9.15.97: lawgirl does steve pross
 | Steve Pross has been in the music business for over 20 years. He started off in college as program and music director at WXPN in Philadelphia. While in Philadelphia, Steve founded several indie labels and a distribution company, Dutch East India Trading. Steve then headed to l.a., where he has worked as an artists & repertoire representative at Enigma, Elektra, Island and Giant Records, and the Medicine Label (former home to artists such as the Cramps and Green Apple Quickstep), which he co-founded. Most recently Steve has taken over the helm at indie start-up Emperor Norton Records . . . you may not have heard of Emperor Norton yet, but watch for their debut releases to explode in the Fall. Steve is also a partner in Blast! Music Supervision, a web site designer, and an all-round swell guy. Here is what Steve had to say recently about making it big in the music business . . . |
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What steps would you recommend that a person take to bring their
band to the attention of an A & R person? I wouldn't do anything directly to market a band to an A & R person. You want the A & R person to come to you. To think he or she has discovered something exciting and special. Every A & R person has a network of trusted contacts from lawyers and managers to college DJ's and record store buyers that they keep in touch with. These contacts keep them in touch with the "street" and act as talent filters. I always recommend to artists to play music that they're passionate about and not to try to figure out what kind of band an A & R person is looking for. If you're playing live frequently and networking with other bands, club owners, fans,etc. eventually someone who knows an A & R person will mention your band's name. Or a writer you meet will write a review in a fanzine and an A & R person will see it.. I firmly believe that if a band is any good, A & R people will find out about it rather quickly. What do you do with unsolicited tapes that you receive? If I've never heard of the band I probably will not listen to it for no other reason than I don't even have time to listen to all the music I WANT to listen to. What do you think the latest trend in music is now? In what direction do you see things going? I 'm waiting for the next trend. I feel like we're in that period after Elvis got out the Army in 1960 and rock 'n' roll became safe. Right now I see a lot of artists who will have one hit song or album by imitating someone else. These people will be long forgotten in a year. Of course Dylan and The Beatles saved the business then so I'm hoping they're is some kid in the Mid-West with a sampler , a sequencer, a guitar or whatever who will make everyone currently popular obsolete. How do you find songs to put in films? Sometimes a director asks you to find a song with a specific sound, like a "psychedelic" song or you need to find a song that replaces one that the budget wouldn't allow for. In these cases I scour my large record and CD collection for something that I think works. I also constantly ask my friends and contacts to send me new releases and tapes. Like everyone I have my own list of favorite songs and I present them as well. How has the internet affected the way that you scout for music? Not at all. I have never looked for bands over the internet. It's just too slow and time is precious. Do you ever utilize "unsigned band" sites, such as IUMA? ABSOLUTELY NOT. IUMA will accept any band that has the money to buy a spot. This doesn't mean the band is any good. I don't have time to listen to every band that exists. A better way to spend my time would be to read reviews in fanzines and glance at college radio charts. In these cases someone for whatever reason has screened all the music available to them and decided that this artist is interesting enough to share with others. What are the three most important pieces of advise that you would give to a band trying to get signed? First, be true to yourself. Play the music you are passionate about and believe in. Don't worry what an A & R person or anyone will think. Then you are a true artist. Second, do it yourself. Don't wait to be "discovered". Play shows. Nurture a following. Make a tape. Manufacture a CD. Sell merchandise at shows. This groundwork is invaluable and will payoff if and when a label signs you. Finally, have patience. Take your time. Do not rush yourself. Almost everyone's talents need to practiced and developed. Also just because you know you are a great songwriter and/or musician doesn't mean everyone else will instantly figure it out. . Take the time and be happy to develop a small group of believers who will spread the gospel about your act. How would a person go about finding work as a back-up singer or studio musician? I don't have a clue. What do you look for in a band that you would like to sign? Great songs. Charismatic stage presence. An interesting sound. Emotional maturity. Realistic attitude. Honesty. Once a band has a label or labels pursuing them, what can they expect? This is usually a time of great stress for a band. Most of the time if one label expresses interest in a band then a lot of other labels, managers and lawyers become interested too. These sharks may not have any idea what your band is about. They're just jumping on the bandwagon. In the space of two weeks a band can go from complete obscurity to this month's flavor of ice cream. It's very seductive to be taken out to lunch in expensive restaurants and have industry people schmooze you. It's important at this time to be focused and know what you want out of the situation. The buzz can go as quickly as it came. You need to find the people who have the passion, experience and postion to carry out your goals. If you go for the glitz you can get burned as soon as there is a bump in the road. When you see a band that you are interested in, is it automatic, or does it take some time for you to develop an interest in them? Do you ever not like a band at first and then like them later? It's strange but most of the time I know I'm going to love a band as soon as I see them on stage and before they've played a note. However I have seen bands dramatically improve over time so you have to try to keep an open mind. As a matter of fact an act that I'm currently trying to sign I've disliked for over two years. I saw them by chance this year and couldn't believe how good their new songs and sound were. If you are working with a band that has a name that is already in use by someone else, what does the label usually do? (e.g. do they make the band change the name, or do they try to license it from the other user?) If the signed act has a stronger claim to the name usually the label will try to contact the other act and see if the name can be purchased for a reasonable amount. Thank you so much for your time, Steve. Before we leave, can you tell us a little bit about what you are working on now? Right now most of my time is devoted to preparing for our two Fall releases: The Green Romance Orchestra which is the new band of Dave Abbruzzese who was the former drummer for Pearl Jam and The Upper Crust, a Boston band who's theme is the French Revolution of the Eighteenth Century and sound like The Sweet and AC/DC. I'm also thinking about the '98 release schedule so I'm going to be looking pretty hard for some new bands soon. We're going to be starting a soundtrack label for independent films which means I'm calling everyone I know for leads in that direction.
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