Tony Ward – The Songs Marketer

Tony Ward is the founder of Male On The Floor – a Hong Kong-dependent tunes and entertainment consultancy agency. Ahead of launching Gentleman On The Ground, Tony invested around 15 yrs in New York in govt internet marketing positions at Sony Music, BMG, Arista Information, EMI Records and Sanctuary Administration. Tony managed advertising and marketing strategies for many profitable artists, including, Santana, Sarah McLachlan, Patti Smith, Eurythmics, Beth Orton and Spiritualized. For the previous 3 a long time, he is served as the Program Director for New music Matters, Asia Pacific’s annual premiere music market celebration. Tony shared with us his valuable perception on the future of music and the breaking of acts.

RL: How did you get began in the audio organization?

TW: I’ve been a tunes fanatic my full lifetime and failed to feel of a great deal else developing up. Then, in the 80s, I worked at my faculty radio station in the US. I usually beloved the new music from the British isles – specially from the then indie label, Virgin Data. So when I graduated, I decided to shift to London and was established to get a task in the new music enterprise. I truly managed to land a career at Virgin Documents in London and labored there for a few several years.

RL: What led to the development of Man On The Floor?

TW: When transferring to Asia, I quickly identified that several western artists or enjoyment firms now watch Asia as an opportunity current market for growth and growth, and are in have to have of someone to help them navigate the nuances of the field right here. Quite a few from the west see Asia as a major dilemma mark and require guidance earning connections, launching a product or provider, or assist with career steerage.

RL: Convey to us about your function in Music Matters? What led you to acquire the placement as Application Director?

TW: Several weeks soon after moving to Hong Kong, I was released to Jasper Donat, who is President of Music Matters. He was on the lookout for a person with field knowledge to layout the convention method and protected guest speakers. We strike it off. The convention has developed to be the premiere marketplace party for Asia. My job at Audio Matters is to make the panel matters, track down appropriate panel and keynote speakers and publish the system. I also work on the competition facet of the meeting – Tunes Issues Live.

RL: What was your most thriving marketing and advertising marketing campaign for an artist?

TW: In the mid-90s, I was in New York at EMI Documents and labored with a band named the Exciting Lovin’ Criminals. They have been an astounding dwell band with incredible personalities and charisma. We felt they were excellent for the British isles and European marketplaces, so we concentrated on breaking the band in that area and committed to this by using the band there all over again and again. More than the system of a calendar year, they went from enjoying modest golf equipment to big festivals throughout Europe and even now have a large following in the Uk these days. So the philosophy of getting a band return continuously to a sector worked and I nevertheless believe that in it to this day. I also labored on Santana’s Supernatural album, which bought 25 million albums all over the planet – so that was really neat as very well.

RL: Who has been your favorite artist to do the job with? Why?

TW: Without a question it was Patti Smith and we worked on several albums together. It seems like a cliche, but she is a true artist – musician, painter, poet, writer, and photographer. In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame and in 2010, she received the Countrywide Guide Award for her reserve Just Little ones. Not numerous artists can say that.

RL: How do you feel social media has impacted the breaking of functions?

TW: It has naturally turn out to be critical in breaking an artist from many angles – for case in point, lots of artists are now learned on YouTube and labels troll the world-wide-web hunting for talent – so there is an supplemental avenue for discovery. When employed effectively, artists can open a really helpful line of conversation and commerce with their lovers by social media. But in the stop, it’s nevertheless about the new music and actively playing dwell. If you do not have that skills, it won’t make a difference how lots of Fb fans you have in the prolonged run.

RL: In which do you see the foreseeable future of songs heading?

TW: I consider it is searching up from in which it is really been heading more than the previous 10 a long time, specially for the impartial, self-sufficient artist – but in different methods from how we’ve gauged results in the past. As an artist, it will be far more about building your have community of supporters and internet marketing and selling straight to them. And it will continue on to be about the stay aspect of the business enterprise and obtaining a world-wide viewpoint.

RL: What is your suggestions for indie artists in all places who are hoping to get their professions to the up coming degree?

TW: Function extremely really hard on being an incredible reside act and normally function to hone your dwell craft. Get your time and don’t try to skip any steps. Also, try to travel to the many audio industry conventions and functions around the earth. It’s not low-priced, but you will find out a fantastic offer, most likely make new and critical connections, and have an understanding of how the business will work from a global standpoint. Look for just about every option out there for worldwide competition overall performance slots- there are alternatives for indie artists. You can even check out to use the group-funding selections that exist today to help fund the journey. There are also so numerous on-line equipment that indie artists can utilize to improve their fanbase – from marketing and streaming tunes, studying analytics, building and advertising merch, boosting funds, and obtaining your audio dispersed digitally around the earth. Review the instruments that are at your disposal.

Tony Ward lives in Hong Kong and continues to dispense great advertising and marketing advice.

Guy On The Floor Official Web-site: www.manontheground.asia