Publicity . Marketing . Promotion
As an Australian native, AristoMedia Group President Jeff Walker seems an unlikely candidate for a country music award. But in 1996, Walker received the Country Music Association (CMA) President's Award for his personal contributions to country music, just one of the many achievements and accomplishments he has accrued over his 30 years and counting in the country music business.
Born and raised in Sydney, Walker's strong interest in finance and business led him to graduate from the University of Sydney with a degree in Economics, majoring in Accounting and Law. He obtained his Chartered Accountants qualifications - the Australian equivalent to a CPA - while working with the Sydney accounting firm, Touche Ross.
After a few years in the corporate world, Walker decided to take a six months hiatus from the bright lights and crunching numbers. After months spent breathing the open air of Europe, his travels eventually landed him in Nashville, the home of his father, arranger/conductor Bill Walker. It was during his visit to Music City that a job opportunity opened up for Walker with the accounting firm of Price Waterhouse, and he joined their team as a Senior Auditor.
With his general appreciation for music, Walker was exposed to the lure of Nashville and its country music roots. After a few months, Walker was offered a position as controller of a newly established music group, Con Brio Records and Publishing. Shortly after he was promoted to Vice President of Operations, the independent label saw considerable success, charting almost forty records in three years. Two of the songs that reached Top 20 positions, "The Feeling's So Right Tonight" and "She's The Girl of My Dreams," were even co-written by Walker himself. Because of the label's size, he also had the opportunity to work in a more creative outlet and served as Album Artwork Design Coordinator for numerous albums. After four years, Walker decided to make a career change. He took all of his experiences from both sides of the business and started his own company.
In April of 1980, Jeff Walker formed Aristo Music Associates, Inc ., (later renamed The AristoMedia Group ). The company name, derived from the word "aristocrat" which means the finest or the best, signified what Walker wanted to achieve with his new venture.
In 1991, Walker formed the Marco Music Group, expanding his services to include record promotion. Inspired by the groundbreaking ideas of the company's namesake Marconi, a great pioneer in radio development, Walker explored new and original ways to be innovative in record promotion.
Through the mid-1990s, the companies continued to grow. Walker formed two additional companies, The Goodland Group in 1994 and Jeff Walker & Associates in 1995. Jeff Walker & Associates was designed to provide services for the growing need of music clients wishing to purchase airtime on video programs and other outlets across the country. The Goodland Group offers a wide range of video duplication services. The publishing companies are now operated under the umbrella of the Walkerbout Music Group, which controls the catalogs of Con Brio Records, the company Walker worked with in the late 70s. The company has six subsidiary entities.
Over the years, Walker and his staff have developed and maintained a solid network for music video promotion. He and his professional team of associates and employees individually contribute to the overall exposure of the country and Christian music formats. Additionally, he and his staff help educate the music industry by providing Annual "Status of" Video Reports, which offer detailed analysis of the current conditions of both country and Christian videos.
With a strong sense of community, Walker has always believed in giving back. He has spent multiple years on boards such as the Country Music Association, The Country Radio Broadcasters, The Academy of Country Music, The Recording Academy (NARAS) and Leadership Music. Through his international outreach, he also serves as a volunteer board member for the Canadian Country Music Association and the Australian-based Contemporary Country Music Coalition. He frequently attends conventions and seminars where he lends his expertise as a moderator and panelist covering his many years of experience in the music industry.
For the past five years, he has also served as Executive Producer and Talent Coordinator for the CMA Music Festival's Daytime Stages. Walker also oversees the international events scheduled by the CMA in conjunction with the music festival and their annual awards show.
AristoMedia Group's range of services, which Walker describes as lateral diversification. includes publicity, media relations, event coordination, special marketing campaigns, video marketing and promotion, secondary radio and dance club promotions and general consulting. He sees the opportunities created by the internet as being very positive for the growth of the music industry and in 2006, expanded the company to include AristoWorks, a new media marketing division.
As The AristoMedia Group moves forward, Walker maintains a positive outlook on the direction of the company's growth, the expansion of its services and the integration of new technology to create a valuable market impact in the music & entertainment industry.