Birth of an A&R Man: Jason Jordan, VP of A&R for Hollywood Records

MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN: The major label A&R executive sometimes seems like Bigfoot these days – hard to track down, even harder to get your head around. But Jason Jordan, Vice President of A&R for Hollywood Records, is no mythical creature.

This NYC-based hit hunter operates out in the great wide open, and when he got together with SonicScoop, he told all, and then some. In the first installment of this two-part interview, you’ll find out how one of NYC’s longest-lasting A&R executives got their start – and it wasn’t in business school. The man responsible for breaking Breaking Benjamin, wooing Josh Wink and crowning King Britt is a music man all the way.

Jason Jordan, VP of A&R for Hollywood Records

Q: Was there a Jason Jordan before Hollywood Records? Tell us about back in the day — go deep!

A: My twin brother, Joel, and I lived on the suburban outskirts of Philadelphia, PA but were actively involved in its punk and hardcore scene – going to shows every week at Club Pizzazz, trying to start bands, do our own shows, etc… – do anything to be involved.

The NYC hardcore scene at CBGB’s, with its legendary Sunday matinees were going off at the same time. I was 13 and enthralled. Joel and I worked menial jobs to save enough money one summer to press a 7” EP from a local Philly hardcore band we liked. They paid for the recording and we paid to press up 1000 copies. Watermark Records was born — though it went through a couple names before that one stuck.  We sold out the pressing and tripled our initial investment.

I knew we had a small business.  We repressed previous titles, signed new talent and really built a huge business between records and merchandising by the time we were 18.  I carried running the label while Joel went off to Japan to study.  During that time I was going to college — at Villanova, where I’m still on “a leave of absence” — and ended up meeting my mentor, Arthur Mann. He was one of the founders of Rykodisc and Rykomusic, and I was lucky that his office was near to where I lived and went to college.

I interned for Arthur for almost two years while running my label and going to school.  I learned so much about music publishing, international licensing rights, synchronization deals, etc. – things I would have never been exposed to by just running my own label.

Around 19 years old, I met the President of the hip Philadelphia-based retail chain, Urban Outfitters. I had a part-time job doing security in the store underneath their corporate headquarters.  The president of the company would come and go, and hear me complain about the music all the time.  It was repetitive programming, selected at random and really awful.  There was no cohesive background soundtrack to the shopping experience.

I gave him a quick pitch on how music and fashion, and this demographic are all one and the same.  He told me they had a small budget for each store to buy CD’s each month — I was shocked they were paying for anything.  I asked for a chance to carve out a small music department in the company, and really did some amazing stuff with that program that still exists to this day.  I not only programmed the music — 80% indie, 20% major — for all of the stores, but oversaw major promotions to help break artists with the use of the retail stores.

A memorable one was Beck’s “Mellow Gold” campaign.  We also pioneered the “buy-$100-dollars-worth-of stuff-and-get-a free-CD” thing with Sub Pop. It was a lot of fun, and we paved the way for every other retail store to copy and follow.  I was still running my label and a lot of the bands were getting major label attention, so I split my time between being music and promotions person full time at Urban Outfitters, then getting home to my Old City loft and working on my label all night.  It was a lot of work but I loved it.

Q: That sounds like a really fast start! From there, what led to you becoming a major label A&R rep?

A: A lot of the bands that Watermark was releasing at the time started to get noticed by the majors, not only because we were selling a lot, but also they were culturally what labels were looking for at the time.  It was the next wave of commercial punk hitting the radio, from bands I had already loved for years like Nirvana and Green Day. They wanted what I had even if they didn’t understand what box or world it really existed in.

I had a lot of expensive dinners with “A&R guys” who would come down from NYC and talk to me about the bands and I was always honest – our contracts were 50/50 handshake agreements.  Once most of them realized they didn’t have to deal with me they’d go directly to the band, of course.  None of the bands got signed under the pressure of indie credibility, lack of professional management or legal representation, etc.  So, in the end, they all circled back to me and I had some attention from a couple labels primarily from my friend Josh Rosenthal — who runs the very cool indie label, Tompkins Square — who, at the time, was VP of Sony’s alternative distribution marketing department.  He introduced me to David Kahne, who is one of the most fascinating people I had ever met and still know to this day.

David was the head of A&R at Columbia Records at the time.  At our first encounter in his office, we spoke for three hours about music and music alone: Everything from esoteric German fringe music we both loved, to James Brown and Bobby Byrd to punk rock.  I remember the entire conversation.  It was the first person I had met who I was certain had some deeper knowledge about music that I wanted to know about.

Q: Sounds like a pivotal meeting!

A: I went back to Philadelphia on the train with a lot of thoughts in my head. At the very least, I had met David Kahne who I would remain friends with and that would be good enough.  I wasn’t seeking a job, necessarily.

