Tony Ward is the founder of Person On The Floor – a Hong Kong-primarily based tunes and entertainment consultancy organization. In advance of launching Guy On The Floor, Tony expended about 15 a long time in New York in govt advertising and marketing positions at Sony Tunes, BMG, Arista Data, EMI Data and Sanctuary Administration. Tony managed advertising and marketing strategies for numerous effective artists, like, Santana, Sarah McLachlan, Patti Smith, Eurythmics, Beth Orton and Spiritualized. For the past 3 many years, he is served as the Plan Director for Music Issues, Asia Pacific’s once-a-year premiere new music marketplace party. Tony shared with us his precious perception on the potential of songs and the breaking of functions.
RL: How did you get started in the music business?
TW: I have been a new music fanatic my complete lifetime and failed to imagine of a lot else increasing up. Then, in the 80s, I labored at my college radio station in the US. I constantly beloved the music from the Uk – specifically from the then indie label, Virgin Data. So when I graduated, I resolved to shift to London and was determined to get a career in the music company. I truly managed to land a career at Virgin Data in London and labored there for a handful of decades.
RL: What led to the creation of Guy On The Ground?
TW: When relocating to Asia, I quickly regarded that many western artists or amusement organizations now view Asia as an possibility current market for expansion and advancement, and are in require of a person to assist them navigate the nuances of the industry listed here. Several from the west see Asia as a large question mark and require aid building connections, launching a products or assistance, or aid with profession steering.
RL: Inform us about your purpose in Songs Matters? What led you to consider the placement as Method Director?
TW: A number of months soon after shifting to Hong Kong, I was launched to Jasper Donat, who is President of New music Matters. He was looking for an individual with business practical experience to style and design the meeting application and safe guest speakers. We hit it off. The meeting has developed to be the premiere sector function for Asia. My purpose at Music Issues is to develop the panel subject areas, locate ideal panel and keynote speakers and compose the program. I also function on the competition facet of the convention – New music Issues Reside.
RL: What was your most thriving marketing marketing campaign for an artist?
TW: In the mid-90s, I was in New York at EMI Information and labored with a band known as the Pleasurable Lovin’ Criminals. They have been an wonderful live band with amazing personalities and charisma. We felt they were being excellent for the British isles and European marketplaces, so we concentrated on breaking the band in that area and fully commited to this by taking the band there once more and once again. About the study course of a yr, they went from playing compact golf equipment to large festivals throughout Europe and even now have a massive adhering to in the United kingdom today. So the philosophy of possessing a band return continuously to a market worked and I however believe that in it to this day. I also labored on Santana’s Supernatural album, which marketed 25 million albums all over the entire world – so that was really amazing as perfectly.
RL: Who has been your favorite artist to work with? Why?
TW: Without a doubt it was Patti Smith and we labored on many albums collectively. It seems like a cliche, but she is a real artist – musician, painter, poet, author, and photographer. In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame and in 2010, she received the Countrywide Book Award for her e book Just Young children. Not a lot of artists can say that.
RL: How do you imagine social media has afflicted the breaking of acts?
TW: It has certainly come to be significant in breaking an artist from several angles – for case in point, several artists are now uncovered on YouTube and labels troll the internet on the lookout for expertise – so there is an supplemental avenue for discovery. When applied proficiently, artists can open a very practical line of communication and commerce with their followers as a result of social media. But in the finish, it truly is continue to about the tunes and actively playing are living. If you you should not have that experience, it isn’t going to matter how several Facebook enthusiasts you have in the very long operate.
RL: In which do you see the future of new music heading?
TW: I think it’s on the lookout up from the place it is been going more than the past 10 several years, significantly for the independent, self-enough artist – but in different means from how we’ve gauged achievement in the previous. As an artist, it will be a lot more about creating your have network of followers and internet marketing and marketing specifically to them. And it will keep on to be about the reside facet of the business and possessing a world wide standpoint.
RL: What is your information for indie artists everywhere you go who are hoping to choose their professions to the subsequent level?
TW: Do the job incredibly tough on becoming an remarkable dwell act and often perform to hone your dwell craft. Take your time and really don’t consider to skip any ways. Also, try out to travel to the a variety of music market conventions and activities all over the world. It really is not low cost, but you will learn a excellent offer, most likely make new and crucial connections, and understand how the industry functions from a world point of view. Search for each and every prospect out there for global pageant general performance slots- there are prospects for indie artists. You can even try to make use of the group-funding possibilities that exist nowadays to help fund the journey. There are also so numerous on-line tools that indie artists can use to improve their fanbase – from providing and streaming music, finding out analytics, developing and providing merch, raising money, and finding your music distributed digitally all around the entire world. Examine the instruments that are at your disposal.
Tony Ward life in Hong Kong and continues to dispense excellent internet marketing guidance.
Guy On The Floor Formal Site: www.manontheground.asia