| When I first went into the music business, I'd look around at the record-label guys: They all had this white pallor, chain-smoked cigarettes, were nervous and jerky and always running to catch a plane somewhere. All the music publishers had great suntans, were smoking big, fat Cuban cigars and looked very relaxed. So I asked myself, which one did I want to be when I was 40? | |  |  | | Charles Koppelman in Los Angeles, circa 1991. | | (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images) | | | | quote of the day | | "When I first went into the music business, I'd look around at the record-label guys: They all had this white pallor, chain-smoked cigarettes, were nervous and jerky and always running to catch a plane somewhere. All the music publishers had great suntans, were smoking big, fat Cuban cigars and looked very relaxed. So I asked myself, which one did I want to be when I was 40?" | | - Charles Koppelman, 1940 – 2022 | |
| | rantnrave:// | (Guest curator REDEF CEO JASON HIRSCHHORN stepping in today to remember an old mentor.)
Charles
Just a little story of my youth, my passion for the music business, and a lot of name-dropping and connections that came full circle to begin my career…
"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a…" music executive. It started when I was young. Maybe when my CAMP WINAUKEE bunkmate DREW GOLDBERG simultaneously got me into KISS, REO SPEEDWAGON, BILLY JOEL, AC/DC, RICK SPRINGFIELD, the CLASH and MICHAEL JACKSON. Or seeing the story of the "first" rock and roll DJ star ALAN FREED in AMERICAN HOT WAX with my dad? Or the fact that I grew up around so many kids whose parents were in the business, from SIRE RECORDS' SEYMOUR STEIN and manager LINDA STEIN to lawyers ALLEN GRUBMAN and ARTIE INDURSKY (later they represented me when I sold my company to MTV; Allen is now in the ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME—must watch induction video) to EMI MUSIC's MARTY BANDIER. I wanted to run a label or be an A&R exec. I used to drive Seymour around a little during summer breaks and I dreamt that I had 1/100th of his ear and instinct. His label embodied my tastes, from the PRETENDERS to DEPECHE MODE to the SMITHS to MADONNA.
It was spring 1989, and Grubman always told me when I was ready to work he would help me. So I went to his office and he asked what I wanted to do. I said I was "destined to be in the music business." He sat in his chair, shoes off, and laughed at my vague movie response. Then he yelled to his assistant, "Get TOMMY MOTTOLA on the phone." Tommy was of course the CEO of SONY MUSIC. Essentially THE guy at the time. So Allen starts. "Tommy, I got a kid in here, Jason Hirschhorn, he's friends with Lizzie [Allen's daughter] and he says he is destined to be in the music business." Tommy says, "What does that mean?" So I say, "I just want to learn from you. I love music." I'm literally shaking, and he asks, "Can you carry a broom? If so, you got it. Someone will call you."
A month passed with no callback. I panicked. Summer before college and this was my dream dying before me.
Enter my unique NEW YORK school network. I was a club promoter in NYC. And one of my makeshift big brothers in high school, MICHAEL ASCH (also a club promoter) was close friends with JENNIFER KOPPELMAN. I told him what happened and he said he would introduce me to CHARLES KOPPELMAN. Charles was an exec, investor and entrepreneur in entertainment. And he, Marty Bandier and investor STEPHEN SWID had just taken over EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING and created a record label, SBK RECORDS.
Fast forward a month, and I'm in Charles' office. They were the nicest guys, but this was a mega BOND villain office on Sixth Avenue overlooking uptown, downtown and the East River. One side of the floor was Charles (52nd Street), the other Marty (53rd). Split in half with a see-through wall in the middle. Seriously cool. Not only did he offer me a paid internship but I was to divide my time between the two companies. EMI and SBK. I was going to get experience in publishing and, as he said, "getting 'rekkeds' made, played, and sold."
Charles was a larger-than-life figure. Impeccably dressed in the nicest suits and ties and I think CHARVET shirts. Round spectacles. Cigar aficionado. Bald dome, tightly coiffed on the sides. Charles and Marty were accomplished, successful and polished by now. But I also had a sense they were beyond that. They were street-smart. They had a knock-around feel. They may have been suits, but no one was going to get over on them.
