Association consumer study that indicated that country fans are adopting new media and technology at a brisk pace?
With the advent of cell phones, all of the (new) technology, and all of the promotion that those companies are doing, I think that people have been forced to accelerate their acceptance of (new media and technology). The CMA research really reflected that, and it’s a great thing for country music, and for all forms of music. I know that digital has slowed down in the past couple of months, but I think it is just because people are readjusting their (digital) plans and have dropped their catalogs (from some services). It will start to pick up again, I believe.
A decade ago, labels had bigger staffs to handle marketing and promotion. With fewer staff at labels, are more opportunities coming your way?
Yes. We have definitely seen a pickup (in business) because (labels) need the help. One of the things that the labels should have picked up on, is releasing more product, not less. It still astounds me that we are so radio-driven with our albums. Instead of picking 6 or 10 new (potential) singles for an album and putting it out, why not do a Broadway tribute? Or a Christmas album? Or a “songs that I wished I had sung” album and create catalog, particularly for these (indie) labels. Why not create the catalog yourself? Where you make money is in the catalog.
For every Big Machine Records or Broken Bow Records that becomes a major country music player, there’s labels like 903 Music, 1720 Entertainment, Category 5, Country Thunder Records, Equity Music Group, Midas Records, Golden Music, and Montage Music Group that have closed or been phased out. Several of those owners have said they didn’t have the leverage to promote artists and records at country radio. It is too expensive?
It is an expensive proposition getting artists out there; taking them on radio tours, and paying for accommodations, plane fares, meals etc. It is a major expense. When radio is the gatekeeper, which they still are, particularly in country music, you have to take a line of least resistance, and work the gatekeepers (in creative ways).
Country is an adult targeted, mostly 35-54 format, and radio plays to that target. New music takes a while to catch on. For new country acts, it takes three hits before they can book good shows. Each single may cost $500,000 to $1 million to promote.
That sounds about right. In the past few weeks, we have had a rush of new releases by Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, the Zac Brown Band, Carrie Underwood, and Sugarland. If you are a brand new artist trying to get a slot on the radio station and they have two slots a week, and (programmers) have all of these superstars bombarding the airwaves, it’s a really tough thing to do.
You have been involved with video promotion since 1983. MTV, of course, was launched two years earlier. You participated in the first meetings at Country Music Television (CMT), which developed a strategy for country videos.
Back in ’83, I saw a real need for (videos) to help break acts, particularly indie acts in the format. I grew up in Australia, watching the Beatles break using film clips. That is what gave me the idea to push this side of the business, which has been really successful. We are still seeing healthy video production here in Nashville. The thing is that there are so many visual opportunities now. People are using (video) for different things. Now, if they can monetize it as part of applications, etc. then it makes it an even more valuable tool. When people shoot a video, they can shoot a press kit and do other things associated with it.
Digital sub channels are providing new programming opportunities for video at many levels, including local, regional and national shows.
There are still opportunities out there (for video). We just did a comprehensive status video report for country and Christian (formats), which is available on our website. It shows the length and width of (video outlets) that are out there. Since we released (the report), we have had calls from people interested in finding out more about how they can start shows or how they can get involved with their radio station and do more (video promotion) timed to their local television outlets. Hopefully, the buzz generated from that (report) will help grow the (the development of video promotion).
[The AristoMedia Group’s 2010 Video Outlet Status Reports contains data compiled over the last year in the country and Christian music formats. The annual reports include a look into the trends and opportunities available at national, regional, syndicated, pool/closed-circuit and online video outlets.]
Video has become a strong tool in attaining local media for artists while touring. Certainly, magazine and morning shows on local TV stations are receptive to videos.
It helps you sell the act. The more tools that you have, and the more visual tools that you have, helps sell the talent co-coordinators. We have this new Downcast service that we offer, where we send out EPK-type cards to about 9,000 media outlets around the country. We have gotten network television bookings off those things. Network people see these artists performing in this area, and they not only book them (for an appearance), but they might add some of this information to their website. What is so great about (the EPKs) is that use is instantaneous. You can send the information out at 7 o’clock and at 7:20 it is up on somebody’s website. It is fantastic, it really is.
[In 2009, in partnership with Travis Television Productions, The AristoMedia Group co-developed the DownCast service, a video content and electronic press kit distribution service.]
Radio has been slow in using video on their websites…
That is changing. They are seeing the need and the opportunity for it. Clear Channel has a separate video channel (department) that programs a lot of the websites. They go through and screen a lot of the product. Obviously, they want to make sure that they are playing the record on the (individual) radio station before they schedule the video.
Marco Club Connection handles dance club promotion…
We work with a network of about 250 dance clubs around the country that are airing country music or that are doing promotions with country artists. We have developed this network over the past two or three years to let people know what is out there. This is an alternative way to get (an artist’s) music heard. With many of these clubs, the disc jockey from the (local) radio station are there nightly programming music. So, it’s another chance for (radio programmers) to hear the music and see the (crowd’s) reaction. People also hear the music in clubs and they can request it at their local radio station.
How cool was it for you to work with Keith Urban? Being that you both are from Down Under (Urban is from New Zealand) you’d certainly have an understanding of his background.
I worked with him practically all through the ‘90s. Through the early ‘90s to early 200,1 when he was getting The Ranch going. That was a great time. I saw him go from just starting out–and not really having anything–to where he took the Top New Male Vocalist of the Year at the ACM Awards (at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2001), under our watch as publicists. It is just great to see the international and global success that he’s had. We have always believed in him here.
What period of time did you work with Shania Twain?
