The AvA Connection

The Weekly Buzz:

Warner Music Group has struck a multi-year licensing deal with Meta (parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Threads), which will also cover WhatsApp for the first time. The deal and companies will take steps to “jointly tackle issues around generative AI on Meta's platforms.”

Country Artists have been opening their wallets to support aid efforts for people and venues impacted by Hurricane Helene. Read more here and find ways to help support.

Pink Floyd has sold their master recordings and the rights to use their NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) to Sony Music in a deal valued at $400 million. This acquisition is the fourth most expensive buyout to date based on public data. The rest of the top 10?

1. Queen – $1.27 billion, purchased by Sony Music with financing from Apollo Group

2. Michael Jackson – $600 million, purchased by Sony Music for 50% of the catalog

3. Bruce Springsteen – $500 million, purchased by Sony Music with financing from Eldridge

4. Pink Floyd – $400 million, purchased by Sony Music

5. Bob Dylan – $300 million, purchased by Universal Music Publishing Group

6. Phil Collins & Genesis – $300 million, purchased by Concord Music Group

7. Sting – $300 million, purchased by Universal Music Group

8. Tina Turner – $300 million, purchased by BMG

9. Taylor Swift (You knew this one was coming) – $300 million, purchased by Shamrock (this acquisition involved Big Machine Label Group's ownership of her first six albums and was not a direct transaction with Swift)

10. KISS – $300 million, purchased by Pophouse Entertainment

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ song “Die With A Smile” is only the third song to post four uninterrupted weeks at #1 in the Global 200. The last song to do it? “STAY” by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber.

The Call Log: Andrew Steinthal, Co-Founder of The Infatuation

AVA: Your career has taken you from a Field Producer at Warped Tour to co-founding The Infatuation. Talk about that journey.

Steinthal: My career started with a passion for music. I was obsessed with getting into the record business. In college at Ithaca, I became the music director at our radio station, WICB. I invested all my time and energy into the radio station, and it paid off. It was during that time at Ithaca that I had the chance to go on Warped Tour as the field producer and was in charge of photo and video content for WarpedTour.com. Being on tour, sleeping on the bus, being with a bunch of my favorite bands all summer - it was amazing. Knowing how drawn I was to the music industry – but having no skills as a musician - I knew that was my path.

As luck would have it, college radio is also how I ultimately met my Infatuation business partner, Chris Stang, who was Music Director at KCSU (Colorado State University). We met at a CMJ music convention in New York City back in 2000. After college, we both ended up working at Warner Music Group, where we dreamed up the Immaculate Infatuation (our original name before it was shortened to The Infatuation). Working in the record business, we were out 4-5 nights a week going to shows and getting to know New York City very well. We were constantly at bars and restaurants, using our corporate cards to entertain the bands, managers, and press. As we did this, we realized there wasn’t a service that really connected people to restaurants. We had colleagues, bands, friends and family always asking for recommendations.

This also happened to be during a major technology shift during that time as it was around 2009 that there was a major move from digital-to-mobile. It was an opportunity that excited us and we moved quickly to capitalize on – and with that, we started writing our own restaurant reviews. We spent five years building The Infatuation as a side hustle while we had our full-time jobs in the music business. Then we finally left our jobs in April 2014 to go all in. Since then, we found investors, built the business, acquired Zagat, started a food festival that we now host in 4 cities each year called EEEEEATSCON. This culminated in the acquisition of our business by JPMorganChase back in 2021. It’s been an incredible, fun and successful journey.

AVA: The Infatuation is hyper-focused on food, yet there are many social elements including EEEEEATSCON. How important are in-person experiential events to a brand like yours?

Steinthal: First off, EEEEEATSCON New York is this weekend (October 12 and 13), so get tickets and come check us out if you’re in the area. Second, in person experiences have always been key to the growth of The Infatuation since the early days. Bringing people together is extremely powerful and has long been an important part of our foundation. The business may have existed digitally, but we realized that as a young company with limited resource, this was a great way we could get the word out about our brand and start building the business by working with brand partners. If you have the right elements in place for a great experience, people are likely to share those experiences, which helps generate excitement and buzz.

AVA: The first step of good networking is going to The Infatuation to pick a restaurant to go to. Talk about the power of networking for career growth?

Steinthal: A bit cliche but 100% fact: your network is your net worth. Relationships are the key to new opportunities. Prioritize meeting new people and staying connected with them. Opportunities come when you put yourself out there. That means proactively, but tactfully, seeking people out. Say yes and show up even if you must go to something solo and it feels uncomfortable. Introduce yourself. Take the risk. Send an email or a DM to those you admire, or you think are good at their jobs. Find ways to connect with people on a real human level. For me, sports, sneakers, music and restaurants were always my way in. Those are passion points I can talk about and connect with people on.

AVA: You now lead the Talent Booking & Partnerships side of The Infatuation. What are some considerations that go into the selection of talent and partners?

Steinthal: We look for partners who are excelling in their respective fields and who also have a passion for food, travel or entrepreneurship. Whether it’s a comedian like Hasan Minhaj who loves dining out and has a partnership with a great chai tea brand, or Rob, Charlie and Glenn from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, who have a great whiskey called Four Walls that we’ve worked with for many of our EEEEEATSCON festivals, or someone like Chrissy Teigen, who has her own baking brand called Cravings by Chrissy, we love to find people who lean into their side hustles as much as their careers in entertainment. We are always looking for great creator-led brands to work with, so if you have ideas, hit me up @schmooey on all social platforms.

AVA: What are your goals for the company looking into the future?

Steinthal: For The Infatuation, we want to keep growing across cities and keep helping people around the world find the dining experience they’re looking for. Beyond that, at Chase, my role is to help us connect to great talent to partner with and create unique experiences and lifestyle content that people will get excited about.

AVA: One piece of advice for someone looking to break into the Entertainment Industry?

Steinthal: Show up. Say yes to the invite. Even if you go solo. You never know who you’e going to meet. And reach out to someone you want to meet – just be yourself, be real and shoot your shot. I once emailed Mark Cuban, who I had never met, and he replied within 2 hours!

AVA: Any book or podcast recommendations?

Invest Like The Best w/Patrick O’Shaughnessy - Some great business leaders on this podcast. You have to be selective based on which sectors of business you pay attention to, but you can learn a lot from people who’ve done it.

Acquired - Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal do a great job of going DEEEEEP on the backstories of massive companies and it’s fascinating. The NBA one may be my favorite podcast of all time, and I learned so much about the ABA/NBA merger.

StartUp – An original Gimlet show about the life of an entrepreneur. For anyone starting a business, this is a must listen.

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This newsletter is written by Warner Bailey and edited by Riley Furey

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