Mixed and Mastered
Mixed and Mastered is the podcast where the untold stories of the music industry come to life. Hosted by Jeffrey Sledge, a veteran music executive and former VP of A&R at Atlantic Records and Jive Records, each episode dives deep into the journeys, challenges, and triumphs of the people shaping the sound of today. From label executives and producers to artists, songwriters, and managers, Jeffrey brings you behind the scenes to meet the minds driving the industry forward. There’s a gap in the marketplace for these voices, and Mixed and Mastered is here to fill it—one conversation at a time. Because the best stories are told by those who lived them.
Mixed and Mastered
Whitney-Gayle Benta
In this captivating episode of Mixed and Mastered, we are thrilled to welcome the phenomenal Whitney-Gayle Benta, a Harlem native who rose to become a pivotal figure in the music industry. From her roots in a community rich with history and culture to her ascent as a top music executive, Whitney-Gayle shares her inspiring journey.
Whitney-Gayle recounts her experiences at Def Jam, where she faced immense pressure while working on groundbreaking projects like Jay-Z's The Blueprint and Ashanti's debut album. She reflects on her transition to MTV and then to Revolt, emphasizing the fast-paced changes in the music industry and her evolution from coordinator to vice president.
Whitney-Gayle also dives into her recent roles at tech giants like Facebook and Spotify and her current involvement in music finance at Harvard View Equity. Throughout, she discusses the importance of adapting to technological advancements and the crucial role of relationships in her career.
Tune in to explore Whitney-Gayle Benta’s journey through the music and tech industries, filled with insights on innovation, resilience, and strategic growth.
Mixed and Mastered is produced and distributed by Merrick Studio, and hosted by music industry veteran, Jeffrey Sledge. Tune in to the discussion on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you catch your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @MixedandMasteredPod to join the conversation and support the show at https://mixedandmasteredpod.buzzsprout.com/
This week's guest is my girl, whitney Gail Benter, a trailblazing music executive with over 20 years of industry experience spanning media technology and recorded music, currently serving as an advisor at Harborview Equity. Whitney was previously chief music officer at Jukebox and the global head of artists and talent relations at Spotify, where she elevated creative experiences through high-profile events and studio activations. Whitney's storied career also includes leadership roles at Def Jam, facebook and as a founding executive at Revolt TV. Before that, whitney made her mark at MTV News, most notably helping Jay-Z gain UN recognition for his efforts to bring clean water to underdeveloped regions in Africa. Whitney's a proud Spelman College alum and a Delta. Let's talk more about her remarkable journey, her passion for bridging music and media and her insights into the future of the industry on this week's episode of Mixed and Mastered.
Speaker 1:Welcome to Mixed and Mastered, the podcast where the stories of the music industry come to life. I'm Jeffrey Sledge, bringing you real conversations with the people who have shaped the sound of music. We're pulling back the curtain on what it takes to make it in the music business. These are the stories you won't hear anywhere else, told by the people who live them. This is Mixed and Mastered. We have a guest on today, who is a very prominent music executive. She's had a very illustrious career. It's taken her a lot of places, whitney Gale Benta. How are you, whitney?
Speaker 2:I'm good, how are you?
Speaker 1:I'm good, nice to see you. It's good to see you. You look very pretty today. Thank you, jeff. You don't have to roll your eyes. That wasn't you know. Just be nice, be nice Whatever. So let's start at the beginning. So you are Harlem, born and raised. Harlem born and raised. How was that? How was that growing up?
Speaker 2:It was great. You know I come from a family that has been in the. Excuse me, let me start over. I've been in a family. I was born to a family, rather, that has been really integrated in the community. I was born to a family, rather, that has been really integrated in the community Birth. We have a family funeral home that's been around for nearly a century. It's been almost a hundred years. Yeah, 2028 will make a hundred years.
Speaker 1:Wow, I didn't realize it was that long, jesus Christ 2028 will be our centennial.
Speaker 2:So you know, for me understanding the value of the community and what Harlem means is is always been a part of my life. Because of our families, you know importance to the community of serving, so yeah, so you're like.
Speaker 1:you're like a legit Harlem princess.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I'd say that, but okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know you, like your family, has, you know, touched a lot of lives in the community and still is touching a lot of lives in the community, you know. So people know who you are and that's real, that's real, that's real. So tell me, like, before we get into the music thing, like, tell me what was it like, or what is it like Because it's not over with to be in the funeral home business, because it's, like you know, you're helping people send their ancestors on. You know so, it's not always a uplifting moment. So how do you, how, how, how was energy, like you know, helping people get through those, those dark times? You know, especially I mean COVID, and all kinds of things have happened.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, I mean, I think from a perspective of a child growing up, um, as a kid, you know, crazy enough, it was our playground. You know it was a small family business that everybody played a part, whether you were a funeral director, an embalmer, you know our parents were doing services, and so sometimes it was the secretary or the receptionist that ended up having to be our babysitter. So that's where we played hide and go seek. You know as morbid as it kind of sounds it was like. You know that was the safe place.
Speaker 2:But it also, you know, gave me an early understanding of business and decorum and you know, so we knew if a family was showing up, you know whether it was for to make an arrangement or first viewing. You know all we had to cut the. You know the silliness out in. You know this is business. But I think something for me that has helped me just in terms of my adulthood is just being a lot more empathetic, being able to really put myself in the shoes of other people and being able to understand their pain.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know at such a young age whether it was, you know, unfortunately, seeing maybe a child that passed from stillbirth or things, things like that. Or you know, definitely, growing up in the 80s I had a lot of cases of Cracking drugs and all that stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So you know, I think it just put a different lens on me than I think most kids would, but I can't say that it was so different because that was all I knew, you know. So I guess in my mind it was like everybody has a funeral home or something like that. You know that they went to, but it was really just about having a business, you know, and really understanding what it meant to run a business and being able to see that firsthand, I think has been super invaluable.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, so you graduate high school and you go to Spelman College at that time, or Spelman University.
Speaker 2:It's always Spelman College.
Speaker 1:Oh, I thought it turned into. I thought it changed into university.
Speaker 2:No, it's where the number one HBCU for 18 years.
Speaker 1:Oh, here we go. Here we go, the number one. What now? Just say it again, please.
Speaker 2:The number one Hbcu for 18 years running yes, spelman's a great school.
Speaker 1:It's a great school. It turns out a lot of quality people, a lot of quality women exactly yes, so what made you pick spelman?
Speaker 2:well, so my brother and my cousin older cousin are four years older than me and my brother went to more house my cousin older cousin are four years older than me, and my brother went to Morehouse, my cousin went to Spelman, and so during their time in school I got a chance to go down all the time, you know, to visit and things of that nature, and it just they were having a great time, you know.
