Inside the Industry – Part 2: Artist Representation

Carol Ray

As the longtime manager of (and business owner/partner with) guitarist Nick Colionne, Carol Ray is in a position to give us an overview of the Smooth Jazz industry based on years of active participation.  I’ve always found her to be honest and forthcoming and, above all, very fair in her dealings with others.

RO:  What’s your quick take on where we stand right now? 

CR:  I believe a major enemy of success is conventional wisdom/customary practices.  The reality of changes now endemic in the business has a lot of people wondering what to do to survive.  It has served me (and Nick's career) well over the years to deal with what I believe matters and to dare to trust my instincts.

RO:  What do you expect when you deal with concert promoters and venues?

CR:  What I expect and what I want aren't always the same thing so I will answer as to what I would like to see.  From promoters, a fair offer commensurate with the ability of the artist to actually sell tickets and treatment of the artist that respects the difficulty of doing their job on the road as well as the terms of the contract.  From venues, proper sound and lighting equipment and competent techs and stage managers, clean dressing rooms and decent security.  Don't forget plenty of bathrooms for the audience, either.

RO:  What would you like to see from radio?  What would you want radio to do differently?  What do you think is radio doing right?

CR:  I would like to see radio being programmed with the same passion for the music as those who create it.  I don't distinguish between terrestrial and internet radio in this regard. Radio programmers with great "ears”--and there are plenty--free of the dictates of focus groups and accounting departments, can create a compelling listening experience that will inevitably draw listeners to them.  Specific pet peeves of mine:

1. Stop trying to make jazz into pop, urban AC or R&B.  Being all things to all audiences dilutes everything.  That music already has plenty of stations playing it anyway.
2. Limit vocals to one or two an hour and make sure they are jazz vocals when you play them. 
3. There is so much great new music being created. Twenty-five year old chestnuts can be retired to specialty programming only.  Don't turn this into an oldies format!
   

RO:  Can you name the one thing that would improve the industry the most?

CR:  If I could wave a magic wand and have promoters and radio programmers recognize that the past is history and repeating the decisions from the past will not bring the new results and audiences needed to keep the format vital and vibrant, I would.  Book and play the exciting artists who are constantly evolving their music and performances, and find a way to inject new talent and sounds into the mix or we are doomed to be the next Big Band format, frozen in time.

RO:  What would you like to see in the world of Smooth/Contemporary jazz in 2013?

CR: Fans are key and their ongoing and increased support of the music is imperative. Promoters and radio folks, introduce your audiences to new artists in ways that make sense in your markets.  Artists who are building their following by developing a local audience into a regional audience, etc., can make themselves desirable as cost effective opening acts.  

Radio can focus on local and regional talent via specialty show programming.  The major artists of tomorrow are out there.  Radio can do artist interviews for live or later date broadcasting, bringing established and newer artists one on one to their audiences.

RO:  Your final thoughts?

Everyone needs to accept change.  Concert promoters need to recognize the acts that have nothing new to say and hire someone else.  Radio needs to stop playing 25 year old tunes.  Audiences need to embrace new music from established stars and good music from up and coming artists. Contemporary jazz terrestrial radio is no longer top ten status, and internet radio is rising. If everyone involved, from fans to artists to programmers to promoters, accepts the new reality of jazz and stops trying to recreate what can no longer be, we'll be just fine, and who knows where we can go from here?!

RO:  A few years ago Carol was interviewed for Smooth Views by Shannon West.  I’ve excerpted a portion of the interview below, because it gives us an additional glimpse into how she approaches her job.

CR:  I love what I do and I love creating an environment for Nick Colionne to do what he loves to do. It makes him happy, it makes me happy, it makes the fans happy.  It's pleasurable. It's fun and nobody said it was easy. I work harder at this than I have ever worked at anything in my life. It's rare that I take a day off, then I work twice as hard the next day. I take phone calls at any time. I answer e-mails at 3 a.m.  I am completely dedicated to this because I believe in it. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction to know that I have relationships with people that other people don't even know.

Monday - Part 3:  The Artist

Tuesday - Part 4:  Radio Programmers (I'll be handling this one, and you get to ask the questions.  Send them to me at the email address below.)

~Rick O'Dell ([email protected])

Our Smooth Video of the Day:  Nick Colionne gives us a preview of his February 16 date at the Montrose Room.

  

Comments

[Super Dave]

Interesting piece, Rick. And Ms. Ray's 3 pet peeves are on point. They're pet peeves of mine, too, along with a handful of others.

[Darlene Brown]

Love Carol Ray's insights! I work with Indie Artists and I wish more radio programers and promoters would view them as Ms Ray does. There is so much talent and great music by new artists that I believe the fans would love to hear but don't because of the outdated models of music airplay and promotion that the larger outlets follow. I hope they read this. Great job Rick and thank you Carol.

[Cyn Cooper]

It's funny but reading Carol Ray's ideas makes me see another dimension into what it is to program a station! I would not have thought my views were so different....but its certainly a road worth introspection on my part. Celebrating the old is not so bad to me, personally. Had not considered that a crop of moss and spider-webs might crop up while one is enjoying what once was. Gotta see the next installment in the series brings!!

[Cora]

Cyn: I totally and personally agree with you about "oldies but goodies" aspect. I suppose there are still some listeners out there who will agree that playing "outdated tunes" are not so bad (especially me)! In any event, thank you Ms. Ray for your nice thoughts!!

[Al Junco]

Carol is right, too many stations play music, that although is good, is not smooth jazz and there are too many other stations that already play the same thing. The stations that keep a true smooth jazz format and offer new talent will be a big hit.

[Art B.]

Carol brings up some good points, but I have to agree with Cyn and Cora, it is Great to hear new tunes but let us not forget what got things to this point,the " old chestnuts " from years gone by. There's no need to religate them to " specialty programming ", all things, old and new can be incorporated together in such a way as to not turn a station into an " oldies " format. As for me personally, I Love the " oldies ", they are the foundation of which new tunes are built !!!