Shan Dan Horan, record label president and acclaimed video director joins us today to share insights from his deep well of knowledge and experience.
Donning multiple hats over the years ranging from working for Barack Obama, to labels Century Media Records, Artery Recordings, and Outerloop Records, as well as his work as a director, Shan Dan has seen what this industry has to offer. We discuss what bands should invest in early on in their careers, how he made the jump from the corporate world to the music industry, and unpredictable nature of the business. This is required listening for anyone wanting to pursue a career in a creative field.
“The music industry plays by its own rules. You’ll see someone graduate with a fancy degree yet fall on their face because they went into the real world without being able to articulate and apply what they learned in a book whereas people who didn’t get the best grades will go out and kill it because they understand the concepts on a deeper level. They know how to put things into motion” – Shan Dan Horan
ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:
3:30 – Shan Dan’s involvement in videography and his time in corporate marketing
8:06 – If Shan Dan was frustrated moving from the “real world” into the music industry
13:34 – How so many variables contribute to what makes the music business a tough one to be in
18:18 – If Shan Dan was ever a musician in addition to being creative with videography
20:04 – How Nuclear Blast has had an impact on metal music
24:09 – Shan Dan’s time working at Century Media
26:07 – How you never know who is going to stick it out in the music industry
28:10 – What Shan Dan’s mission is and what he wants his legacy to be in the music industry
38:54 – Having a Master’s Degree and not really needing to show it to anyone, but showing accomplishments instead
42:53 – If Shan Dan would have had the same success in music without his Master’s Degree and the experiences that came with it
54:59 – What Shan Dan looks for in a producer and lets him feel confident to take a chance on a new one
59:53 – Giving someone the benefit of the doubt when you have a history of working together with them
1:01:40 – Would Shan Dan work with the person who is a 100% great producer and is always late or someone at 90% who is always on time
1:04:19 – How entitlement is a turn off and will stunt your growth
1:06:06 – What labels look for in engineers, especially ones who are just starting out
1:10:09 – How engineers should find appropriate labels to work with based on the size of their studio
1:12:17 – How a band sticks out from the many applications that a label gets
1:16:22 – What bands at the local level should prioritize in their careers and if they should invest in publicists and managers early on
1:25:32 – Building up a fan base and getting people out to shows before trying to get on big package tours
1:30:16 – If a label consider someone for a text mix with only three slamming tracks in their portfolio
1:31:13 – If a label would want to see a portfolio with each song displayed as a standalone video with a custom graphic and some animation over just a regular website player
1:33:00 – How the whole process between the label and engineer works
SHAN DAN’S LINKS:
Musician Rescue trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owoZlRDXqaA
http://www.shadowborngroup.com
Thanks for listening! Please leave us a review on iTunes!
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