Speaker 2:And then I also have another cousin who was four years older than my other cousin, who went to Spelman, and so they really just loved it. You know, I think for me I only picked four schools that I wanted to go to, and, to be honest with you, I didn't actually want to go to college, but I didn't know what I wanted to do, and so my mother was like well, until you figure it out, go to school. And I figured I'll apply to these four schools and whichever one I get into, maybe that's where I'll end up. I got into all four. So then that created another problem, and then I just realized, you know, I had such a great time at Spelman, why not go there? And so it was definitely the best decision of my life.
Speaker 1:And now you're a proud Spelman alum. That's right, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Anyway, I'm going to move on.
Speaker 1:I ain't going to get into a black college fight on this, on this, on this interview You're going to lose. I'm going to let you cook. So when did you decide that you might've wanted, wanted to get into the music business? The music or the entertainment business, I should say.
Speaker 2:Well, honestly, that, actually that started back in high school. You know, I think um. You know you talk about growing up.
Speaker 1:You went to school with Cameron and them correct.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we went to elementary school together and he went to high school with my brother. So we went to a school, a public school, called Central Park East too, and we used to ride this bus called the Red Bus, and so Cam and my brother are in the same class and we're friends, and so we went to school together and my brother was like his first DJ, wow. Yeah, so that was some Harlem history. But for me I think my introduction to music period was I went to the school Central Park East that I'm talking about, and they had a violin program and there was actually a movie about a violin teacher I can't remember the name of it years ago, but that was like my first introduction to music. But then also across the street from where I live in Harlem is the Harlem School of the Arts. So my brother was in the sports, I was in the arts, and so it was just like a quick, literally diagonal across the street and so that was kind of like my entry into music, dance instruments and things of that nature. But I actually got funny enough into music slash entertainment at 15.
Speaker 2:So my mother I'm a Buddhist and growing up there was, for whatever reason, at our Buddhist center downtown in Union Square, there was a career fair. My mother asked me to go and I didn't want to and she said just go and just meet one person and then we can leave. And I was like all right, bet. So went and there was a woman who had this this is like 1994. So she had this pretty blonde hair and so she was very striking and I just went up to her and introduced myself to her and her name was Whitney. So of course, naturally I was like oh shit, you know, and her name was Whitney Kyles and she was a stylist, and so you know, I had never heard of a stylist before because again, this is 1994.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, you don't know what that is.
Speaker 2:You know, you look at Essence magazine, you see the finished product, but you don't see the behind the scenes. And I just didn't understand. I was like, wait, I don't get it. You dress people like celebrities. And she's like, yeah, and I'm like why they can't dress themselves? I really could not. Actually, a lot of them can dress themselves right. And so I was just like I, I don't get it. And so, um, I just really was like I need to see this, I was fascinated. And so she, I think, was tickled because I of my you know night naiveness but was like, all right. So I was just like, can I shadow you?
Speaker 2:Because I didn't know what that I didn't know about internships, I was 15. And so that summer, um, I was a stylist assistant. So I ended up working for Whitney Kyles, who worked for Harriet Cole, who's um owned a company called Profundities. Harriet is known for um, her book Jumping the Broom that came out like in the 90s and stuff like that. So, yeah, so that summer is literally how I say I got into entertainment because because, by being a stylist assistant, obviously I was dropping off clothes, picking up clothes and things of that nature, but in addition, I was on set and so, being on set, it opened me, like that's how I found out about the group Allure, because they were doing their coverage. You know what I mean, like, and I'm just asking questions and and you know, not knowing that I'm talking to maybe like a product manager or a publicist, I don't know. I'm just there and I'm 15 and I'm asking a bunch of questions.
Speaker 1:Fun fact, one of those girls in the law was my intern and she was terrible. She was a fucking terrible. She was a terrible intern because she was like I'm in the law, we don't. I don't even know why I'm doing this. We're about to blow up and blah, blah, blah. Yeah she was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I know I know, I know she feel, don't feel the same way now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a little different now, but anyway so anyway, like I said, so just being on set, it exposed me to so many people and I would just be like, well, what do you do? And I want to learn a little bit more that. And that would just be like, well, what do you do, and I want to learn a little bit more of that. And that would lead to, like the next internship. Next thing I know, I'm interning at Kedar Entertainment. Next thing I know, I'm interning at Motown. Next thing I know I'm interning at Poly, what I wanted to do. But I had already been. So, right before I was graduating from high school, I had been working at Motown.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And we had At least the Gerald.
Speaker 1:Who's it? Gerald Busby there at the time.
Speaker 2:No, George George Jackson.
Speaker 1:George Jackson.
Speaker 2:Yeah, another Harlem guy, yes, and a mentor of mine. Such a great guy, um, anyhow. Um, what happened was, uh, we had a joint venture with a company called Noontime that had a songwriter named Ashanti signed to them, and so, because I had done such a great job at Motown and I really wanted to kind of keep going, because we had the joint venture and Noontime was based in Atlanta, they would be like yo take her and let her work for you guys while she's in school. So that's how I ended up at Noontime while I was still in school, and I ended up working for Billy Calloway and I was doing like A&R administration and learning you know a lot about like the operation side of A&R. So that was like my first entry into music while still being in school.
Speaker 1:Wow, another funny sidebar. So I want to one of my people I want to get on this podcast is Noonie, because he's he's like a ghost. He never talks, he never was like his history so crazy. And I saw N nivia when I worked to jive. Yeah, when I got her her demos air quotes, there was like all finished songs because she was working with noontime. So like brian michael cox did songs on there like like don't mess with my man, all that stuff. That was. Those songs were done. We didn't do anything but put them out. Yeah, because noontime has so many great writers and producers like unbelievable.
Speaker 2:Yeah, noonie is amazing brian, michael cox and I came up together um johnny bishop there kenny bishop was there also um uh jonte there jonte was there. He, yeah, he was like in and out.
Speaker 2:Jq was there jq so we all, like, came up together during that time wow, yeah, so that was really my entry, like, or so I was working at noontime, we're going to school pledging, doing all this stuff and then I left and and I ended up working for april love. She had a management company and she was managing different producers and it was a crazy story that led to me actually meeting LaRonda Sutton. I was reading that and she really is the one who helped propel my career. There was, remember, jamie Foster Brown had Sister to Sister, of course. Yeah, so I used to read that like religiously.
Speaker 1:Everybody did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was like where you got all your information, and so she used to have this, this section called office, with a view and, um, she would do these profile pieces on people, um kind of similar to this, if you will. Um, and she did one on LaRonda and I remember I was like yo, this lady is like nuts, she was working at Evans music publishing at the time, and I remember it was like yo, this lady is like nuts, she was working at Evans Music Publishing at the time Yep.