About two weeks after meeting David Kahne, the phone rang and I answered.  It was David Kahne calling me from San Francisco where he was producing an album.  He said, “I only have a second… will you please come work for me at Columbia Records?”  My jaw dropped. My instincts kicked in and I said, “Yes,” immediately.  I wanted to see what was under the “major label hood” and see how they did it.  I was 20 years old and not even old enough to get into bars yet, but had just landed my first A&R job.  It was David Kahne who put me in the game, and my buddy Josh Rosenthal who got me there.  So it really isn’t ever about what you know, but who you know, of course.  Once you’re in the game “what you know” comes into focus and is important pretty damn quick!

Q: A dream come true…

A: David and I never really got a lot of time to work together.  After less than a year of me being employed at Columbia, he left to go be the head of A&R for Warner Bros./Reprise Records, relocating to Los Angeles.  So over the four years I spent at Columbia, I reported to three different bosses and ultimately to Don Ienner – a new boss for almost every year I worked there.

It was a little confusing, overwhelming, and non-cohesive, to say the least.  I was ready to leave and search for a new challenge.  I took meetings at every major that wanted to hire me, but they all felt like a lateral move.  I wanted something different.

That all changed in October of 1998 when something happened through one of my best friends, David Katznelson. He runs the brilliant San Francisco-based indie label, Birdman Records, and also while he was an A&R guy at Warner/Reprise Records for 10+ years he signed The Flaming Lips, Boredoms, Mudhoney, Spectrum, etc…. Amazing guy, stellar taste, plus killer signings.

Through David I met another Grammy award winning producer, Rob Cavallo. David and Rob had worked at Warner Brothers together (where Rob had signed and produced Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, and many more hits).

So at David’s suggestion they flew me to LA with a few months left on my employment contract at Columbia Records/Sony Music, and a few offers from some other labels as a backup plan.  I met with Rob at the famous Capitol Studios in the ground floor of the Capitol Records tower building on Hollywood and Vine.  He was producing Chris Isaak and had a huge string section led by David Campbell in the studio that day.  We had our interview in the lounge there.

What I love about Rob is that he is decisive as hell.  Within 30 minutes or so he was asking if I could drive to Burbank to meet his father, Bob, who is still the chairman of Disney Music Group til this day.  I drove over with Rob and saw an advanced screening of a Disney film that the “new” Hollywood Records — which did not yet have a staff — would be releasing.  I had another brief but impressive meeting with Bob and I was hooked.  I didn’t care if they were starting an ice cream company, I wanted in.  This was a legendary music manager, a Grammy award winning producer, and Disney starting a record company with no artists.  It was my dream scenario:  Starting a record company from the ground up and building something real and tangible.  I could actually make an impact and if I had a hit, it really would matter and make a difference.

This boutique approach is what appealed to me.  Plus, they would allow me to stay in NYC where the music scene absolutely had to be covered by someone.  They offered me a job that day, and I accepted it.  Bob has stayed true to his vision since the day I met him over 11 years ago, which is why Hollywood is so successful.  Bob and his son believed in me, took a chance on me (I hadn’t had any hits to speak of at Columbia, plus I was still really young), and I owe a lot to that trust and belief.  So here I am 11+ years into my career at Hollywood Records/Disney Music Group, which is a lifetime in A&R and especially at one label.  I was their second A&R person hired under Bob’s watch.  I’m blessed.

Q: Eleven years IS a lifetime in this business. So let us respect you! What are some notable signings and albums you’re responsible for?

A: I’m proud of everything that I’ve signed even if it hasn’t turned out to be a huge commercial success every single time.  My first signings at Columbia are very precious to me: Josh Wink and King Britt (and their label “Ovum Recordings”), Scott Hardkiss/Hardkiss Brothers, The Philosopher Kings (which spawned the writer/producers “Track and Field” who brought you Nelly Furtado), etc…

(l-r) Casey McPherson from Alpha Rev and Jason Jordan

When I came to Hollywood Records there was a huge hole to fill on the talent side.  My first signing was BBMak, which turned into one of our first big success stories.  Diffuser is one of my favorite signings of all time, which was fronted by the talented producer and writer, Tomas Costanza.  He has a killer studio in LA and is making great records as a producer now.  I loved that band.  The biggest thing I’ve ever signed and is still doing well to this day is Pennsylvania’s multi-platinum rockers, Breaking Benjamin.  We just had a #1 single on their newest album “Dear Agony”, the record is almost gold now and has been out less than four months.  So I’m pretty happy!

The next thing on deck is what I am most excited about overall: They are a band from Austin, TX fronted by the amazing Casey McPherson, called Alpha Rev. I managed to hire my dream team for this album: David Kahne (producer), Joe Barresi (engineered), Michael H. Brauer (mix engineer), and Greg Calbi (mastering engineer).  It’s an incredible artistic achievement and I hope it’s a huge commercial success as well!  So 15 years later, David Kahne and I finally got to make an album together! — David Weiss

Look out for Part II in this series next week, where Jason explores the evolving A&R game, offers up dos and dont’s to artists everywhere, reveals the rush of a hit signing, and lays praise to the musical ways of New York City.

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