Joe Guzik has seen many different phases and regimes in his time at the Sony building. During that time he has been a constant, tirelessly working the phones and fighting the good fight for all of his artists. Anyone who knows Joe knows of his passion and dedication to his craft – the fine art of promoting to radio.
Joe Guzik
Joe Guzik has seen many different phases and regimes in his time at the Sony building. During that time he has been a constant, tirelessly working the phones and fighting the good fight for all of his artists. Anyone who knows Joe knows of his passion and dedication to his craft – the fine art of promoting to radio.
We touched base with Joe and discussed his present situation, his current roster of blooming artists, and got his take on where the record biz stands today.
eQB presents excerpts from the May FMQB magazine Modern Rock: Joe Guzik, Columbia Records VP, Alternative & Rock Promotion
“As a young music man just out of college, I was really lucky to be on the ground floor of Roadrunner’s explosive growth. I was given a lot of creative latitude to market our music not only to radio programmers but to the rock marketplace.”
“The focus [at Columbia] has been on bringing the best music to the marketplace. The company is constantly looking for new ways to be more efficient and effective as we continually evolve in the digital era.”
“When you sign the right artists they transcend geographic borders. MGMT and Ting Tings have been successful in many countries around the world. I think this is a key ingredient of a music company’s success as the world becomes an ever smaller place.”
“I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best executives in the business. I always tried to look at each colleague’s best attributes. I look to learn something to enhance my own business acumen from them. I count myself lucky to call many of them my friends and mentors.”
“In this transitional age for all media companies, all the players are asking serious business questions. Each day we have increasingly better statistical tools to help make the tough decisions and the executives of the future need to know how to use the numbers.”
“PPM is just another statistical tool. It’s another numbers backed analytic measurement that can only measure past decisions. In the internet world, companies like Pandora, Amazon, Wal-mart, and Google are making future predictions based on statistical data. Our challenge is to update our business practices and try to compete on this level. We need to use the data to make better future decisions.”
“I’m driven by being on the ground floor of tomorrow’s heritage artists. MGMT, Ting Tings, Manchester Orchestra, Glasvegas, Gossip, Passion Pit, and Chairlift are just a few of the new artists that make me get up each morning with a fire in my belly.”
** QB Content by Mike Bacon **
Also in the May Issue:
BuzzBands Spotlight: Depeche Mode
This month, FMQB Productions and Capitol Records presented Depeche Mode: Inside Sounds Of The Universe. The one-hour radio broadcast found the three members of the legendary Modern Rock band chatting with Matt Pinfield. Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andrew Fletcher discussed the making of their first new record in four years, how they shake things up in the studio after all these years, their upcoming tour and much more. Excerpts from Pinfield’s wide-ranging conversation with Depeche Mode can be found in the newest issue of FMQB.
