Daniel Glass

He runs his business like a family. With Daniel Glass you're either in or you're out. You don't want to get on his bad side, he's got a very long memory, but if you're in the family, there are no limits to what Daniel will do for you.

Tuesday I went to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to see Daniel Glass honored as the International Music Person of the Year at Musexpo. Interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel, Daniel kept telling stories of his relations, from his supportive parents to his wife to his children. There was no separation between work and downtime. Because there are no vacations in the music business, you're working 24/7.

And Daniel's been working for a very long time. Since his days at the college radio station in Brooklyn.

You never know where your passion will lead you. It was by championing an obscure record that Daniel got a call from its writer, inviting him into her lair, offering him his first gig, as a publisher.

Don't be so worried about where you're going next, do a good job where you are, people will notice. And what they notice most is not your ability to market yourself, but your depth of knowledge and your passion. Getting in the front door, getting the job, is the easy part, sticking is a whole 'nother matter.

So Daniel parlays this gig into a job at Chrysalis. After pitching the writer's songs to Vic Damone and other geriatric performers in the Catskills. No job is too small to do right. You're learning all the while. And while at Chrysalis, Daniel pitched Spandau Ballet's "True" to Frankie Crocker, who played it multiple times during his shift, and the song went on to become a smash, because Crocker was a tastemaker, people paid attention to him, not only his listeners, but other professionals. That's the way the business works, there are always leaders. Right now, Daniel is one. But he's doing it differently from everybody else. Sure, he's got hit records. But everybody can discover talent these days, nothing is hidden, but can you sign it, can you make it hit, especially if it's left of center? That's Daniel's specialty.

And that's when I met Daniel. In the waning days of Chrysalis. Which was sold by its founders, leaving Daniel pondering his next move. Which ended up being with SBK.

Daniel wasn't a pop guy. He liked rock and dance, hell, he was the DJ at Regine's. But when he heard Wilson Phillips he knew he had a smash, and he executed, he made it a hit.

And what's fascinating is the team Daniel employed was never stolen from another label, it was always home grown. He hired green people and taught them his method, and always gave them credit.

And after SBK blew up, Daniel had a long time in the wilderness, working for Doug Morris at Rising Tide, going indie, working with Danny Goldberg at the hedge-funded Artemis. He was king of the world at SBK, but now he was starting over. Most people don't have the wherewithal, they certainly don't want to invest in themselves.

Who implored Daniel Glass to start the hugely successful Glassnote?

His wife, Deborah.

We're all unsure. We all need someone in our corner. We need validation, we need to be pushed, we need to be comforted when things go wrong, we need to be told to soldier on.

And suddenly, thirty years later, when everybody else is out of the business, Daniel is at his peak.

But he's doing it the same way. Hiring a bunch of passionate nobodies who he molds to his system. This is the opposite of the major label model. The majors are all about the kingpin. Who works for Lucian Grainge? Doug Morris? They're all about being king, taking all the credit. Whereas the great bosses give their charges leeway, and let them get the kudos. I learned this from Tom Freston, when he ran MTV. Tom too ran his business like a family. And he would never tell his people what to do. Freston wasn't about trading favors, he'd link you up with the appropriate person, but it was their decision whether to play ball or not.

In the corporatization of the music business something has been lost. Homage is paid to the "team," but really it's every man for himself. Just like America. We're not in it together, I'll step on you to get ahead. And then I won't respond to your e-mail once I've left you behind. It's funny money. No one is an owner. So everybody's playing an endless game of Monopoly, trying to win. And when the board is wiped clean and put away, then what?

Mmm...

It's more than being in it for the long haul. It's about people, relationships. Doing right so right will be returned unto you. And those who don't play this game have very short shelf lives, when they hit a bump in the road, no one's there to rescue them.

So the reason Glassnote is so successful is not because of the acts, but because of Daniel Glass. If you take a meeting with him, you're gonna sign, because he's so different from everyone else. Everyone else tells you how much money they're gonna give you, send a limo, try to dazzle you. Whereas Daniel exudes passion for your work, tells you how long a road it's gonna be, and then has his team of no-names work hard on your behalf. You can either buy a BMW with no gas, or a Prius that won't break down and will get you there. Flashy and shiny went out with the nineties, today it's all about the work.

It used to be about muscle.

Now it's about smarts.

That was the majors' ace in the hole. The ability to squeeze radio, where records were broken, and retail, where they were sold. But now radio, although important, means less than ever before. And iTunes is not about shipments and dating and all the other shenanigans of the past. Anybody can play. But everybody's afraid. Or not interested, since the amount of money in music pales in comparison to finance and tech.

But it's about the artists. Imperfect yet transcendent. That's what Daniel told Jimmy, it's the only reason to be in this business, to shepherd great talent to its deserved audience. And so many say they want to do this, but they don't have the patience, never mind the skill, to deal with these impossible acts who can make great music but are frequently thorns in your side.

But it's much easier if there's trust.

A family is not without arguments. It's not without a father. But it contains a bond transcending any business relationship. You know your back is covered. You know if you get in trouble there's someone to bail you out.

It's no wonder Daniel Glass is successful. He's there for you.


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