My main day-to-day job was doing whatever JODY GERSON and her team of CLAUDE MITCHELL and RANDY SABISTON asked me to do. I delivered checks to songwriters. Pulled microfiche sheet music and lyrics (this was before massive digitization) for artists and producers. I was given a stopwatch and asked to listen to MC HAMMER's "U CAN'T TOUCH THIS" to determine how much of the publishing would go to RICK JAMES. I did the same for KING TEE's "DISS YOU," largely based on the ROLLING STONES' "MISS YOU." But on that one Stones' management said, "Keep the stopwatch, we'll take all the publishing."
What I noticed most (and looking back now) was the executive talent. EMI: IRWIN ROBINSON, Jody (now CEO of UNIVERSAL MUSIC), GUY MOOT (now co-chair and CEO of WARNER CHAPPELL). SBK: DANIEL GLASS (later to become my pal with fantastic taste and CEO of GLASSNOTE RECORDS), PETE GANBARG (president of A&R for ATLANTIC and president of ATCO), HILARY SHAEV (my sister's camp counselor who went on to EPIC RECORDS and the NBA), ARMA ANDON (managed WORLD PARTY's KARL WALLINGER who wrote one of my favorite songs ever, "SHIP OF FOOLS") and so many more. Charles was great at hiring talent to work with talent. Over time there's been a scorecard.
He spoke to all the interns when we started. His door was always open for a question and advice or a little schmooze with a story. He treated us well. And he paid us, decades before almost anyone else paid their interns.
The artists at SBK were varied and not long-lasting but for a few years, they sold boatloads of records. VANILLA ICE. WILSON PHILLIPS. TECHNOTRONIC. JESUS JONES. Others were less known like EVERYDAY PEOPLE (who I loved and who are impossible to find in the streaming era) and MUSICREDEF's MATTY KARAS' New Jersey pals THE RED HOUSE.
That summer had a big impact on me. I learned to do a little of a lot of jobs so I could appreciate others' work and understand the ecosystem of both labels. I had bosses who spent what time they could with me. I got to be around music and artists and go to live shows all the time. When you're in publishing you work with artists from hundreds of labels. Most of all, I learned how important the team is. There's always a leader, but the team makes it happen. And those team members were nurtured and went on to great things.
A few years ago, I was at the premiere of one of the HUNGER GAMES sequels. Before the film started, I saw the back of my friend GUY OSEARY and I couldn't see who he was talking to. I went over to say hi and sure enough, Guy was with Charles. It was a chance to re-introduce myself and say thank you for that summer and the impact it had. He vaguely remembered and got a kick out of my career history. I went into music, but not a label. I created internet destinations for music fans. Sold them to MTV. And went on to run MYSPACE. Closing the loop was great. And I joined a list, at least a little, of Koppelman disciples.
Why am I writing this? Because last week, Charles passed away at 82. I wanted to share these memories of someone who gave me a chance that I never forgot. And to say thanks publicly. He (and the others mentioned) made a difference in my life in a short time. I was also excited to re-tell these stories a few years ago when my friends author KEN AULETTA and former SHOWTIME CEO DAVID NEVINS introduced me to the creator of one of my favorite TV shows, BILLIONS, and co-writer of films like ROUNDERS and OCEANS 13 and more—Charles' son BRIAN KOPPELMAN. And just so happens, Brian, while attending TUFTS UNIVERSITY, noticed a singer-songwriter named TRACY CHAPMAN and introduced her to his Dad. I mean, of course, he did. Besides all this, he is a pop culture savant with a killer podcast.
Thank you, Charles. Thanks for saving me that summer. Thanks for giving us all your time. You can see we took some of what we watched you do and remixed it into our lives and careers. All these names, all these lives... The branches made you quite a tree. Salute.
Rest in Peace
AL MAIR, a Canadian industry pioneer who managed Gordon Lightfoot and founded the indie label Attic Records... MICHAEL BUTLER, the flamboyant producer who brought "Hair" to Broadway in 1968 (and occasionally showed up in the nude scene that he asked the creators to add to their original off-Broadway version). He had less success with "Reggae" a decade later... Michigan public radio DJ and jazz critic MICHAEL G. NASTOS.
| | - Jason Hirschhorn (@JasonHirschhorn), guest curator | |
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