We worked Shania through all of her albums. We worked every video that she put out. We worked and promoted her and had just a great time with those. Boy, you talk about a great machine over there at Universal under (chairman and CEO) Luke Lewis; how they orchestrated and set up those releases. It was a fantastic thing to watch and be part of.
You also worked on the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” project.
We were part of the team for that with Mercury Records. John Grady was over there (as senior VP) at the time. Honestly, our meeting on that project was 6 months before it was released. We knew that it wasn’t going to be radio-driven. Of course, it ultimately became more radio-driven. We knew that this would have to be video-driven because of George Clooney in the video and everything. So we set up a strategy, and a marketing plan to do that.
Certainly, nobody envisaged the impact that “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” would have.
John Grady did. He’s very much a visionary. Just the enthusiasm that he had (for the project), it was infectious with everybody else.
As a soundtrack, it changed the music business to some degree.
It really did. Certainly T-Bone Burnett has continued to go on from strength to strength.
[The soundtrack of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” has sold more than 8 million copies. It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2002; the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for singer Dan Tyminski (whose voice overdubbed George Clooney's in the film on "Man of Constant Sorrow") songwriter Harley Allen, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band's Pat Enright); and the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "O, Death" by Ralph Stanley.]
In what period of time did you work with Alan Jackson?
We worked promotions for a lot of his earlier videos, from ’89 to ’93. With the “Chattahoochee” video (named as Music Video of the Year by the Country Music Association in 1993) we were really involved. We set up the promotions for “Chattahoochee” to take it to the next level. At the time, (people) felt that they were putting Alan into a different image. “Here’s a country singer that is going to be on water skis (with his cowboy hat) out on the lake. What do we all think?” So we set up a bunch of fun things. It was really exciting. He’s quite a guy.
You are still working with Toby Keith and his label doing all of his video promotion.
We have worked with Toby for a lot of years. He’s a dream to work with. He knows what he wants, and he’s well-managed. He has surrounded himself with a great team. His music is very diverse. That has helped to insure the longevity of his career. I’m really proud of what he has accomplished.
Since 2005 you have hosted, and coordinated the annual Global Events for the CMA Music Festival.
There are so many great (international) acts. Some of the country talent coming out of Canada and Australia is amazing. In Australia, Adam Harvey, and Troy Cassar-Daley are incredible. Boy, with Canada, you just have to look at Johnny Reid. I know that he’s not traditional country, but what great music he is making. All of these people should be big stars in the United States.
Larry LeBlanc was the Canadian bureau chief of Billboard from 1991-2007 and Canadian editor of Record World from 1970-89. He was also a co-founder of the late Canadian music trade, The Record. He has been quoted on music industry issues in hundreds of publications including Time, Forbes, the London Times and the New York Times.
See Larry Leblanc’s full interview with Jeff Walker here.
Hey, Hey! We’re Thir-tey!
Friday, April 30th, 2010 | Uncategorized, aristomedia | No Comments
The AristoMedia Group Celebrates 30 Years in the Music Biz…
When Jeff Walker started The AristoMedia Group in 1980,
the compact disc was still in development, the World Wide Web was a decade away and the digital download hadn’t revolutionized the music industry yet…
“No one could have predicted our industry would be where we are today when I started this company 30 years ago,” says Walker. “I’ve witnessed so many changes over the last three decades – I’ve seen the industry turn completely upside down, in fact – that change seems to be part of the norm, now. Digital technology has permanently altered our business, and a lot of that change is positive… but boy, it sure has made things interesting these last few years!”
Walker started AristoMedia in April of 1980 as a singular PR firm, but over the last 30 years, the company has continued to grow, developing into a multi-faceted media, marketing and promotion company that houses a half-dozen specialized departments. Those divisions include Aristo P.R. (publicity and PR) AristoVideo (video promotion and marketing), AristoWorks (new media), AristoVision (Christian video promotion), Marco Promotions (secondary radio promotion) and Marco Club Connection (dance venue marketing).
Walker also began a domestic and international consulting business, Jeff Walker & Associates, founded a digital label, GMV Nashville, in 2007 and most recently, established a video content and EPK distribution service called DownCast in 2009.
“The last five or six years have been particularly challenging, but the positive result of that has been another period of expansion within the company,” he says. “Our club department, Club Connection, has really grown with so many Country artists featuring more dance-friendly material these days, and our digital label has filled a niche for artists where a traditional label might not suit their needs. DownCast is our most recent addition, and we’ve just expanded that service to include distribution for book new release materials.”
AristoMedia’s Senior VP of Promotion and Marketing, Craig Bann, echoes those sentiments. During his 20+ years with the company, Bann has seen his share of changes as well.
“Now more than ever, it’s a time to be proactive in the music industry,” Bann notes. “The digital landscape continues to even out the playing field between established and emerging artists, and as a result, many new media and marketing opportunities have been created. We try to provide a range of services that will appeal to artists at all levels of their careers.”
Walker’s efforts to promote international Country artists in the U.S. facilitated the company’s expansion as well. Born in Australia, Walker tirelessly advocated, and continues to stress, the globalization of Nashville-based music. His company has hosted its own annual global showcase in conjunction with the CMA’s Global Artist Party for the past several years as a prelude to the CMA Music Fest each year in June. Aristo also publishes a digital, quarterly international newsletter that is distributed to more than 7,500 recipients worldwide.
As The AristoMedia Group celebrates its 30th birthday in the music business this month, Walker remains characteristically upbeat.
“When times are tough, sometimes being opportunistic is the best thing you can be,” Walker says.