Weekend Thoughts: Do You Really Want Someone Who Is Old And Experienced In These Times?

Bands always walk into my studio and say “We got this guy who wants to manage us and he has worked with this band and that band” My first reply is always “Cool, so what are their ideas for your band?” As someone who isn’t exactly young anymore I am talking about myself here as well. We are in a time of tremendous change in this business, and the old tried ideas are what is running the major labels into bankruptcy with accelerated speed. Just because a manager broke a band at some point it doesn’t mean they have any currency today to get your band where you want.

In recent years, the biggest changes we have seen were earth-shattering ideas brought on by genius 20 somethings like Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Tom and Chris of Myspace, Tim Ferriss (4 Hour Work Week), and Kevin Rose (Digg). These are people with ideas and even though they were young and inexperienced, they conquered their respective industries with innovative thought.

I am not saying everyone who is old is incapable of innovating. However, age, resume, platinum records etc. do not translate to anything in this industry right now. If I can impart any advice for a band looking to work with a manager, producer, mixer, label, lawyer, etc. it is make sure they have young and fresh new ideas and understand today’s landscape. Otherwise, I don’t care how many platinum records they have on their wall, these times will break that person in an instant. Beware of old ideas, they are dead! Look for a person with fresh ideas, it does not matter if they have no resume, as long as they will work hard on those ideas, it will be much better than someone who doesn’t get today’s landscape. The times we live in you need to judge people by their work ethic, their ideas, not what they did in the past, because even five year old achievements are irrelevant today.

http://colortheory.com Brian Hazard

I experience the same sort of thing all the time in my mastering business. Often people come to me after working with a “veteran” and realizing the result wasn’t what they were looking for.
http://colortheory.com Brian Hazard

I experience the same sort of thing all the time in my mastering business. Often people come to me after working with a “veteran” and realizing the result wasn’t what they were looking for.