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Independents Day Artist: Jim Mahoney Interviewer: Angelo Snakeyes |
Independents Day
Jim Mahoney, VP of Membership for A2IM interviewed by Angelo Snakeyes 03-25-08
AmalgamDigital.com: When and why was A2IM formed and how long have you been involved with it?
Jim Mahoney: A2IM was formed in 2005 and officially launched on July 4, 2005. It was formed by a handful of fervently independent music executives including but not limited to Tom Silverman of Tommy Boy, Lesley Bleakley of Beggars Music Group, and Steve Gottlieb of TVT Records. It was formed primarily because there was a recognition that Independent music labels were being left out or not receiving fair and equitable treatment in the new, emerging technological market place. A2IM was formed to give Independent music companies the voice and treatment deserving of a sector that is responsible for over 30% of the music industry’s sales.
I learned about A2IM in 2006. Having spent my entire career at Independent companies (Profile Records, Roadrunner Records, and Fat Beats) I’d become particularly passionate about the barriers to entry and lack of equal treatment faced by Independents and how damaging I’d found that to great music and great businesses. Putting my money where my mouth was, I decided to go to work for A2IM in March of 2007.
AmalgamDigital.com: As the VP of membership, what are you responsibilities and what is a typical day like for you?
Jim Mahoney: The Independent community faces so many challenges that no day is really typical. A2IM’s agenda covers lobbying, commerce, and member services/education. With a full time staff of 3 we rely upon the coalitions we can create with other like-minded organizations or upon our members, committees, and our board of directors to accomplish tangible goals for our members and the Independent label community. So, I can spend my days communicating our services to new, potential members looking for them to join A2IM (we’re more effective in our efforts to lobby the larger the number of Independent music companies we count as members) or communicating with our current members and partner organizations about our initiatives so that they can be educated and/or help us achieve our goals or hearing from members about questions or problems they have so that we can find answers or solutions for them.
AmalgamDigital.com: What has been your most challenging endeavor since you began at A2IM?
Jim Mahoney: Short answer: like everyone else in our industry, the time to get to everything on my to-do list everyday. With several hundred members, thousands of potential members, and the initiatives we’re working on it’s a difficult juggling act. But as I said, this is a challenge faced by EVERYONE these days.
AmalgamDigital.com: What are some of the conventions that A2IM has had a presence at and what feedback did you receive?
Jim Mahoney: There are so many conferences and conventions these days and we try our best to have a presence at as many as possible. In 2008 to date we’ve attended MIDEM, Billboard Music & Money, Digital Music Forum East, and SXSW. Upcoming in the next couple of months, we’ll be at NARM and London Calling and a couple of others I’m sure. Without question, the A2IM pavilion at MIDEM generated the most feedback. We hosted 125 A2IM member companies working, meeting, and conducting business at this international licensing and distribution conference. The A2IM member companies ranged from single person startups to large, well known brands. The bee-hive of activity created by such a large American Independent presence at MIDEM created value for the conference, for A2IM, and for each of our attending members. A fantastic event! One of A2IM’s primary missions is to make sure that our members have an increased profile at important industry events. Independent music is without a doubt important to music fans, to every form of media, support and service company, and to our industry’s health but without proper representation the companies that invest in and release Independent music would be left scratching at the edges of our business, lacking profile, and perhaps missing out on vital commerce opportunities.
AmalgamDigital.com: Where do you see the industry heading in terms of physical distribution of music versus digital distribution?
Jim Mahoney: Much greater minds than me are working on and philosophizing upon the answer to this question. That said, I believe the answer to all things in the future lies within the concept that providers must deliver to the individual what he prefers and that answer isn’t the same for each person. If person A prefers speaking on the phone, person B prefers e-mail communication, person C prefers exchanging widgets and being updated by those widgets, and person D prefers social network communications we live in an age where the person generating a message must use each of these preferred avenues of communication. The same might be true of delivery of music and that means that we’ll need to produce a CD, a downloadable MP3, a streaming track for services such as Pandora or Soma-FM, delivery methods for phones, ad supported sites, social networks, etc. On top of that, we’ll need to fairly monetize all usage of our music starting with the establishment of a performance right royalty to be paid to performers and rights holders when music is played on traditional radio (such a royalty exists already when a song is played on non-terrestrial services like Internet radio, satellite radio, and cable services such as Music Choice AND this royalty also exists for traditional radio in every other economically advanced nation in the world other than the U.S.).
