Awesome site you have here! When I worked in Nashville in the record biz, we used to be concerned when someone we knew got signed to Warner Brothers Records. There, Warner was known as ‘the artist protection program’ because they would sign artists and they would disappear completely. Warner never would release their albums but rather put them on the self, which of course, ensured they couldn’t compete in the market with other artists on the label. Very strange way of doing business so to me, the funeral home thing kinda makes a lot of sense! Best wishes!
Indeed! A number of truly excellent artists grabbed the advance money, likely not knowing that it was the end of their potential career. Warner was not the only label to do this, by the way, but the most obvious. Also, CBS/Columbia (now Sony, as you know) had an A&R guy I knew, who was with the company for something like thirty plus years and it's pretty well known that the only reason he kept his job so long is because throughout his career, he only signed one artist and that artist turned out to be a superstar. But if you don't sign anyone, you don't have a track record of making bad decisions, which makes it more difficult to get fired, especially when the only artist he signed made massive amounts of money for the label.
Very cool. Can't wait to check this out. Any chance you could tell me where you came across this newsletter? Got an influx of traffic today and can't tell where it came from.
What a great story. And one with a direct connection to yours truly. My dad was a funeral director, apprenticed at Riverside. He moved on to another outfit and was a manager there for 35 years, but remained friends with Carol Rosenthal. When I was looking for a summer job between my third and fourth years in college, through this connection, Carol landed me an interview at Atlantic Records, which went well enough, but the HR person told me that there was a better paying, more interesting job at Warner's Ralph Lauren Cosmetics division. Weird business, indeed, talk about diversifying! I ended up there permanently and had other great jobs in cosmetics and perfume for years thereafter. .. Anyway, thanks for the delightful stroll down memory lane.
Crazy, no? Warner had a company store at HQ where I bought many an LP on all of their imprints at vastly discounted employee prices, "Double Fantasy" was but one standout. ... Back to the dead: my dad assisted in the embalming of many a well-known figure, in the arts, entertainment, sports. (Riverside, along with Frank E. Campbell, remain the memorial service homes for the rich and famous.) Decorum prevents me from naming the ones my dad worked on, but it did provide for some fascinating stories at our family gatherings.
I love the disco duet- I like Babs, but I love Donna! And thx for sharing the Ross story. What an unexpected career journey. And it’s refreshing to read about biz leaders who cared about their teams and let them do what they do best.
Hi Chris,
Awesome site you have here! When I worked in Nashville in the record biz, we used to be concerned when someone we knew got signed to Warner Brothers Records. There, Warner was known as ‘the artist protection program’ because they would sign artists and they would disappear completely. Warner never would release their albums but rather put them on the self, which of course, ensured they couldn’t compete in the market with other artists on the label. Very strange way of doing business so to me, the funeral home thing kinda makes a lot of sense! Best wishes!
Thanks for reading! That is insane
Indeed! A number of truly excellent artists grabbed the advance money, likely not knowing that it was the end of their potential career. Warner was not the only label to do this, by the way, but the most obvious. Also, CBS/Columbia (now Sony, as you know) had an A&R guy I knew, who was with the company for something like thirty plus years and it's pretty well known that the only reason he kept his job so long is because throughout his career, he only signed one artist and that artist turned out to be a superstar. But if you don't sign anyone, you don't have a track record of making bad decisions, which makes it more difficult to get fired, especially when the only artist he signed made massive amounts of money for the label.
Dr. Demento is someone I used to listen to back in the late 70s, early 80s.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Demento
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner/Reprise_Loss_Leaders
Very cool. Can't wait to check this out. Any chance you could tell me where you came across this newsletter? Got an influx of traffic today and can't tell where it came from.
Substack. 🙏🌲🙏
What a great story. And one with a direct connection to yours truly. My dad was a funeral director, apprenticed at Riverside. He moved on to another outfit and was a manager there for 35 years, but remained friends with Carol Rosenthal. When I was looking for a summer job between my third and fourth years in college, through this connection, Carol landed me an interview at Atlantic Records, which went well enough, but the HR person told me that there was a better paying, more interesting job at Warner's Ralph Lauren Cosmetics division. Weird business, indeed, talk about diversifying! I ended up there permanently and had other great jobs in cosmetics and perfume for years thereafter. .. Anyway, thanks for the delightful stroll down memory lane.
Funny enough you are the third person whos reached out about this article saying they worked at Warner in some way. Insanely diversified business
Crazy, no? Warner had a company store at HQ where I bought many an LP on all of their imprints at vastly discounted employee prices, "Double Fantasy" was but one standout. ... Back to the dead: my dad assisted in the embalming of many a well-known figure, in the arts, entertainment, sports. (Riverside, along with Frank E. Campbell, remain the memorial service homes for the rich and famous.) Decorum prevents me from naming the ones my dad worked on, but it did provide for some fascinating stories at our family gatherings.
I love the disco duet- I like Babs, but I love Donna! And thx for sharing the Ross story. What an unexpected career journey. And it’s refreshing to read about biz leaders who cared about their teams and let them do what they do best.