Speaker 2:And I remember it was the first time I ever read about somebody being bi-coastal and I was like what's that? And I was like this is crazy. I got to do this Like I don't, you know, this woman is nuts. So one day, you know, like I said I'm working for April and I answer the phone. Day, you know, like I said I'm working for April and I answered the phone, Mind you, I had like a laptop and I had the magazine sister sister with that article of LaRonda underneath, like the laptop just open to that page and I guess maybe in some way or ways, like kind of trying to manifest, I don't know. Anyway, so she calls LaRonda, LaRonda calls and I was like hello, loronda calls and I was like hello, and I'm just like oh my gosh, this is like loronda.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, the lady in the magazine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the lady in the magazine is funny right, you know, and I'm just like yo, this is nuts, I can't blow this opportunity and I'm like I don't know what she wants to talk to april about, but obviously she wanted to get some of the songwriters from edmunds music publishing with some of her producers and you you know all this thing and I'm just like man.
Speaker 2:I got to figure out opportunities to like talk to her, you know, and so because she was bi-coastal between Atlanta and LA and so you know, so every time she'd call like, hi, LaRonda, you know, I was just trying to befriend her and then finally I just got like the courage and I was like, listen, I'm a huge fan of yours and, man, I would love to like meet you, learn from you, work for you. So one of the times that she was in Atlanta she, it was my senior year or going into my senior year, and she told me I could come by her house and I was like, wow, the crazy thing about that. She lived like right around the corner from me, really, decatur, like it was like literally like right around the corner, which is nuts. I mean, her house was much bigger than I was staying at, but yeah, she lived like right around the corner. So that was bizarre. And I remember standing in her living room and I felt like I was just kind of like pouring out my life, like I want to be in the music industry. You know, I read this article about you. You're like freaking amazing, like I want to learn from you, I want to work with you. So she mentions you know that she was starting a management company. Call all of a sudden and I was like I kind of I want to come work for you, and so I started working for her management company.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, so during that time that now this is going into my senior year of college she is going to, she transitions from Edmonds Music Publishing to Universal Music Publishing and she's about to anyway. And so just say like, now we're maybe January of 2001,. You 2001,. And she's about to make that change. And so she's like so what are you thinking about? I'm about to move to New York, yada, yada, yada. What do you think about for your future? And to be honest with you, I was like I'm not thinking about that, I'm trying to just graduate.
Speaker 1:Then I'll figure it out later. Then I'll figure it out later. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm like so what's your plan? What's your plan? I was like I don't even know, Like I'll figure it out, Like I don't know, I just hadn't figured it out, so you know. And she was just trying to guide me, you know. And so what happened was, I'll never forget, I was in a class at Morehouse it's like a class. This guy named Dr Anderson, it guy named dr anderson. It was like an easy, easy a class. You know, one of those things you just sit there and write your name and you automatically get an a. And I had my two-way pager and I opened it. It was a note, it was a message from laronda. So this is now probably like april, may or whatever. And so she's like when you graduate, you'll have a job at def jam as a marketing. Wow, what like. And I had to like hand it to my whoever to sit next to me, like yo. Is this saying what I'm thinking is saying? And I'm like and they're like well, did you interview for it?
Speaker 1:I'm like no, like, this is yeah but I mean, but back then, I think, even more so than now that's how things went a lot of times, like especially with the black executive community. You know, people knew each other. So it was like yo, you know, this person is my people or whatever, and you got a shot. Obviously, you have to take the shot and run with it, but it's not like it's very different than now. It's like you just really got, you know, but through the network and you could get a lot of opportunities, you know back then you know, I don't know how it is now, but back then that's how it kind of went, you know, sure.
Speaker 2:So I'm just like, ok, I guess I'm going to do this when I graduate. And so I ended up working for one of Deidre's I mean one of LaRonda's best friends, deidre Graham, who is the vice president of marketing.
Speaker 1:Marketing yeah.
Speaker 2:And she had obviously rose up the ranks there. So I was just like, all right, bet, like this is what we're doing. And um, two weeks after graduating from spelman, my parents moved me back up to to new york and I started working wow, now who was the def jam?
Speaker 1:who was running la reed and jay-z at the time? No, no, no this is leo or ke still Leor and Kevin, yeah, so how was it working at Def Jam in that era?
Speaker 2:It was so much pressure. I mean it's definitely not the music industry of today. I mean there was so much to prove. I was there when some of the biggest records came out of Def Jam. So you know Jay-Z's the Blueprint worked on that. You know Ludacris' Chicken and Beer. Ashanti, you know, worked on Ashanti's project. You know the Ink, all these, you know huge projects.
Speaker 1:Drew Hill. At the time they were popping too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, def Soul launched and you know, I think Deidre at the time really had a lot to prove. Like I said, she moved up in the ranks and now she became this vice president of marketing and so the expectations for her, you know, the stakes were high. I'm a 21 year old, literally college, and I didn't actually like interview, like I don't. I didn't know what the stakes were, if you will, because it was, dare I say, handed to me. You're not to say that I didn't, but that's cool.
Speaker 2:But that's okay but I think, yeah, and to me it's like I knew I had to rise to the occasion because I couldn't embarrass now this, my old boss, who slash a mentor, right, so I knew I had to to deliver, um, if you will, but I mean it was literally a haze the whole time, like completely unethical, in terms of like.
Speaker 1:Were you on. They weren't on Varick at that time.
Speaker 2:No, they had finally moved up to Higley the worldwide poor.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay. So I was on the executive floor. I reported to Deidre. However, lior's office was right and I was like the second assistant for Julie, because she had an assistant, but if her first assistant wasn't there doing something for her, I had to cover her and then, like if Lior needed something, like Marsha was like the second assistant for Kathy, you know. So we were all really just like in the trenches and it was really very much a 24 hour um work cycle you know, you worked hard.
Speaker 2:You played hard um you know you got back up like use out dinners. I'm sure you remember this dinners wouldn't start till like 9 pm yeah, you wasn't going home at five, that's no, starting at 9 pm, absolutely Absolutely. Then you might go after that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you go out after dinner. Right, go after that, yeah you drag your ass home and like get a couple hours of sleep and you back up again and the next day pop them off again.
Speaker 2:Right and then, like for me, deidre, because she really wanted to show you know that she meant business, I would have to, sometimes, not sometimes I would have to get there earlier than leor and I was like, but he's got a driver and I got the c train and it got to the point where so much pressure, right the local, that at that, um, that I contemplated just buying a pillow and a blanket and sleeping underneath my desk, because it was like sometimes I just be so tired, you know, and it was like it's not even worth the commute. I'm losing hours taking the local train back uptown you know, right back downtown.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, like I said, it wasn't the best work environment but I learned so much. But I think it was like kids managing kids like now we like deidre and I talk about it now, we just laugh, you know and it was like kids managing kids, you know. Nobody knew what they were doing. I'm 21 and hindsight she's probably like maybe 31 or 29, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Like yeah, really know what they were doing and after two and a half years I was like okay, I'm done, like I can't and you're out, yeah and so, before you move on to the next spot, tell me if you, without incriminating anybody or anything, tell me one crazy death jam story while you were there, that that you were done, you saw and were involved with oh, I mean plenty, of Dame Dash. Okay, tell me one.
