MODERN ROCK: Up Close with Hollywood Records VP of Alternative and Rock Promotion, Joey Scoleri

Joey Scoleri

Joey Scoleri was voted FMQB’s 2006 Modern Rock Promotion Executive Trendsetter in our year-end Leader’s Poll. Being a trendsetter means taking risks, capitalizing on opportunities and following through. Last year and into 2007, Scoleri has defined that philosophy in the job he’s done promoting artists such as Breaking Benjamin, Plain White T’s, Sparta and Evans Blue to radio stations across the county. We recently caught up with Scoleri and bounced some pucks off him and got his take on promotion in the 21st century, satellite radio and what it’s like to work for one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world.

eQB presents excerpts from the April FMQB magazine Modern Rock Up Close with Hollywood Records VP of Alternative and Rock Promotion, Joey Scoleri

On the most important pillars of promoting to radio in today’s business climate… Some are the same as always, some are direct results of changes in technology and the business landscape. The most important one is still relationships, regardless of what people may say about those being dead.  There are some wonderful people on both sides of the radio/record company equation and even though the demands on both are greater than ever, we are all still only as good as our ability to connect to our client. Obviously it’s less about hype and more about real information; with all the communication tools at hand, getting that info out in a timely and concise manner is critical. No one wants their time wasted, so show people respect and be a pro. It’s amazing what that and being prepared will do for you.

On whether it’s harder to break new artists at any Rock format today than in the past… With the incredible advent of technology has come intense time compression on every level. Everyone is trying to fit more into less time because we have all the tools to communicate but there are so many more entertainment options than just five years ago. It’s harder to break artists because many stations are playing less new music than ever. Conversely, once you get a record to happen it’s harder to get it to go away to get to the next track. That’s a curse and a blessing, you want to be a recurrent but hope it could go to that category sooner sometimes. The bottom line is there are still many stations at both formats which believe and get excited about great new music. We all need to create new hits; it’s our lifeblood.

On the chart game and “most added”… The chart is still a reflection of what songs are working on a national basis and it can’t be manipulated like it once could. Ultimately though, listeners don’t see charts and don’t care about them – you can still break a song regionally. Most added still means you were the most popular song to the most stations that week. It’s like being at a club and getting the most phone numbers; it doesn’t mean you will be dating all of them, but it’s nice to know they are interested.

On satellite radio’s place in the radio landscape… It’s another choice, that simple. They are a brand just as any terrestrial station. Their measurement of success is different (ratings vs. subscribers), but they both have to provide compelling content. Satellite radio seems to be ahead with new music mainly because they have more niche’ pipelines to fill. The audience seems to be very active; if you’re willing to pay to hear new music, you must really have an appetite for it. Satellite radio competes with every other form of audio entertainment which didn’t exist when they were first licensed 10 years ago.

On managing promotion on multiple records at once at different formats… It’s not hard if you know your clients and where the artists fit. Everyone is busy, the key is to work smart and know where you are going and what’s realistic each week. Prioritize, strategize and execute – simple and effective.

** QB Content by Mike Bacon **