Scott Pascucci
CEO, Concord
Tom Whalley
Chief label executive, Concord
Jake Wisely
Chief publishing executive, Concord
Pascucci, 61, oversees the teams that drive
the success of Concord’s three divisions:
recorded music, publishing and theat-
ricals. On the label side, Concord has
celebrated Tanya Tucker’s long-awaited
comeback after 17 years with While I’m Liv-
in’, co-produced by Brandi Carlile. (Tucker
is the most nominated country artist at
this year’s Grammy Awards; see page 144.)
The work of publishing client Glen Ballard
is on Broadway; he’s the co-writer of the
songs in Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little
Pill musical, which debuted in December.
Concord Theatricals controls the rights
to works by Rogers & Hammerstein, Ten-
nessee Williams and Neil Simon, as well
as musicals Chicago, Grease and The Wiz.
The company in January closed a deal to
acquire two-thirds of Pulse Music Group
as an A&R joint venture. “We have shown
the industry that the proper goal of an
acquisitions strategy is to build a vibrant
company,” says Pascucci. “It’s a founda-
tion, not an end in and of itself.”
MANAGEMENT
Jason Aron
Manager, Anti-Pop
Anthony Li
Manager, Anti-Pop
Halsey, who is booked as the musical
guest for the first Saturday Night Live of
2020 on Jan. 25, closed 2019 with her
song “Without Me” ranking as the No. 3
Hot 100 hit of the past year. “But nothing
compares to the excitement we all felt
for that first milestone” when the track
reached No. 1 on the chart in January, says
Aron, 32, who co-manages the singer with
Li, 31. The track’s success is “a testament
to the support we saw from our partners
across the board.” In April, Halsey was the
honoree at the annual gala of My Friends
Place, which does “incredible work” to
help homeless young people in Los Ange-
les, says Aron.
Jeffrey Azoff
Co-CEO, Full Stop Management
Brandon Creed
Co-CEO, Full Stop Management
Kevin Beisler
Manager, Full Stop Management
Tommy Bruce
Manager, Full Stop Management
Under Azoff and Creed, Full Stop managed
artists with a nonstop run of achieve-
ments in 2019. Lizzo earned eight Grammy
nominations in November. Harry Styles
doubled as host and musical guest on
Saturday Night Live and scored his second
Billboard 200 No. 1 with sophomore solo
album Fine Line. And Nicki Minaj signed
with Full Stop. “Our clients never have a
problem getting answers quickly,” says
Azoff, crediting the synchronicity of the
company’s marketing, radio and touring
divisions as a key to its success. “That has
been a big difference.”
Getting The
Most Out Of
The ’Gram
For savvy executives, using
social media is nothing to be
afraid of — and could lead to
their next star signing
I
n early 2019, Columbia Records
chairman/CEO Ron Perry DM’d Lil
Nas X on Instagram. The rising artist
wasn’t responding to Columbia’s
A&R team, but he quickly hit Perry back
— he liked the look of his feed. By March,
the rapper signed to the label.
It’s one of the most striking recent
examples of how social media, and
Instagram in particular, has become an
increasingly important tool for artists and
executives alike. “Commenting on artist
pages, you see Ron Perry do that all the
time. You see [Columbia co-head of urban
music] Phylicia Fant telling Lil Nas X he’s
doing such a great job or giving him the
heart-eyes [emoji],” says Fadia Kader, mu-
sic partnerships manager at Instagram.
“It’s building a different kind of relation-
ship between the artist and the executive.
It’s like having your own cheerleader.”
For executives themselves, it can be
just as key to build a presence on the
app. Kader points to Roc Nation senior
vp Lenny S; Moe Shalizi, who manages
Marshmello and Roddy Ricch; and Mo-
town Records president/Capitol Music
Group executive vp Ethiopia Habtemar-
iam as examples of executives who use
Instagram effectively, whether it’s sharing
ultra-exclusive behind-the-scenes shots
or commenting on artist and fan pages.
(She notes that unlike rising artists, ex-
ecutives don’t face the pressure to pump
up follower numbers.) Caroline and Har-
vest Records president Jacqueline Saturn
in particular is, says Kader, “authentic and
doesn’t feel overly promotional” on her
feed. “She shows that you can literally
have it all: You can support your artists,
have a poppin’ label, an awesome family
and go on vacation — and work out with
your team in the morning.” Which has,
in turn, led to some organic networking
opportunities: Since Saturn started shar-
ing her passion for fitness on Instagram,
executives like Shalizi Group’s Krista
Carnegie and Flighthouse’s Jacob Pace
have asked to meet for a 6 a.m. workout.
Saturn advocates for using social
media not only to maintain, but also
cultivate relationships. “In this business,
everyone is looking, everyone is kind of
checking each other out,” she explains,
adding that she freely publicizes her
support for other artists and executives,
too. “I [recently] DM’d [RECORDS CEO]
Barry Weiss and was like, ‘I literally can’t
stop listening to [Noah Cyrus’ “July”];
can you please make it a No. 1 record?’ ”
But some executives are wary of reveal-
ing their strategy to competitors on social
media. Courtney Stewart, CEO of Right
Hand Music Group and co-founder of
Keep Cool, is active on Instagram but says
he only has a ghost account on Twitter: “I
just spy on people.” Post Malone’s man-
ager, Dre London, says it’s most important
to be careful while in the studio. “It’s
dangerous if we’re working on a record
and someone from the entourage is on
IG Live or posting to their stories,” he says.
“Next thing you know, an unfinished song
could be circulating on the internet.” It
has happened before; now, his team has
a strict no-phone policy in the studio.
And plenty of executives (especially
those over 50) avoid showing anything
personal on their feeds at all. “We’re not
here to become YouTube stars,” says
RCA chairman/CEO Peter Edge. “That’s
not why I got into this particular role in
life.” Sony Music Nashville chairman/
CEO Randy Goodman says: “I don’t use
it. I get all the info I need from my team
— and my wife and kids.”
Still, most agree that being an active
social media user — at least purely for
the sake of artist promotion — is worth
the risk. “I believe [in it] 100%,” says
Doug Morris, 81, founder of 12 Tone
Music Group, though he solely uses
his accounts to promote his artists. To
London, social media has become the
equivalent of a résumé, one it’s best to
keep engaging and up-to-date. “Compa-
nies are looking to see what kind of in-
fluence and engagement a person has,”
he says. “When you go into a meeting,
that’s one of the first things they ask:
‘What are your numbers like on social
media?’ ” And like any social media user,
plenty of executives simply enjoy one of
the most basic functions of a platform
like Instagram: being reminded of happy
memories. “There’s a lot of pictures at
gigs and seeing clients and supporting
their efforts,” Marty Diamond, Para-
digm’s head of global music, says of his
Insta. “It reminds me: Fuck, I get to do
this every day.” —LYNDSEY HAVENS
AZOFF
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