AmalgamDigital.com: Do you think recent trends such as USB’s and digital download cards will be successful?
Jim Mahoney: I refer to my previous answer and say that we as providers of music content must find the methods preferred by individuals and make use of them. I have enjoyed using both USB’s and download cards and think that each offers value to our industry and to fans. But the market is still in the early stages, I believe, of a flood of delivery methods and there is a limited number of hours per week so I wouldn’t want to predict which specific methods are going to be the ultimate successful ones. I also understand that the greater the splits – meaning the more methods of delivery – the less likely it is for any single form to be financially viable but that is the challenge of each delivery model company. If they can convince the individuals that their models are their favorites there should be no reason why artists and labels and the providers shouldn’t be fairly compensated. Music drives a number of brands as a marketing partner as well as a point of purchase or usage destination. Fairly monetizing each of these resources, I think, is key to surviving and thriving in the new music business model.
AmalgamDigital.com: In terms of networking within the music industry, how do you feel that A2IM is beneficial?
Jim Mahoney: HUGE! As I said earlier, time to properly get through our daily to do lists is the number one challenge I hear from everyone I talk to. Everyone is more busy than ever. We also have more tools, avenues, distribution methods, and services we need to utilize to market and monetize our music. That is both a good and a bad thing. It’s great because we have more chances than ever to reach fans but it’s bad because who has time to keep up with everything?!?! A2IM uses regular newsletters, e-mail blasts, group phone calls, committee meetings/presentations, industry events, and networking meetings/parties to allow our members to easily read about, hear about, speak with, or meet with those solutions providers that are available. Combining the chance to learn about such tools while within a social setting with peers facing similar challenges is without a doubt the most effective and enjoyable way to build important relationships and assist our members in determining which of the solutions companies is worth their challenged time when they return to their offices the next day.
AmalgamDigital.com: Who are your favorite artists to listen to?
Jim Mahoney: LOL…I’d love to tell you I am cutting edge and all about new indie music but that just wouldn’t be true. While I have a great front row seat to so many of you talented, young music companies and I do enjoy hearing music from P.O.S. or Vampire Weekend or The Exies early I spend most of my time now listening to Bob Marley and The Beatles. I spent the 80s and the 90s listening exclusively to rap and was profoundly and forever impacted by the power of hip-hop and will always love Run DMC, early LL, BDP, Public Enemy, Tribe, De La, EPMD, Eric B & Rakim, and Brand Nubian and whenever a great DJ hits the right set of old school rap I am in heaven.
AmalgamDigital.com: If you could do it all over again, would you still want to be involved in the music industry in the capacity that you are now?
Jim Mahoney: Yeah, sure. I mean, if I could choose I guess I’d say I’d like to have been born to incredibly wealthy parents and I’d have chosen para-sailing or professional Jamaican herb tester but short of that I’ve enjoyed all of my experiences in our business and I couldn’t be happier doing anything than what I’m currently doing. I get to interact on a daily basis with our varied members, entrepreneurs who each have a unique story, business model, and great characters. I get to feel like I’m helping make a difference and on top of it all, I’m learning A TON!!!
AmalgamDigital.com: Any last words?
Jim Mahoney: Become a member of A2IM! And, if you can’t or won’t join, at least contact me so that I can add you to our distribution/contact list. On so many issues we represent the entire Independent music community – member or not – and you should receive our non-member newsletters as a means of keeping up on issues and we welcome opinions and/or questions from non-members as well as members. My e-mail is jim.mahoney@a2im.org and my phone number is 646 432 5924.
