BACK
iN 2005 AiRPLAY DiRECT
AND iT'S CEO AND FOUNDER ROBERT
WEINGARTZ WERE MERELY A BLiP ON THE RADAR SCREEN. NOWADAYS
THEY ARE THE ONLY WAY FOR ARTiSTS TO DiSTRiBUTE THEiR MATERiALS TO
RADiO STATiONS AND FOR RADiO PROGRAMMERS TO KEEP THEiR PLAYLiSTS
iNTERESTiNG.
AIRPLAY
DIRECT is one hell of a
delivery system for artists wanting to break the ice with radio
stations. It's been around for a good part of a decade and since it's
inception, what has been the biggest surprise for you?
The educational curve - really getting
radio to start accepting the new delivery mechanism and getting
artists to understand that they are now playing on a global platform
instead of a regionalized area that they can service through physical
distribution.
And
how easy or difficult was it to
get all of these radio stations to come in on this idea. Before,
there was this very rigid way of how you sent music to radio
stations. Talk about how you did that.
It kind of feels like being nailed to
the cross. Quite frankly it was very difficult to get everyone aware.
It took a lot of personal hand holding on the programmers side as
well as artist and label side to get people to accept this new system
of delivery as I think we have seen in all of these other businesses
as they've transformed. This isn't specific to the music industry. I
think that everyone has had to learn to adjust quite frankly. I get
stuck in my ways. I like things to be comfortable for me We've had a
technology curve that was the second thing beyond the spatial curve
and the programmers - a lot of them at public radio, NPR, College
and even internet stations - just didn't have the equipment at the
time. That was 2005. Seven years later those obstacles and challenges
aren't really the same. We went from being a heretic to being the
wave of the future to being a good solid bit of business practice
everyday.
It
seems like the only way to
business these days!
Well you know I think so if you're
looking at efficiency and economics. The days of all of us being able
to decide individually how we want to do business has been
sidestepped. You have to be much more aware of how the world is
operating - the global village network if you will. There are
cultural pieces that we had to cross. That has also raised another
huge challenge for us in communicating news. In today's world, you
can get on Google and hit translate and translate something into any
language I want in a discernible message for me. That has happened
for radio stations. That has happened for artists and the labels and
that has made it a lot easier technology -as much as it has been
confusing has been a great ally. It works that way in the
automobile industry. It works that way in the food and beverage
industry and it has certainly found it's way into our industry
And
speaking of our industry –
which happens to be a crazy one - talk about what drew you to it.
This is how it worked. We released an
album on January 28, 2005. It was great Americana record and it was a
huge success for us but financially, I couldn't afford to send out
the packages to the people that were requesting it - magazines, the
e-zines, the blogs - all of the things that were starting to pop up and
it became an economic decision for
us. Who are we going to invest a package into with a CD and bio and
a radio one sheet. At that point I realized that there was no way for
me to service everyone that wanted the music. We treat the smallest
internet radio station with the same respect that we would to the
largest FM radio station. We didn't want to start making those
decisions. That was what inspired and created it.
So
necessity was the mother of
invention then?
Absolutely! As painful as that can be
sometimes it is certainly the creative point. It was for me anyway
I'll speak for myself. The whole philosophy of thinking inside the
box or outside the box or why is their a box and can I build a
better box. What is this box we just tried to figure out? What was
going to work better for everyone involved? I just happened to be
stubborn enough to stick with it.
In
speaking as a programmer myself,
you brought up an interesting point about how there is no difference
between K-ROCK and a small station like ours. I would like to thank
you for that.
It is the backbone of what we've done.
When I say small I mean there are college students that have really
small followings and they are broadcasting from their dorm rooms.
That is just as important as K-ROCK. I guess that's why it's been a
harder push than I expected. It's just as important. I shouldn't say
this but I'll say it anyway. Quite frankly we find it to be the
message that was more important to our smaller artists. It's one
thing when you talk about WILLIE NELSON or TIM MCGRAW or any of the
larger names in any genre. There was a lot of specialty programming
that was starting to come up that really mattered to us and they
couldn't find the servicing that they wanted for the music. They
either had to buy it or they could go to a Pay to Play site and take
it. We tried to find that solution that was allowing them to do it in
a responsible and legal manner and allow tracking on it and allow
the labels to truly connect even with the small people. If you're
touring and you can put twenty extra tickets and butts in the seats
that starts adding up and it mattered to a lot of our really small
clients. The members that we have served from the beginning are the
independents and it has grown into a much larger situation now. At
the end of the day I'm just a street kid from LA and my focus has
always been on the independents
Having
been around myself since
2005, I remember when AIRPLY DIRECT was a little story idea that was
pitched to me. Now you are everywhere!
Yeah, you've been a longtime supporter
and I thank you for that. You had enough foresight to see and
appreciate that you could get content from artists that might not
have otherwise been able to locate and service you and that was the
Rubik's Cube for me. We service both sides of the platform equally.
