Hello and welcome to a new week of music industry insight and advice here on the official blog of Haulix. We are extremely proud of the content planned for the days ahead, and are thrilled to be kicking things off with one of our most high-profile interviews to date. If you have any questions about the content of this post, or if you are interested in learning more about the secure music distribution services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Graduation season is quickly approaching, and already it’s hard to visit a store like Target or Wal-Mart without seeing copies of the Dr. Seuss story Oh, The Places You Will Go sitting alongside products with ‘Class of 2014’ printed on them. Not every copy will sell this season, but thousands will, and among those sold a few will go on to be read so many times their pages will begin to show signs of wear. It may be a poem originally intended to inspire children, but over the years Oh, The Places You Will Go has become a symbol of the future’s promise for young people, or at least those willing to chase after what interests them. I’m not sure the person at the center of today’s post was ever given a copy during a graduation celebration, but I can guarantee she’s embodied the message of Dr. Seuss’ iconic story her entire professional career.
Rose Slanic is a name you may not be familiar with just yet, but she has more than likely worked with a band or artist you adore at some point during the last two decades. She knew from an early age music was what interested her most and, after studying the industry through a two-year program offered by Harris Institute, began a journey in the music business that would not only allow her to travel the world, but gain the knowledge and experience necessary to lead labels in both the US and Canada. She was recently appointed to the position of General Manager for North America at Eleven Seven Music Group, and just last week she took a few minutes to speak with us about her life in music. What she shared changed the way we view the business, and we think it will offer a fresh perspective to many readers as well.
I want to grow up to be like Rose Slanic. I know I’m pushing twenty-seven now, but she has lead the kind of life in the industry all professionals aspire to one day achieve. She has seen the world while working with bands she believes in, and along the way made time to help others achieve their goals as well. If you need a new role model for industry professionalism, but still want to look up to someone who leads a kick ass life, Rose is a person you need to know.
If you would you like to learn more about Rose Slanic and her efforts with Eleven Seven Music Group, please take a few moments to follow her and Eleven Seven on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: Hello, thank you again for joining us. To get us started, please tell everyone your full name, job title, and the company where you are currently employed:
R: Rose Slanic, General Manager, Eleven Seven Music Group
H: It’s a pleasure to feature your story, Rose. I have been looking forward to this interview for some time. Tell me, what are some of your earliest memories with music?
R: My earliest memories with music…wow! I always loved music, but the music I was introduced to when I was young was very different from what I listen to now. It came through my parents who each had moved to Canada from Slovenia. I use to listen to CFTR (used to be Rock radio, now is a news station in Toronto) a ton when I was a kid, but then my brother came home with some Kris Kringle gifts from school and he got the BACK IN BLACK album from AC/DC, Quiet Riot, and the new Culture Club record. It was all so different and new to me, I liked all of it.
H: Do you remember the first artist you were obsessed with? Go on; tell us a little about your early fangirl moments.
R: My first artist-obsession was with Culture Club (I was 8 or 9 years old). After that, it was Platinum Blonde – I wrote Mark Holmes a letter. After that it was Bon Jovi – I had the fringed jackets to prove it!
H: How about the first concert you ever attended? Put us in the seat next to you.
R: The first concert my parents took me to was a German artist called Heino. It was at the Sony Centre Toronto (called something else back than) and we had really good seats. I just don’t know why my parents thought I would enjoy his music. The first concert I bought tickets to was Culture Club when I was 11 years old. My older cousin agreed to take me as long as I got the tickets. It was at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and we had what I call now, nose bleed seats! We were in the Green Section. The opening band was Glass Tiger – who were actually called Tokyo at the time!
H: Looking back on your life now, are you able to pinpoint any formative moments or experiences that may have guided you toward the career in music you have today?
R: This is a great question, as I don’t really remember. I have friends that will tell me I told them I was going to work in the music industry a very long time ago, but I don’t remember what possessed me to say that. When I was younger, all I did was go to concerts, and buy CDs. I think that is what kick-started the desire to be a part of the music business.
I registered to University for Travel and Tourism, and to get my BA, as I wasn’t sure what direction I was headed in. I ended up taking a year off after High School and working. Within that year I registered to go to Harris Institute for the Arts, and never looked back
H: You have an incredible and lengthy history in this business, so let’s jump ahead just a bit in your timeline. You attended college for business before changing school and pursuing a two-year program providing an overview of the music business. What can you tell us about the type of information were given about life in the music business at the time? I imagine it’s completely different than what students are taught today.