Speaker 2:I don't have anything specific because they happen all the time, but it was like you know where the fuck is Lior, where the fuck is Kevin, where's Fat man, you know, and being upset about something and, just like you know, going through the hallways, I remember. So there's a 27th floor, 28th and 29th floor I don't remember which was which, but like I think it was the 29th floor and you know there was, you had murder inc and you had rockefella, uh, all in the same floor. It's like you put the kids upstairs away from the executive, acting crazy right be acting crazy.
Speaker 2:Right, it would be so crazy, you know. So it was just always that, just it was unpredictable. There was always somebody fighting, somebody mad at Kevin, you know, calling him a fat boy.
Speaker 1:Base games in the hall.
Speaker 2:Right, it's just like it was so unethical. You know, I'm trying to think of like I can't think of his name right now, but he's in jail. But I was like Erzman I can't think of his name right this second but I was like he was a nice guy to me, supreme, supreme, yeah, all the time I'm like, hey, supreme, you're such a nice guy. Yeah, we used to come up there too. Yeah, all the time I'm like, hey, supreme, you're such a nice guy Meanwhile.
Speaker 2:Meanwhile I'm so naive, don't know, you know. So I mean again, I was still so young when I think about it, I was 21 and I think I was still in this haze because I look back and I'm like I really wasn't mature enough for that job none of us were none of us were you know, right right, they gave us like corporate cards.
Speaker 1:What are you crazy like?
Speaker 2:I remember, okay, I'll tell you, not a crazy story, but it was a funny story. So we used to have this, uh, car service called grand yep, anyway, yeah, and I'll leave all the details about that if you know, you know. But yeah, one day partying and I thought I released the car, I could have swore I released the car and up the next morning I had to get to the office and I'm like why is this car still sitting in front of my apartment building? The driver was sleeping, it apparently I didn't release the car, you stayed out there all night all night long I was like oh shit, well fuck it.
Speaker 2:Can you take me back?
Speaker 1:to school. Yeah, what the hell.
Speaker 2:And then I released the car, but I think I was just so tired I forgot. I think that was probably the craziest thing I might have done.
Speaker 1:that was like you know it's all right.
Speaker 2:They had the money they could cover it Right, they were able to write that off. Yeah, it's all right. They had the money they could. They could cover it. Right, they were able to write that off and yeah, it's fine.
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Speaker 1:So we're after, so after Def Jam, two and a half years of being beat up you decided to go to MTV. Yeah, so how did that?
Speaker 2:happen. So I was because of Gabby Peluso, who did video promotions at Def Jam. I love her to death. She is like a little angel to me, but Gabby saw how much I was getting beat up. It didn't necessarily like it and so she was like yo there's an opportunity because she would. Her job as a video promotions person was to be the liaison with bt mtv music choice to get all the videos on air and so on right.
Speaker 2:So she, you know, obviously kind of had ends to know. You know she's talking to him all the time about when people are looking for talent. And she was was like hey, there's this coordinator role at MTV news in the talent department and I think you'd be great for it and I'm like I don't even know what a talent booker is. And so she was like but you'll figure it out. And so there was a couple of things that I had critiques. I was like do I have to answer anybody's phone? She was like no. I was like okay, right.
Speaker 2:I was like all right, everything else I could probably figure out you know, and her reasoning was that at the time, you know, she was like, essentially you just got to book X for different programs and at the time all the hardest artists were Def Jam artists. So it was people already knew that I was already a singer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you had to connect with it anyway.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Figure everything else out at the end. So I remember, you know, getting the job, taking the job and going, and I remember, for maybe at least a year or so, artists at Def Jam were so confused Like wait, are you here for MTV or are you here for Def Jam? And just came to the shoot, and so you know, eventually they figured it out. But you know, definitely I figured it out. But, um, you know definitely I owe everything to Gabby Peluso, Um, and I still thank her to this day because that really helped make the gateway for the rest of my career.
Speaker 1:But you're leaving a huge part out. So among the industry anyway, because nobody else in the industry knew who you were, but among the industry, because nobody else in the industry knew who you were. But among the industry, whitney became very famous because at the MTV Awards people would be pushing artists in to do interviews and Whitney would always be in the back with a headphone, with a headset on, and she'd be like ushering people in, ushering people out, like she wasn't supposed to be necessarily on camera. You weren't on air talent but she would always be like right there, like she wasn't supposed to be necessarily on camera.
Speaker 3:You weren't on air talent, but you would always be like right there, like Whitney's right there, yeah she's right there and everybody would be coming in and out.
Speaker 1:You know it could be Justin Timberlake or whoever it was, lady Gaga, whoever it was at the time, and you would always be in the back like looking frazzled with a headset on, pushing people in and out.
Speaker 2:I was like, oh, she's going to go with me again, MTV Awards again, we're going to see Whitney again, exactly. So you know, I started off as a viral. I was viral, exactly, and I started off as a coordinator again, not knowing anything about television. I had an interest in it and but I learned along the way and so through the time, like I said, I started off as a coordinator and left as a vice president, but I learned about really television production and, as you know, I kind of got my chops up. I was able to then be able to run the red carpets for the Grammys when it came to our stations and the Grammys, but then the VMA pre-shows and post-shows and movie awards pre-shows and post-shows, so was in charge of procuring, you know, talent for for those.
Speaker 1:So that was always why I was like running you know crazy right, looking crazy, yeah, going viral I used to be at home like, should they go with me? Right running around looking crazy, but you worked with some you know people who are still around, like you were. Sway was at mtv at that time. And yeah, joseph patel, who's now doing massive movies with quest love. And, yeah, jason rodriguez like a great people at that time dukes tuma basa um yeah.
Speaker 2:So I mean I like I feel like I am so lucky. I hit the lotto when it came to you know, just having amazing colleagues, because it wasn't about you know one person. We really moved as a unit, you know 15-15. And it was definitely like this like sorority, fraternity type of thing, like we all just moved as one unit and I just learned so much just about work ethic. Yeah, it was. It didn't feel like work, we liked staying late, you had fun yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:So I got my chops there and and then you know, as I really started to begin to finally understand my job, you know I was able to pitch ideas and, you know, really understand what it meant to be a talent producer, knowing which artists were going to be, you know, into certain concepts.
Speaker 2:Like, one of the one of the first projects that I was able to really introduce was doing this Jay-Z Water for Life, a documentary where we went to Africa and it was Jay's first time ever going to Africa. It started off as a literally as a joke. I was on the phone with his publicist, jana Fleischman, who was an old co-worker of mine at Def Jam, and we were just like man, we should take a trip somewhere. And we're like, yeah, you know just shooting the shit and so and we're like, but like, what artists dime could we put it on? Like who you know? So we started going through like marketing, who's got stuff going on? And so she pulled all the different artists that had tours about to come up and Jay's was coming up and I said let me take this. It was him, along with a couple other people to our pro-socials team this guy named Ian Rowe, black guy, and see if there's any way that we can like link a cause to.
