Say what you want about Bruce, but of the higher-ups in the record business I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, he was at the top in the "being a person" category. Sure, I didn’t have many opportunities to interact with Bruce, being the low man on the totem pole when I worked for Blue Note/Angel in the late 90’s doing their websites, but Bruce did go out of his way first to introduce himself to me at MMW’s studios in Brooklyn with "Hi, I’m Bruce. We don’t know each other yet, but we will." For a 25 year old dork like I was at the time, this was very cool. Also, during my going away party, and again, he did have the occasion to speak with me say 5 or 6 times while I was under his employ, he made a point to thank me and let me know that even I after I left the company, I could go see any Blue Note act playing in NY by just making a phone call. Classy guy, one of the few that never felt the need to check his soul at the door, and I feel honored to have met him.

Thanks,
Dylan Fulmer

Good stuff as usual.
Ask Lundval what his biggest non-signing mistake was…he will tell you the story of Eva Cassidy…it’s a doozy!

Cheers
Patrick Turgeon

So here we have this young turk firing a barb at Bruce Lundvall. A student who most likely has never worked at any label, never managed an act, never signed an act, and who sure as hell has never navigated the political waters of a corporation. And he’s taking Bruce Lundvall to task for being ignorant of DRM? That’s like criticizing the head of Ferrari not knowing how Hydrogen technology can be applied to its products.

One could argue that of all labels, Blue Note is about artistry, not technology (we’ll leave out Norah here). Just like Ferrari. Bruce Lundvall is like Ferrari-designer Sergio Pininfarina. They are both responsible for the soul of their products. They have to first recognize art. Wanna discuss technology? Too bad Ted Cohen left EMI.

The music industry is full of young turks, the so-called "best and the brightest", who come out of college and instantly focus on technology - merely for technology’s sake. But they all forget one important lesson. You gotta start with talent… with the music. That’s why so many of them fail. Technology is a tool, not the product.

Bruce may be 72, but I’d rather sit down and listen to him than this wanna-be artist manager any day of the week.

Tom Cartwright

I would go even further than the Bruce Lundvall problem - I would go with our whole educational system (this coming from a BS in Communications and a Masters degree myself). The post secondary educational system has gotten it wrong. Like getting a Bachelors in music business management etc etc is the key to getting into the industry. Come on! It’s funny how even education becomes commoditized and even funnier that people believe that it’s going to help them in their careers - to the point of many thinking it’s an entitlement. Nothing’s wrong with these programs - other than they don’t work very well.

I consult at a career school for broadcasting now - Illinois Center for Broadcasting - it’s great because in the 10 month program, it just deals with the hands-on stuff that radio and tv broadcasters need to know - it’s a portal for the student’s own creativity. They were the first school to have worldwide internet streaming radio stations - now they have over 750,000 listeners! All from grass-roots work and love for being in the industry.

I tell the potential students when they’re coming in - "this better be a passion of yours first and foremost, because that’s what motivates you here and in your career." Even with the changes in technology, your basic passion for the music or whatever should be what drives you to adapt.

Change stands in front of us all. We can either ride the wave of change, or get buried by it. But you already know that.

Tim White
Fundamental Records