R: Harris Institute is an interesting and unique school. They make you take a course on everything in the music industry. Which was perfect for me, as I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do within the business. I could have lived without the engineering class, but overall it was a well-rounded education. I am sure they continue to do the same thing, but I would imagine they include much more about digital sales and distribution, online marketing and more. I don’t think those topics where even addressed when I was there. They did teach us about making websites, however.
H: I’ve read that you also taught at the school where you learned about the music industry. Is that true? Have you always had a passion or teaching?
R: I did teach Music Marketing there for a while. I really enjoyed it and got to see some of those students move on and secure jobs in the industry. The only reason I resigned from the position is because my job with the management company had me on the road all the time, and I didn’t feel it was fair to the kids to keep rescheduling classes!
H: As far as I can tell, your first big role in the industry came from Attic Records. What can you tell us about that job and how you initially landed the position?
R: My job, prior to Attic, took me as far as it could. At that point, I put the word out that I was looking for a job. Thanks to my teachers at Harris, I had a few options. I applied for the position of National Promotions, and Publicity for Rock, Hard Rock, and Metal at Attic, and landed the gig! I loved it, as at that time, I was a big fan of Pantera and all was already friendly with most of the bands on Roadrunner. (Attic licensed Roadrunner in Canada so it was perfect!!)
H: Attic lead to Universal Music, which then lead to the world of artist management. Did you prefer management work to what had been doing at Attic and Universal? Was it similar?
R: The guy who hired me at the management company sold me on the fact that I could travel the world, which I did thanks to the likes of Nelly Furtado, Fefe Dobson and k-os. I loved the traveling, and getting to meet people in the music industry all around the world! Though, in my opinion, management and label work are two very different worlds, as long as you understand how labels work, you are a better-informed player in a management role.
Not sure which one I prefer. I like them both for different reasons. Management is really a 24/7 job – which is fine – but you need to want to do that.
H: In more recent years you have been a part of the Roadrunner Records family. What can you tell us about your responsibilities in that role and how it initially came together?
R: Roadrunner was licensed to Universal Canada and Cees Wessels wanted to change his deal to a strict distribution deal. He wanted his own team in place. I think Roadrunner staff, an artist manager, and Randy Lennox (President of Universal Music) suggested me. The timing was perfect as I felt it was time for me to move on from the management situation in was in.
Took me a few months to secure the position, but I got it and started in January 2006. As the General Manager of Roadrunner Records Canada, I had to put together a team to run the label from a Toronto office. I was also responsible for budgets, forecasting, marketing, sales and everything else the other team members did not cover! Roadrunner had a real family atmosphere, and was always a joy to work with!
H: During your time as GM for Roadrunner Canada the company’s sales more than quadrupled. That’s incredible. What changes did you make after coming on board that facilitated such a large change over the subsequent years?
R: Universal Music is a great place to work and be distributed in Canada, but whenever an indie label licenses to any major, you get an advance check in the mail and then you hope your release stands out from the other 1000 releases they have. When you have a team clearly focused on your releases, chances are you are going to see changes. We had a four-member team signing bands, working radio and press etc. A team that clearly understood the market, and the genre they were working. While the amazing, often-overworked people at Universal have a deluge of releases, at Roadrunner we probably had one or two new releases a month, and 8-10 active current releases. We even had time to focus on catalogue campaigns. We had time to focus on our bands, and we worked hard making people take notice.
H: After six years with Roadrunner you moved to a Vice President of Label Operations role at Eleven Seven Music, but not before founding your own label and communications company known as Black Rose. What inspired you to launch your own business?
R: There were two bands Roadrunner Records Canada had signed and did not pick up their option. To this day, I don’t know why, because some of the staff in the NYC office stated that the albums were their favorite releases of that year. Nonetheless, one of those bands where Bleeker Ridge. I kept working with them after leaving Roadrunner. After Roadrunner, I got freelance work here and there for various companies (The Next Star, Goldenvoice, Evenko), so Black Rose was just a way to brand myself and stay in the music industry
H: Being as successful as you were at Roadrunner, I have to imagine the decision to change roles was not made very easily. What drove you to join the Eleven Seven team?