Speaker 1:A free trip, basically.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a free trip. So like, let's see if we can find a pro social cause that we can link it to and figure out an excuse for us to have to go.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:So there were a couple of them, and one that stuck out was water, and so we ended up teaming up with the UN and in this cause about the play pumps. They were called play pumps and it was this organization that helped to get build these like, think about, like, not Ferris wheels, but they have these little round dollies and kids are playing around with it and essentially what happens is it pulls the irrigation from inside the water and so, as the kids are playing in the schoolyard, playing around in these little circles and having fun, what it's doing is it's actually putting water, fresh water into this well.
Speaker 1:So they're actually drilling for water without realizing it.
Speaker 2:Exactly, they think they're just playing, but it's actually helping Because what was happening was the kids were having to sacrifice going to school to get water for their families, so sacrificing their education. So we found Play Pumps. We shared the idea with Jay, he was down for it and I got a free trip to africa um.
Speaker 1:What country did you go to?
Speaker 2:oh man, uh, I know, oh god, it's so long ago. I know there's one where I had to have malaria pills. Um, I can't think of it. It'll come back to me okay but um, yeah, but um. What was really incredible about that is that, like, like this, as I mentioned, started off as a joke and next thing, you know, the UN gets involved and we're like wait, it's like wait, wait, yeah, what's going on? This thing is dead serious.
Speaker 1:They hear the superstars go to Africa and hang out. And I was just getting real.
Speaker 2:Right. And so, next thing, I know we do a press conference to announce MTV partners with Jay-Z and the United Nations to bring awareness to, you know, the, you know the lack of water in Africa, and they're going to be shooting this documentary you know coming up and then so we shoot the documentary and then we premiere it. Mind you, this announcement was also done with the Secretary General, kofi Annan. Wow.
Speaker 1:It was major.
Speaker 2:It was major and so we were just like man, this was a joke that has just spiraled out of control. Yeah, and then so we do the documentary come back and then we premiere it at the un that's crazy all from a joke to try to get a free trip to africa, exactly.
Speaker 1:But again, I mean not to sound like the old fogey, but that type of thing happened a lot back then. Yeah, you know things. You present, you know an idea, not not necessarily as a joke, but an idea, and it just it could just spiral into these major moments, the major movements you know, because everything was everything wasn't new then, but things were merging more.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Back then like who ever thought that UN would be involved with Jay-Z and Def Jam? But like it started to merge more Kind of people started finding common ground. Yeah, and common ground with a lot of things. It was like, oh yeah, they're rappers, but they're trying to do something and we have the resources, and so why not do it together and create awareness, and so on and so on. So yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 2:Leverage their visibility to bring awareness to the cause.
Speaker 1:That's a good story. How long were you at MTV?
Speaker 2:I was there for 10 years. You were there for 10 years, yeah, so from 2003 to 2013 is when I left.
Speaker 1:Wow, so you saw a lot of changes there.
Speaker 2:So many changes. I mean, when I first started we didn't have the internet. Yeah, we didn't have the internet. So to kind of launch into that and really moving away from you know, back in the day there was the 10 to the hour news hits to now digital and having artists be upset because what am I supposed to do with this link? My mother wants to see me on tv. You know what I mean. Like I don't know what this is, you know. But I remember bringing in adele as a new artist, bringing in Taylor Swift as a new artist, and this is like nobody knows who you are. I brought in Lady Gaga for her, you know, because Troy reached out to me and was like hey, could you do a? You Hear it First on my new artist and just see you know?
Speaker 1:Yeah, see if you didn't give me any traction, right?
Speaker 2:So it's crazy that, like even now, a lot of these artists that are like huge mega stars, they got their start with me, you know, just taking a chance.
Speaker 1:Doing little blurbs.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And they add up.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah, wow.
Speaker 1:I didn't realize we were there for 10 years. That's a long time and the heyday and really MTV's heyday you were there for like the real run when they went into reality television and when they obviously TRL was a huge thing and I still remember going to the theater.
Speaker 2:I remember the Jersey Shore folks and I was like I remember Snooki was in my office and they were just like like deer in a headlight and I'm like your life is about to change. They still doing it, yeah, and I was like, and they were just kind of like wait, what do you mean? And I was like, and they were just kind of like wait, what do you mean? And I'm like your life is about to change and you don't even understand.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I remember going to some of the VMA awards. They were really fun. You know everybody getting drunk and high and hanging out in the lobby, and those are good times, yeah, good times. So you left. What made you leave MTV? You got the shot to go to Revolt or you just are ready to move on.
Speaker 2:I saw that I was kind of starting to see the writing on the wall in the sense that, like I felt like after 10 years, if you don't get out soon, you're going to kind of end up being stuck. And I saw that things were moving more to a digital first. Yeah, and I saw that things were moving more to a digital first, like you know, and I also kept like paying attention to a lot of buzzwords that were coming which were startups, and so I knew I wanted some startup experience, but I didn't necessarily know how to get it. At the same time, I felt like I had done everything that I could have done at MTV.
Speaker 2:At that point, you know, when I went in, I really went in as a rookie, not even basically taking a chance on me, and I felt like, as long as I read the playbook, which I did and mastered it, I was good. And at that point I was kind of like there's nothing left to do. So I was, I wanted to to test my chops to see like, hey, I can't. I came into a place where the Bible was already written. Wouldn't it be cool to go to a place to write the Bible?
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. Like the playbook it started up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so some of my other colleagues Ramon Dukes, tuma Bassa, had, you know, you know, had courageously, you know, decided to go to Revolt and you know, obviously knew me from my time at MTV and you know we've always had a great relationship. I always take care of, you know, him and his team, whatever. And he took a chance, and so I was one of the founding executives for Revolt and it was based in Los Angeles, but I stayed in New York and built out a team on the East coast and the West coast, and so you know, I love that experience because it was literally like we were rolling up rust leaves and with this big idea to you know, no one really knew, you know, what this was going to be, and none of us had ever come to a place where you're building something literally from scratch, zero, yeah, you know, scratch. And I'll never forget the day where, like you know the countdown when we turn the lights on, like, okay, you know, in the calendar, you're just like my gosh, this is happening and that was.
Speaker 1:How was it? How was it when the lights came on? I mean yeah Right, can you see it? Can you, can you see it? Can you see it?
Speaker 2:write the Bible. And it also gave me an opportunity to test my relationships, because at that point I felt like I was starting to become Whitney from MTV and I didn't like that. I wanted to be known as my own person and I was like if I really have developed true friendships and true relationships, then I should be able to lean on those relationships in this new, in this new quest of mine. Didn't hurt that you know I was working for Sean Diddy Combs.
Speaker 1:No, of course not, but still like that, did not have that MTV gorilla behind you. Yeah, every time you ask for something, because they will, people going to automatically say yes because MTV. Why would you ever say no? Exactly Again, the Puffers is a big brand and a big entity, but it's still a new thing and people don't quite know what it is.
