We asked artist/producer/dj manager Gary Salzman from Big Managment about Amsterdam Dance Event and its effect on the electronic dance music world.
DJ Ron Slomowicz: Why do you go to ADE?
Gary Salzman: I go to ADE so I can meet my partners from around the world. We have the #1 youth TV music show in Latin America and Chris Willis signed to 15 record labels throughout the world, territory by territory, So, this convention is very useful.
RS: What are you looking for?
Gary Salzman: I'm not really looking for anything, just to meet all the labels that we work with, and talk to everyone about what I'm working with and what they're working on. Its information. It's face to face, to have a drink, a cup of coffee or some dinner in a relaxed setting with people you do business with.
RS: How aggressively do you set up meetings? Every 15 or 30 minutes?
Gary Salzman: Every 30 minutes. I want time to get from one to the other. I don't want to run behind and if we get into an in depth, interesting discussion about a possible license, I'd like to have the time to talk about it.
RS: How selective are you with meetings? Will you accept a meeting request from anyone who contacts you?
Gary Salzman: I really don't accept meetings from people I don't know, people I don't want to know or know of. There's more then enough time to meet people while we're passing, drinking and partying. It's just too busy.
RS: What meetings do you personally go after?
Gary Salzman: I don't go "after" meetings. The people who want to meet with me know me, and they know why they want to meet with me. If you're talking about making sure that I see all of the labels that I have artists signed to, then I go after those meetings.
RS: When meeting with artists, what do you look for?
Gary Salzman: I don't hold a lot of artist meetings. If someone has sent me a demo that blows me away, I've probably made contact with them already. I have a new artist out of Latvia that I'm very, very excited about because she's got such an amazing voice, writes and is an excellent performer. She just came up to me and met me at another convention and made sure that I sat down with her and listened and talked. Without that, I probably never would have met with her. Artists have it very hard. They have to be able to accept the word "no" thrown at them constantly and work through it. I like to hear a record first that I really, really like before I sit down with someone.
RS: Do you only look for completely finished projects? If you hear a really cool track would you get involved with the project and find a top line singer/songwriter?
Gary Salzman: Your reference is interesting because that's one of the things that I look for in my meetings with the people I know. I have top line people who I want writing for Tool Room and other exceptional labels, so that's one of the specific things we all talk about. But I don't know that I would do that with a label that I don't know. I would take it much slower and see how they work first so I know what I'm getting into.
RS: At ADE, is there often pressure to make immediate decisions?
Gary Salzman: Not really. I think that's a characteristic of Midem years ago. There aren't that many labels that there are six people in one territory competing for anything. Besides, I think pressure is imagined. You're looking to talk to people, do business with people. Why would you put yourself in a situation where you have to make a spot decision or lose?
RS: If you were pitched an amazing song that didn't have an artist attached, would you still be interested? How about a studio project?
Gary Salzman: It's rare that I hear a song and just get blown away. They are so few and far between.....but if I did, I would be interested. As for studio projects, I don't love them.
RS: When you take on a project, is it strictly for the US? Or do you look for worldwide deals or is it specific to the project?
Gary Salzman: It's specific to the project and what they want me to do. I very rarely take on a management project just for the U.S. It would have to be a very special management project. But I'll promote just for the U.S. all the time. We do a lot of radio promotion and other types of promotions without managing the clients. Those we take territory by territory.
