Tough Love: Adventures In Artist Management

Chris Moon

For the close of our first season, centered around our them of “Origin Stories”, we flip the script as I take the interview seat, with our newest member of the Tough Love family, Greg Dobiahl, taking over and slinging the questions my way. Greg did a fantastic job, and let’s just say I like it on the other side of the table, but it’s our hopes that this episode helps give some insights into my experiences as a manager and as a reference point of sorts from which I come from in the various conversations with fellow managers in other episodes.

We hope you enjoy it as we look ahead and turn a new page soon with season two, which we’ll launch soon, turning our attention to “Pivots.” Thanks as always for listening!

Edward O’Day
Project Daybreak

In our first episode, I chat with an old friend of mine, Edward O’Day.

Edward, along with his partner Brad Talley, founded Project Daybreak to support a certain type of artist. We dive deeper into what defines the artists they work with, how the music of Edward’s youth helped shape that perspective, and how, even with a clear view, the landscape of artist management can be hard to see from afar.

I hope you enjoy our discussion, and you can find out more about Project Daybreak here.

Caroline Rose

Christian Roreau – Thirty Tigers Management

Today we speak with Christian Roreau, artist manager at Thirty Tigers, one of the leading independent distribution and management companies.

Christian started out as a journalism major at NYU, spent some time fronting a band before settling down in Nashville and landing at Thirty Tigers. Like so many others, artist management wasn’t a career path of choice as much as an opportunity that presented itself. His time nurturing the careers of artists as diverse as Trampled By Turtles and Lizzo give insight into the need to be open to possibilities and leading from the heart.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Christian.

Caren Kelleher –
Gold Rush Vinyl

Today we continue our series on “Pivots”, chatting with managers how have, at one point or another in their career, veered into or out of artist management, and how their experiences as an artist manager speaks into the work they’re doing now.

When I was brainstorming on a new series topic, my guest today, Caren Kelleher, was towards the top of my list of folks I wanted to chat with, as she’s reinvented herself a few times in her career, and, as our conversion revels, her passion for supporting artists is a constant anchor throughout.

Today, Caren owns and operates one of the nations premier vinyl pressing plants, Gold Rush Vinyl, based in Austin, TX. We’ll chat how she got there, along with the other various twists and turns along the way.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Caren.

Joel Mark – YMU Group

Today we continue our series on “Pivots”, but for this episode, we’ll be speaking with someone who shifted out of his role in A&R and into artist management.

Joel Mark, a partner in YMU Group, now manages The Faint, Soul Asylum, Liz Phair and the John Coltrane Estate, among others, but before that, he signed artists as diverse as Creed and Sigur Rós.

In our chat, we touch on how diversity inspires ideas, and how chance detours often lead to new opportunities.

Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Joel.