Speaker 2:Right, why would I waste my time yeah?
Speaker 1:why would I do that? You'll get popping and then I'll come back around, type thing.
Speaker 2:Exactly, Exactly. So, yeah, so I ended up at Revolve and, you know, one of the best, most cherished experiences I had was sorry, that's my step-grandma's old daughter. Hey, baby, I was working with Andre Harrell.
Speaker 2:You know, and you know, hey baby leaves and got dirty with them, you know they had this I, he had this idea of like bringing back like jack the rapper conference and in, and so that ended up being the revolt music conference. And I remember being like we need more time, this can't work. And he's like onward we're going. And I'm like no, this is stupid. Like it ain't gonna work right.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, like these people are crazy, like we need more time. You know it was very much a visionary and pushed you to your limit. You know what I mean when you felt like you couldn't do it. And you know, to this day I'm still like damn, we really pulled this off. But like our very first Revolt Music, revolt music conference, like we had post malone, we had um sZA. We had wait, no, I'm sorry, cardi b, um sZA, I think, was probably in high school. What am I talking about? But we had sheesh, I'm trying to think everybody that you could possibly think of.
Speaker 2:That's like a huge star now, but it was like right, it was just like you know, I remember post Malone was like walking through the kitchen to get to the stage and he performed like in a basically elevated banquet riser, you know. So it was just like it was nuts to think that like we pulled this off and all these now huge artists were just like nobodies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, they were just having fun, a little fun opportunity, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I miss Andre. I mean, I talk about all the time like I was so excited when I worked in the business at a certain point and then he knew who I was. I was like Andre Harrell knows my name. Yeah, I can't believe this guy knows my name. And then, of course, we started to develop a relationship through his cousin, o'neal, because me and O'Neal are still really tight and so I'd be around Andre a lot and he had a big ass townhouse down in the village and we'd go there. But when I would see Andre and he would just be like, no, just Sledge, I'm like that Andre knows my name. This is unbelievable.
Speaker 1:Because he was such an iconic figure to me. You know, what I'm saying. What he did in the business was just amazing, you know. Yeah, for sure I miss him. I miss him a lot. How long did you work at Revolt?
Speaker 2:So now what? I'll say this I remember I told you I stayed at MTV for 10 years and I realized I was like, ooh, I'm going to stay too long. So at this point I was like I can't make the same mistake anymore. And I realized that business had been starting to change, because I'm always kind of paying attention to what's going on. And so I was like now I just need, I need every single time I go to a place, I need to have a mission, like what am I there to do? And so, as far as I was concerned, my mission was to see that I could build a department, you know, see that I could build a company.
Speaker 1:What department did you build?
Speaker 2:I built out the talent relations department.
Speaker 1:Talent relations.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I was like and I want to show, demonstrate that I can launch a network. So after I did that and we were able to make you know, get it done in two years, I was like I'm out, not because I was a terrible experience, it was a great experience, but I felt like.
Speaker 2:I didn't want to hop around, and so, again, we were digital first, but I think we were still a little behind on that and I was like, okay, I got a little bit experience, but I want to get a little bit more, and so I felt like the place to really go if you're going to try to learn something is like the Harvard of digital, and that was Facebook.
Speaker 1:How did that happen? Did you have a?
Speaker 2:plug there or you just kind of? Yes, I did. Actually, um old colleague of mine was working on the music partnerships team at at a Facebook. She worked who I worked with at MTV, and then the head of the music partnerships team at um at Facebook at the time was my old colleague who worked in new media at Def Jam. So you know, that's why I always say it's better to be nice to everybody, because you don't know who.
Speaker 1:You never know.
Speaker 2:Right, you know, and, like the funny thing, is my boss Jonathan.
Speaker 1:Just always tell you to be nice to me.
Speaker 2:Whatever. Anyway, jonathan, he was like the nerd, like he was like clunking around on his computer and like when I was at Def Jam nobody understood computers. He was like get out of here, you nerds. Like we don't care and like they used to get sunned all the time because new media, which is essentially social, you know, and he worked for Theta Sandifer.
Speaker 2:At the time they got no respect because nobody could understand it, you know. But I was always nice to Jonathan. He was cool with me, like whatever. We were all in the trenches and so he ended up actually being my boss and Malika, who was my coworker at MTV you know, we were peers at my time at MTV, I mean, excuse me, at Facebook, wow, yeah.
Speaker 1:So it's like how was it working at Facebook? Now you were, did you have to go out to Silicon Valley a lot, or were you just in New York?
Speaker 2:I went all the way to Menlo Park, but I was based in New York, so Malika was based in Los Angeles, Jonathan was based in Los Angeles and I was kind of like the New York arm of things, which was great. I don't you know, I don't think I knew what I was getting myself into, and I remember Malika warning me like this ain't what you think it is, you know, and I'm thinking like the music industry and it very much is but wasn't Music partnerships? And now I really fully understand partnerships as a result of this role. You know, yes, you're working with artists, but really, if you will, you're kind of hawking products. You're like, hey, these are the Facebook products that are important to us and here's what you can use to be, you know, to connect with your most engaged fans and stuff like that. But it took me a while to realize, like, this is not really that sexy. But I was there at an amazing like I think I just have knock on wood really great timing. But I was there when we launched Instagram Stories.
Speaker 1:Wow, and we came after Snapchat. Before we move forward, tell me a little story about that. Launch instagram stories.
Speaker 2:Launch I remember. I'll never forget that day. We was two more working. At that time tumu was like a spotify, I think. The reason I bring that up because I remember, like him, being one of the people to call me like yo. Y'all just went for the jugular.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean, because snapchat was like the hottest yeah, huge snapchat was on fire, yeah you know, we just like it was super stealth mode and I remember being in the office in New York for the launch and just people being like, yo, this is nuts, what is this? I can, just, you know, use Instagram not just for pictures, but now I can look at like I mean.
Speaker 1:People's lives. People's lives, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I remember like we just felt like the biggest champion. It was almost like winning like the Superbowl. You know what I mean and people were mad. You know, obviously you know our competitors and stuff like that. But I remember being like yo, this is nuts and it's funny, cause it's something that we take for granted now but it had to launch at some point.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it had to launch at some point, yeah, so shoot Cause.
Speaker 2:I guess that had to be like 2015, I think. So it might be coming on like the 10th anniversary of Instagram stories, but now I think it's just something that people just kind of take for granted. But then, also while I was at Facebook, we launched Facebook, watch Facebook live, facebook live and donate. Also, while I was at Facebook, we launched Facebook Watch Facebook Live, facebook Live and Donate. So I got a chance to really understand about, like, the launch of products and, essentially, the way our roles were.
