Sherman : Welcome , Larry ! We ’ re thrilled to have you here at Old Mill Road Recording . I ’ m excited to learn more about your career in the music industry and Primary Wave , but first , let ’ s start with the basics . Where were you born ?
Mestel : : I was born in Brooklyn , New York , and I lived there until I was six . Like many families in Brooklyn and Queens , my parents moved out to New Jersey . We were there until I went to college .
Sherman : Was music a big part of your childhood ?
Mestel : I think it was as big a part of my childhood as it was with any kid growing up , along with sports , food , bicycling , and all of that stuff .
Sherman : Are you a musician ?
Mestel : You know , I wish . But unfortunately , I ’ m not . I can ’ t sing . I tried playing the clarinet in school , and it didn ’ t work out very well . My kids and wife are much more musically inclined than I am .
Sherman : Where did you go to college ?
Mestel : I went to college at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst . I graduated in 1984 , and I go back there occasionally to talk about investing in music and alternative investments for the business school at UMass . I enjoyed my time there . I majored in Business Administration , and I did sports on the radio for WMUA . I played lacrosse , and I worked in the campus judicial system at the student credit union . After I graduated , I came back home to work in New York .
Sherman : What kind of job did you think you were going to get when you first left school with that degree ?
Mestel : I don ’ t tell many people this ( because I love dealing with artists and I love the creativity of the music business ), but I left school and I got a job with a company called Arthur Young . They did consultancy accounting . I survived there for about four years before ultimately leaving . I met Chris Blackwell back in 1989 , when PolyGram Records , a company that I was advising , was buying Island Records . Chris Blackwell took a liking to me , and he offered me a job in 1989 being his right-hand person at Island Records . I got very lucky . I always say , “ It ’ s better to be lucky than good , especially in the music business .”
Sherman : In another interview , you were quoted as saying that everything you learned , you learned from Chris Blackwell . One of the things that we talk about a lot here on VT Voices is the importance of mentorship . Can you tell us about some of the things that you learned by working with Chris Blackwell that you ’ ve been able to utilize throughout your career in the music industry ?
Mestel : When I started at Island in 1989 , I thought I knew a lot about the music business . I was advising PolyGram Records on the acquisition of Island , so I got to know the company very well . I quickly realized- after about 24 hours- that I knew nothing about the music business . Chris was not only an incredible mentor , but an incredible music executive , a charitable human being , and a genius when it came to marketing , branding , signing talent , and knowing who to back . I absorbed a lot of information from Chris . He was very hands-off , and he let people be very entrepreneurial . I learned the business of music , I learned how to treat artists and how to put artists first , and I learned the world of business . The music business was not just local . It wasn ’ t just domestic — it was international . That knowledge really served me well when I started Primary Wave years later .
Sherman : How did your career advance after working with Chris Blackwell ?
Mestel : I worked with Chris for 11 years , from 1989 to 2000 . In 2000 , I got an offer from a gentleman named Strauss Zelnick . At the time , he was the Chairman of the Bertelsmann Music Group , and they had put a succession plan in for Clive Davis . There was another gentleman coming in to run Arista , and BMG wanted me to partner up with him . That was my next gig in the music business . At the time , Clive had built Arista Records into the biggest label in the world . After 11 years working with Chris and within a certain genre of music , I was ready to move on and get more experience in a different genre , which was much more Pop and Urban .
Sherman : What were some of the primary differences between working with Chris Blackwell at Island and working at Arista ?
Mestel : Island had artists like U2 , Bob Marley , and Melissa Etheridge , and Chris was incredible at developing talent . Frankly , he didn ’ t care how an artist did on their first or second album . It was all about the long game , and it was always about developing a career and creating a brand for the artist . That was very different than the pop music business , which was much more centered around radio success . If you didn ’ t have a radio hit , chances are you weren ’ t getting a second album . At Island Records , it was centered around packaging , touring , and development . Arista was more radio and video-centric .
Sherman : What happened next after your time at Arista ?
Mestel : I was at Arista from 2000 to 2004 . In early 2004 , I was approached by Alain Levy . At the time , he was the chairman of EMI . He was also the gentleman Chris and I reported to at Island Records , and he worked as the CEO and the Chairman of PolyGram Records . I knew Alain Levy very well from those days , and he offered me a job . Funnily enough , at the time , I was on contract still with Arista Records . I knew that Sony and BMG were going to merge , but at the time , the gentleman who was the chairman of Bertelsmann , Rolf Schmidt-Holtz , would not let me out of my agreement . There was a lot of back-and-forth between EMI and Bertelsmann regarding my employment status , but Sony and BMG ended up merging , and I was able to get out of my agreement . I ended up going to Virgin , which was under EMI in 2004 . I was at Virgin Records from 2004 to 2006 , and I started Primary Wave in early 2006 .
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