R: Circumstances were such that Roadrunner had to cut staff so drastically that, in their third round of layoffs, I was affected. Allen Kovac was one of the first people to call me afterward. I didn’t jump into the role at Eleven Seven Music Group though. I enjoyed the summer off and met with several people who had options that I wanted to hear about. Working with Allen Kovac was by far the best choice for me. In a world where companies are downsizing, he is growing his companies, and being smart about it. Also, as the VP of Label Operations in Canada, I got to move back in to the Universal Music building in Toronto, a place that felt like home to me.
H: After just over a year with Eleven Seven you were promoted to General Manager and relocated to New York City after spending more than a decade in working in Canada. Aside from your changing roles, what has been the most difficult part of the relocation process?
R: A few things were tough for me: Leaving my nieces behind was probably the hardest. They are 2 and 5 years old so it’s important to me to keep in close contact with them! Also, it was tough not having US credit history (something I hadn’t thought of). I feel like I am starting over, where I had built my life, and credit, in Canada already.
H: Without going too in-depth, please walk us through a typical day at the office for you:
R: It starts with me complaining why the coffee here doesn’t come close to Tim Hortons’ quality!
Everyday is actually different. My schedule is largely based on meetings, what releases we have coming out and more. There is some routine, but not a ton. That is why I like this job! Activities vary from leading company-wide marketing meetings to listening in on junior staff brainstorming meetings, to reviewing materials submitted by bands for upcoming albums. My involvement in every part of the process is quite deep. Therefore, my email in-box is out of control!
H: Beyond paychecks and continued employment, how do you measure your personal success?
R: If I can help someone, teach someone, or guide someone to be better and more successful, that is my barometer of success.
H: Do you have any career goals or aspirations you are currently working towards?
R: One reason I chose to move to NYC was to help Allen Kovac expand this company, his brand, and make it more successful. I have only been here 5 months, but I feel we are headed in that direction
H: A lot of the people reading this are likely considering a career in music themselves. As someone who has endured the changing landscape of music for the better part of two decades, what advice do you have to offer them?
R: You know when I started in the music business; I just wanted to get in. No matter what the job, there is always an opportunity to learn in this industry because it is always changing. If you want longevity in this industry, I believe you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. It is just important to not get discouraged easily. The best schooling for this kind of work is actually doing it, hands down.
H: When it comes to keeping music safe ahead of its intended release date, Eleven Seven uses Haulix for all its secure music distribution needs. What do you like about our service?
R: We love the ability to track which songs are listened to and how often individuals listen to them. There is nothing better than knowing people have heard music and are prepared to discuss it in detail, while still maintaining the security of the material.
H: What is the biggest challenge facing Eleven Seven Music Group today? Is it growth? Piracy? Something else altogether?
R: It is probably growth…We are signing bands and beefing up our release schedule, but we are concentrating on quality so it is a slow, steady process. We aren’t just throwing things against the wall to see if they stick, we make a commitment to these bands – multiple singles released, aggressive marketing, etc.
We are also trying to communicate the message of what we do for our bands to the industry at large, which is another slow process.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
R: Illegal downloads. Despite what everyone says, this has really affected sales. When I started at Alert Music, the #1 selling CD was selling 200,000 copies per week! Now we are lucky if we get to 20,000 copies per week on the #1 release. The bar has been lowered and that is sad.
H: Looking ahead to the remainder of 2014, what can we expect from Eleven Seven Music Group?
R: A great year of releases for both our Rock (Eleven Seven Music) and Alternative (Five Seven Music) labels. We signed a new band called NOTHING MORE to Eleven Seven Music that we are all very excited about. HELLYEAH (Eleven Seven) and NICO VEGA (Five Seven) made great records we are now promoting!!! We also have a bunch of new signings. It’s going to be a busy and fun year for us!
H: What is one thing you hope to accomplish before the end of the year?
R: A gold record… wishful thinking! Honestly, that ELEVEN SEVEN MUSIC GROUP becomes a brand that bands want to be a part of!
H: Okay. I believe we have made it through all my questions. Before I let you go, do you have any final thoughts or observations you would like to share?
R: I would like to take the time to say thank you for doing your research and asking me great questions!
