The AvA Connection

The Weekly Buzz:

• Another week, another music industry acronym to remember

  • Interscope Geffen A&M and Capitol Music Group have consolidated under the new name of Interscope Capitol Labels Group (ICLG). Read more.

• Billboard unveiled their annual Billboard Women in Music list.

• Live Nation dropped a blog post on Monday that denied responsibility for the high ticket prices of recent concerts and tours.

  • They went as far to say that “promoters do not set ticket prices”, and instead pointed the finger at artists, venues and secondary ticketing platforms.

  • The below graphic was included to show that Ticketmaster’s 5-7% commission rate “is extremely low by the standards” that other digital distribution platforms charge.

  • The company doesn’t seem to be suffering much after posting their “biggest year ever,” highlighted by a 36% YoY boost in revenue to $22.7 billion in 2023.

  • Note: The average price for a concert ticket has risen 33% in the last 5 years ($90 in 2018 to $120 in 2023), according to Apollo, which the value of a dollar has “only” decreased 21% in that same time period.

• Billboard unveiled their annual Billboard Women in Music list.

The Call Log: Mike Weiss, VP of Music & Head of A&R, UnitedMasters

AvA: When did your passion for the music industry begin?

Weiss: I'm third generation in the music industry, so for me it was something that I have always been very drawn to, and something I wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I saw the excitement and energy that my dad brought to it, and that passion grew over time for me. When I was in college, I started a promotion company and booked some concerts. I booked one in particular, which was a disaster. It was shut down by the police in South Beach before the artists could perform. I switched my focus to management, and by my senior year, I started managing my first major label artist. 

AvA: You've had many roles/responsibilities within UnitedMasters. Which areas are you now focusing on?

Weiss:  There are two primary areas that take up most of my time. Our full label services business is number one, which includes running A&R: signing, developing, discovering talent, deal structures and managing the staff. We have built an incredible team and roster in the past few years. The second area is our premium distribution service business, which is a white glove distribution service. Every artist has a dedicated point of contact and we pitch those artists for playlisting, brand partnership and sync. 

AvA: What do you foresee being the biggest disruption to the music business in the next 5 years?

Weiss: I feel like most people will say AI to this. I do believe AI will have a big part to play, but I'm not certain on where AI will have the biggest effect. Right now, I see the value of AI enhancing an artist's ability to build community, and to improve the quality of what they do. To me, it's going to become a lot more focused on an artist's vision, craft and ability to build an audience more so than how strong they are at executing that vision musically. You can't really replicate a unique vocal tone or create connection through lyrics, but a lot of the growth and development that we'll see in the music industry will happen due to a larger number of artists having higher quality music as a result of AI. The paint brush may change, but the artist still needs to create.

AvA: Moving back to your role in A&R now. How do you measure a song/album's success?

Weiss: We can all obviously look at the numbers, but to me the main measure of success is progression of the artist’s career overall. Is an album expanding an artist's audience, building community and making a more active and passionate fan? We're not looking at instantaneous results. Those days are gone. The measure of success doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen in the first week. Often, it does not even happen in the first month. It happens over time in how the artist grows, how the music is consumed, coupled with the real active lean in and engagement to the artist’s catalog beyond just the album. All of those are components that go into an artist's success story. It’s not a matter of “did we hit these first week sales numbers?” It's “how did we perform in terms of progressing the artist’s career and creating real fandom?”

AvA: How do you approach data-driven results? 

Weiss: Data is used as a way to validate real world inputs. It’s a validation of what you're seeing and feeling. It is not the end result. We've gotten into this cycle of looking at data as concrete, black and white fact. The data may be real but you can’t examine it without real context. You need the story, and you need the data to validate it. If it disagrees, then you need to find out what is missing and what's not connecting. Then you make informed decisions back to the strategy, the development, and the growth, with data supporting the reasons you do that, rather than making decisions purely based on the data alone. 

AvA: What is advice you have for someone wanting to get into the music industry?

Weiss:  

1) Just jump in. Experience and your network are the two most important things, and there's no limitation of when you can start building your network and gaining experience. You will learn so much by just jumping in and doing. Most new artists need help. Even if it’s the little things. Look to provide value in whatever way you can and you'll come across other people that are doing the same.

2) Do what is right, rather than what's easy. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations to grow and evolve. Don’t let fear stop you from reaching out to that artist, cold emailing an executive, or taking a shot at throwing your first event. It’s easy to not send an email or go to an event. Failure is the best learning experience and that is necessary to the process.  

The Job Board

💼 = Job | 🎒 = Internship

💼 Coordinator, Digital Marketing & Creative - Red Bull Records - LA - Apply Here

💼 Executive Assistant - Red Bull Records - LA - Apply Here

💼 Coordinator, Publicity & Brand Integration - Red Bull Records - LA - Apply Here

💼 Director, Digital Marketing - Position Music - LA - Apply Here

💼 Blooming Music Publishing - A&R Manager, Pop - LA - Apply Here

💼 Assistant, TV Business and Legal Affairs - FIFTH SEASON - LA - Apply Here

💼 Assistant, Post Production - FIFTH SEASON - LA - Apply Here

💼 Central Services Coordinator - Day After Day Productions - LA - Apply Here

💼 Music Coordinator - Fox Entertainment - LA - Apply Here

💼 Coordinator, Music Royalty Administration - Sony Pictures Entertainment - LA - Apply Here

💼 Group Accounting Manager - SoundCloud - NYC - Apply Here

💼 A&R Operations - Duetti - NYC - Apply Here

💼 Coordinator, Insights & Reporting - Sony Music Entertainment - NYC - Apply Here

💼 Strategic Partnerships Associate - UnitedMasters - NYC - Apply Here

🎒 Promoter 101 Intern - Another Planet Entertainment - Berkeley, CA - Apply Here

🎒 Summer Internships (Management, Marketing & PR) - River House Artists - Nashville - Apply Here

🎒 Music Brand Partnerships - Live Nation - NYC - Apply Here

Company Highlight: HeadCount

Recognize the name HeadCount? That’s because we sat down with their Founder last year. They are an incredible company working to increase the number of registered voters, crossing between music and democracy.

💼 Jr. Graphic Designer - Remote - Apply Here

🎒 Partnerships and Events Internship - NYC - Apply Here

🎒 Digital Marketing Internship - Remote - Apply Here

🎒 Artist Relations Internship - Remote - Apply Here

🎒 Voter Engagement Internship - Remote - Apply Here

🎒 Music & Politics Internship - Remote - Apply Here

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