From our perspective we want to make sure that the stations are
really getting what they want out of the deal instead of someone asking
them to play
their record. Are they calling you? Are they setting up interviews?
Are they sending station IDs? Are they willing to get involved on a
deeper level with the programmers? We are trying to provide that
pipeline - that conduit - for conversation. Not to control it but to
allow the pipeline to exist
Since
the formation of the company
to now are you as hands on as you were in the beginning?
Well I'd like to think so sometimes. In
reality the organization has grow to such a point that I'm fortunate
to have a great team around me. I try to stay in touch with the
platform. I read every single email that comes into this company
whether it comes in to the President of the company or the VP of
Operations. I still read every single one and I try to reach out on a
limited basis to some key ones just to keep my finger on the pulse of
it. I receive about a thousand emails a day - primarily newsletters
about artists and what they are doing and how they are growing. I
look at the problem areas more than the successes. The successes are
easy to identify but the problems are the ones that interest me the
most. Where I want to reach out with a phone call and try to put some
sort of perspective on it both for the member of AIRPLAY DIRECT and
for myself. I'm an indie guy. I love talking to the artist and record
labels and radio programmers. Everyone has their own set of
challenges as they learn to utilize AURPLAY DIRECT. I try to do that
on a regular basis. It helps keep my finger on the pulse. Typically I
do a couple of calls daily. I wish I could do more. As the company
has grown I'm just not able to do it all.
Since
the company's launch the
country has been in a recession for the better part of it's lifespan.
How have you managed to stay afloat given that sort of economic
climate?
I think it's a dichotomy. The global
depression that has been happening more recently has amplified it. As
funds have become tighter as labels
have constricted as financial resources have shrunk that has a
positive and a negative effect for us. People have less to spend but
given the nature of our business model and the efficiencies we
provide has helped us grow but at the same time people are struggling
and don't have as much money to put into their careers. We've seen it
shrink in some ways but for us it's allowed us to grow in other ways.
We just try to be aware of it. Our competitive edge is our members. We
work with 7500+ radio stations and programmers
in 85 countries and they are all thirsty for the music and listeners
are thirty for it. We are a digital FED-EX - not radio promoters. I
think we have a very efficient model - a streamlined model that allows
them to
reach more for less. As long as we continue to protect that and
service the majors in a way that is meaningful for them but still
protect our indie roots in a way that is very strong and virile. I've
focused on one grain of sand at a time now we've got a small beach.
There is a lot of loud voices whether it's on our radio member side
or the artist and label side our strength is our members they tell
very vocally what they are looking for and I really try to pay
attention to that. Sometimes you can get a little caught up in what
you are doing and think that you understand it all but if you sit
still and listen tot he people that you are there to serve the
answers come pretty readily in my opinion.
What
do you see on the horizon for
AIRPLAY DIRECT?
Big question! I think at the end, it
comes back to serving our members. If we aren't providing the
services that they want they are going to find a way to work around
them. I find them working around it all the time and I wish I could
take credit for a lot of the great ideas for AIRPLAY DIRECT and the
services we've deployed but frankly they really come for our members.
They are the ones who know what they need and how they're trying to
do it. We do our best to serve those needs. It's an ongoing battle
for all involved. We're getting ready and working on a brand new
platform/ecosystem that is going to answer a lot of those questions
for people but we're moving more heavily into radio syndication and
radio specials. Our VP of Operations LYNDA has really put together a
neat program that's allowing us to do that she calls it YOUR MESSAGE
YOUR WAY so that you can put together a radio interview special if
you will in a thirty minute segment and use that to continue to
grow what you are already doing with your current release or catalog.
I continue to be fascinated with the catalog world and what's out
there for us. There are archives and catalogs that are so beautiful
and enriching to what is happening currently It's where all the
influences coming from. We see a twenty year old JOHNNY WINTERS
record competing with the latest blues record that is out there. Our
charts are set that way so that you can equally compete. We are
continuing to try to find a way to level the playing field for
quality professional artists it doesn't matter how small you are. It
matters how hard you work
It
does help if you've got music even
the folks that are coming into the business and still learning and
developing We find their spot within our programmers. We are
fortunate enough to have a vast array of strong radio programming
talent that isn't afraid to be a tastemaker. They'll take a little
guy and quality of the recording may not be exactly what they want
but the talent is there. We continue to find new ways to serve the
members that is meaningful to them and also helps to serve the
greater good. You can't take your eye off the future. I am constantly
looking at what we are doing with mobile apps, smartphones and there
is a lot to be said for looking into that and looking at how we are
going to move forward from a technology perspective. At the end of
the day for me it comes down to good music finds great ears and our
radio panel is tremendously strong. I consider them to be the
tastemakers of the globe. I hope I'm not overstating that but that's
how I feel. I think that is our future - our members.