Speaker 2:We were to the community that we were serving, which is the music community. We you know, we were the people that they know, so explaining how to use the products. You know, we were the people that they know, so explaining how to use the products. But also we were very much advocates for the artist community internally, because you got engineers who don't understand well, why can't Beyonce just go live? Like, you know, there was a lack of understanding, so he had to basically kind of be interpreters, like, okay, you want this, but they want this and so so, and so has a new album coming out. How do we make it worth their while for them to help launch our product? So you get what you want, we get what we want.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean so you're very much kind of like speaking two different languages because you got the nerds who are just like I don't understand what the big deal is yeah, just tell them to do it like what's the problem yeah, um so, but I think something that was kind of frustrating for me as a person who, like you know, coming into the music team, like at the time we didn't have music rights.
Speaker 2:So, as we're launching all these new products and we're working with, specifically, musicians, we're like hey, john mayor, talk to your fans, but don't play your guitar yeah, that's kind of like.
Speaker 1:He's like why would I do that?
Speaker 2:right. So, you know, I got frustrated. I'm like we got more money than jesus and we can't figure out how to get music rights and so like, basically, they could only talk and they couldn't, you know, because we would get takedowns from the labels, and so I was getting frustrated and just I think it was also kind of like immaturity and I think I was kind of also like I'm ready to blow this popsicle stand. This is not really what I want, and so, but Malika tried to warn me, but I'm so grateful for it. I've learned so much, really, about tech and, like I said, I went to the Harvard of tech and I feel like man, I jumped into the deep end of a pool and I had to figure out how to swim, and I say that all to say, because then when I went to Spotify, I was like right afterwards I was like this is a cakewalk.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I had already let's talk about that. Let's talk about the transition to Spotify.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so Troy Carter, who I mentioned earlier, you know, when he was managing Lady Gaga. My job has always been about relationships and so Troy and I always remained friends and in touch and at the time he was the global head of artists partnerships at Spotify and again kind of feeling the itch that like I think my time at Facebook is kind of coming to an end. It had been two, two and a half years, you know, and I really wanted to get back to the music and so I reached out to him and was like, hey, you know something, you know pops off there. I'd love to go. Jesus, I feel like I've lived 50 million careers.
Speaker 2:So there was an opening in spot. Well, actually, no, it was a role that was made for me because Troy was like hey, we're, we were still pre IPO at the time, so it was still a private company but on the precipice of becoming a publicly traded company. But as we were growing, um, it was losing some of its mom and pop feel, and so he was like the way that, like I bring my artists to MTV, they know you, they know that they're in good hands. We need to kind of create this car wash feel at Spotify where people know. Okay, when I come in the building I see Whitney, I know that I'm in good hands and you know right.
Speaker 2:So he tasked me with doing that and I was like, okay, bet, you know I can do it with my eyes closed. The challenge with that was that you were dealing with a lot of people at Spotify that didn't come One, it was a Swedish company to you dealing with a lot of people that didn't actually come from the music industry, really understand. So I felt like similar to like fighting engineers, as I mentioned in Facebook. I felt like I was fighting colleagues to really understand the importance of artist relations and like why it's so critical, you know, in our business, whereas I think a lot of times at least my perception is at the time it was very much they're just cogs on a wheel, you know. And so I had to do a lot of like internal educating of people on the music team, which is crazy, um, you know engineers.
Speaker 2:And then also, you know, dealing externally with partners and getting them excited about spotify troy I was excited about working for troy, um, so you to learn so much about him, you know, as an executive on the same side. Well, six months later he left and I was like, really, do you could have gave me a heads up, like I might've, you know, chose differently and you know I really felt that like I came there with a mission to fulfill what he, the task that he had, and so it kind of felt a little lost at first because it's like now he, it was his vision, he's not there yeah, he's not there, and so for a little bit, you know, as they were the changing of the guards and stuff, I felt a little lost and and and just trying to, you know, find my way.
Speaker 2:Eventually we, you know, you know, got it together. Nick Holmstein ended up being the head of the music department. He brought Chaka in From.
Speaker 1:Disturbing to Peace. Yeah, full Circle Death Jam Moment.
Speaker 2:Yes, full Circle Death Jam Moment. My big brother loved him to death and you know I'm getting him on here too.
Speaker 2:I talked to him, the other, day said you're gonna come on here, goodness, he's like all right, you know, I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it, that's good, that's good. I talked to him yesterday, um, and so, um, I was really excited when chaka came, because I was like now, like you know, we could really move some stuff, you know, and do some stuff, um, like tech companies, you, you know, bringing in people, so they bring their people. It was just chaos for a little bit and then eventually, shaka ends up leaving and COVID happened.
Speaker 1:Everything gets shut down, wait before we go into COVID things. So like what is your take on I mean, it is what it is now, but what is your take on the merging of tech and music and how it's affected the music industry positive or negative?
Speaker 2:I mean, I think it was a necessary evil. I think there is many ways, I think the music industry was becoming very archaic in some of its practices. But you know, I think technology is necessary. Hold on, let me get through this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she's just agreeing with you, that's all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, hold on. Alright, kiddo, I need you to take a nap.
Speaker 1:All good, I knew you would like that, okay, cool. So I'm going to wind it up. After this, I'm going to do the questions. Yeah, because the questions, I think, are what's going to really help with the shorts and the reels and all that you know. Cool. So I'm going to wind it with this and then we'll do the questions. Yeah.
Speaker 2:The problem is I have 50 million jobs and I can see that my battery was going to die on my computer, so I have to go to the doctor. But I think to die on my computer, so. But I think she should go down for a nap now. Okay, yeah, sorry, I've had 50 million jobs, that's all right.
Speaker 1:We were talking about the necessary evil of tech and music mixing.
Speaker 2:Sorry, so listen, I think there's, we were talking about the necessary evil of tech and music merging, sorry, so, listen, I think there's the necessary evil of tech and music merging. It's one of the things that, sadly, the music industry has always been is slow to adoption in all respects. You know what I mean, all respects, you know what I mean. So, um, and I think it's always been a step behind, because I think people are always scared of innovation and losing their spot. You know, just think going from cassette tapes to cds you know, what I mean, or vinyl from to cassette tapes how they ran naps.
Speaker 1:They're off right.
Speaker 2:So you know, I mean to be with you like. I'll even take it a step further, but as an adjacent, mtv had the opportunity to buy YouTube and didn't. That's why Tom Justin got fired, and so that slow adoption Right. Like, people are always afraid to innovate, and it's like man if you had done it you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can't even imagine.
Speaker 2:Right. So it's like to think like mtv had the opportunity to buy youtube like kidding me.
Speaker 2:So yeah, so I just think that you know it's a necessary evil, but I think that people didn't necessarily know, like, how to go about it and I still think very much are still trying to figure it out. I'm saying that but, yeah, I think the streaming world makes it easy. You know, one of the things I was um sharing with a friend of mine is that, like I do love the um, the opportunity that streaming provides in terms of like sharing in a vast array of music um with different generations, my son is five and he knows uh party up by dmx.
Speaker 2:But he also knows um he listens to frank sinatra going to bed wow you know what I mean, like, and that's only yo real talk. His favorite song right now is it's tricky by run dmc wow.
Speaker 2:He's like I met this little girly it was kind of girly I went to our house and bust it out. I'm like gosh, but he's five. And he heard it one day because it was accidentally playing after a Bruno Mars song in the car. And he heard the beat and was like what's that? And I was like this and he's like yeah, and he was like it's chicken and he made me pay it like five times, like that is his jam wow you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:So that's funny, yeah, yeah. So his babysitter was like does he know what those words mean? I was like I asked him if he knows what a buster?
Speaker 1:out and he was like no, he's probably catching on because of the melody it's a nursery rhyme melody. Yeah, he doesn't really trip on the words, it's the melody that kind of pushes that forward, you know. So you leave Spotify, you go to Was it J-Blocks? No, where'd you go to Jukebox? Jukebox, are we counting? You were there. You were there very short, right yeah, no, I'm definitely counting that.
Speaker 2:So I leave spotify. Uh, scott cohen, who was the head of innovation at warner music, leaves. He's really cool with max society again trying to figure out like evolution and like where music is going and this whole NFT world and like all that stuff. And you know, one of the people I often talk to all the time actually is Troy, and I think I call him the Oracle. I'm like you got enough money to be the Oracle because you got time to think you ain't got no bills to pay. You know, and he and I have been talking about like the democratization of music and just like the future of music.
Speaker 2:And I didn't really understand it. And he's like it's still early, you will, and this is still when I was at spotify, um, and so finally this opportunity comes and I'm like is this what you were talking about? And I was like I don't think I know what he's like. No, you, you should definitely give this a try. And I'm like but I don't know anything about the finance side of the music industry and so, like I remember him trying to explain to me like you know what it meant. So finally, like I felt like when he like dumbed it down for me. I was like, okay, maybe I can do this, you know, because I just felt like I needed to have some type of, like you know, master's degree in finance and or at least a publishing background, which I had, you know neither.
Speaker 2:And so I was at Jukebox for a year and a half as a startup company. We had like 20 million dollars in backing and the idea behind Jukebox is to allow retail investors to be able to buy and sell shares of artists song royalties. Music as an asset has become a huge profit for people. But, you know, people are buying music assets like, or rather selling like, justin Bieber sold his catalog for $350 million. You know, different people are saying it, selling it, but the problem is that the average person isn't able to one have access to it and be able to participate in that.
Speaker 2:The idea behind Jukebox was that and I still think it's still early, ahead of its time is that essentially, they work with rights holders. So people that were buying these huge catalogs and you're buying at a 20, you know, usually a 20X multiple you're saying, hey, listen, why don't you allow the fans to be able to participate in the buying of these assets? They're just going to be a fractional owner of a royalty stream. So the idea behind that is that it helps the asset owner actually recoup their money faster because the fans are buying, you know, fractional shares of it and it's still performing. Then they're able to then get their money back.
Speaker 2:So, but, and so it was fascinating for me to really like learn about a new line of business and, like, I feel, like my unintentionally, but my entire career has always put me in a place where I've learned a little bit more about a different part of the business than I ever started to know about. You know, even from the internship as a stylist assistant, you know, I'm, you know, on set learning about oh, you're a product manager. What is that? You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:So I feel like in my life has always allowed me to do that and I say that I'll just say is that that same thing actually happened with jukebox. So the time there was very short because it was, as I mentioned, it was a startup and nothing's guaranteed. We ran out of money, but it did afford me the opportunity to learn a little bit more about finance and it actually put me, positioned me, to where I am now.
Speaker 1:And so Now you're at Harborview.
Speaker 2:Right. So I'm at Harborview Equity, which is an investment firm that was started in 2021 by Cherise Clark Source. It's Black owned, based in Newark, new Jersey, and it's an investment fund that buys assets, artists, catalogs. But one of the things that I love that we're doing is that we are building out a bigger ecosystem. We're building out a media company, you know, getting into sports, and what really sets us apart as a company is that you know we're buying catalog, but we're also building out partnerships with artists and catalog. But we're also building up partnerships with artists. We've done strategic investments in Macromedia Mucho Mas, which is a Latin, a production company. We're working with Jesse Collins and Westbrook so that, as we're acquiring catalogs from different artists, that we can then pour back into them and really make the money work in a flywheel.
Speaker 2:So there's some artists that you know are just like hey, I just want to check, leave me alone, you know, fly off into the sunset. But then there's others that are like hey, let me, you know, like Joseph Patel and I are working on sitting down with an artist that we recently acquired their catalog to start building out concepts for content that we can then, you know, bring to like film and television. So it's like, you know, it's really a full circle with that. So I love the fact that if I hadn't been for the fact that I had been at Jukebox I mean, charisse was also a personal friend of mine, a mom friend, but it was because of my entry into Jukebox that it helped me lead me to yeah, and so you know, I actually had somebody compliment me recently and they were like man, like you're probably one of the only people in the music industry that can say they understand like the finance side, you know, and the creative side of the music industry.
Speaker 2:I think that's a little generous. I'm still learning very much the finance side. You know, I sit in a lot of the meetings um with you know, capital markets and stuff, and I'm like I have no idea what these people are saying, but I'm so grateful for the fact that I have access you know, to be able to, to learn you know, and I feel like I'm getting paid to have, like you know, a masterclass in like finance and music that I would have You're in the room.
Speaker 1:That's the main thing you get in the room. You figure it out, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So that's Whitney Gale Benton's story.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:As of now. As of now, as of now, see, that was very easy, whitney. See, you have to just trust me sometimes. As of now, see, that was very easy, whitney See, you have to just trust me. Sometimes, don't roll your eyes, you just did it.
Speaker 2:You did it. You said you're not using the video, so I can roll my eyes all up.
Speaker 1:Okay, thank you, whitney, for coming to my show.
Speaker 2:Sorry for being so long-winded. No, it's all right.
Speaker 1:I mean, the people want to know what if this is something they want to do, or or other genres too, it doesn't have to be music. You know just how to move and how to be smart and be open to new um, to new opportunities yeah, yeah thank you for coming to mixed and mastered wendy you're welcome I really appreciate it. You can't? Yeah, all right, we're to talk offline about the other stuff, but go tend to your baby, I will.
Speaker 2:Now, of course. Now she's quiet when it's all said and done.
Speaker 1:Exactly, but thank you again for coming to Mixed and Mastered and I'll talk to you soon and I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:You're welcome. You're welcome, thank you.
Speaker 1:You can catch Mixed and Mastered on Apple Podcasts, spotify, iheart or wherever you get your podcasts. Hit that follow button, leave a review and tell a friend I'm your host, jeffrey Sledge. Mixed and Mastered is produced and distributed by Merrick Studios.
