Part 8 (1/2)
”Suddenly, everybody had to go in”: Author interview with Howie Klein.
Big Music's Big Mistakes, Part 1: The CD Longbox Terry Friedman...10,000 to 20,000 trees: From Rosen, Craig, ”Ban-the-Longbox Bill Pa.s.ses State a.s.sembly in California,” Billboard Billboard, July 6, 1991, p. 65.
”This went on for years years”: Author interview with Jordan Harris.
$9,000 to $10,000 for every 5,000-alb.u.m store: Estimate from Steve Orbach, sales rep from postlongbox packaging company Sensormatic, cited in Paige, Earl, ”Retailers Grapple with Post-Longbox Life: Some Find New Opportunities During Transition,” Billboard Billboard, May 8, 1993, p. 50. Background on retailers' opposition, as well as the efforts of Henry Droz and Paul Smith: Author interview with Russ Solomon.
”We're not insensitive”: Harry Losk quote from Lichtman, Irv, ”PolyGram Mulls Long CD Box: 'Augmented' Package Is Showcased at RIAA Meets,” Billboard, Billboard, January 20, 1983, p. 1. January 20, 1983, p. 1.
Mike Bone and Ban the Box: From Stark, Phyllis, ”Majors, Retail Cool Toward Ban-the-Longbox Group,” Billboard Billboard, May 5, 1990, p. 9. ”This is garbage,” Raffi and Peter Gabriel: From Goldstein, Patrick, ”So Long, Box: Long-Awaited Move Makes Some Ask, 'Who Will Pay?'” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, March 10, 1992, p. 1. Spinal Tap: From Selvin, Joel, ”Spinal Tap Concert Is a Backbreaker; Parody Band Reunites for Gag-Heavy Live Shows,” March 10, 1992, p. 1. Spinal Tap: From Selvin, Joel, ”Spinal Tap Concert Is a Backbreaker; Parody Band Reunites for Gag-Heavy Live Shows,” San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle, June 3, 1992, p. E1.
”Why We Should Keep”: From Licata, Sal, ”Size, Graphics Are Major Pluses: Why We Should Keep the CD Longbox,” Billboard Billboard, December 2, 1989, p. 9.
”It would cost retailers a fortune fortune”: Author interview with Jeff Gold.
Chapter 2 19841999: How Big Spenders Got Rich in the Post-CD Boom Gil Friesen's biography based mostly on three author interviews with Friesen and two with Jerry Moss. Description of Friesen's house is from author observation, details from Friesen himself, and Giovannini, Joseph, ”Modernism Revisited: A Pair of Additions Elevate a 1953 Los Angeles House,” Architectural Digest Architectural Digest, July 2003, pp. 114121, 171.
archaic American network of mom-and-pop distributors: From Dannen, Hit Men, Hit Men, pp. 6364. pp. 6364.
”There was a period of time at A&M there”: Author interview with Al Cafaro.
”They're the most exciting innovation”: From Pond, Steve, ”Gil Friesen: The President of A&M Records Talks About the Issues Confronting the Music Business,” Rolling Stone Rolling Stone, December 17, 1987, pp. 103106.
$1.45 million purchase price and $4.9 million in additional value: From Los Angeles County a.s.sessor's Office.
”The business grew pretty dramatically”: Author interview with Bob Buziak.
Barbra Streisand deal: From c.o.x, Meg, ”Sony Corp. Is Said Near to Signing New Streisand Deal,” Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal, May 12, 1992, p. A1. Michael Jackson deal: From Fabrikant, Geraldine, ”Sony Music's Mr. Big Spender,” New York Times New York Times, December 1, 1991, p. A1. ZZ Top deal: From c.o.x, Meg, ”ZZ Top Negotiates RCA Records Deal for Up to $40 Million-Deal with Bertelsmann Unit Would Include 5 Records from Trio in Their Early 40s,” Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal, June 17, 1992, p. B2. Janet Jackson deal: From Walker, Michael, ”It's as Easy as SBK: SBK Records Takes Unknowns and Spends Big to Make Them Known. (Hey, It Worked with Wilson Phillips and Vanilla Ice),” Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times, March 10, 1991, p. 6.
”People would say, 'How can you do that to the companies?'”: Author interview with Donald S. Pa.s.sman.
Video costs and ”An average budget for me was maybe close to $1 million”: Author interview with Dave Meyers, 2005.
There is a scene: From Lee, Tommy, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and Neil Strauss, The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band (New York: HarperCollins, 2002), pp. 224225. (New York: HarperCollins, 2002), pp. 224225.
Wilson Phillips was spending $7,000 on hair and makeup: From Goodman, Fred, ”Wilson Phillips: The Crash,” Entertainment Weekly Entertainment Weekly, November 27, 1992, pp. 4042. $500,000 advance, as well as personal details about Charles Koppelman: From Walker, Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times, p. 6.
”CDs were selling like crazy”: Author interview with Charles Koppelman.
Wilson Phillips's budget: Author interview with Arma Andon.
”You've got to understand”: Ibid.
Koppelman's $50 million buyout: Lichtman, Irv, ”Koppelman Among Top Exec Departures: EMI Music Overhauls Its N. American Operations,” Billboard Billboard, June 7, 1997, p. 1.
”I spent money!”: Author interview with Michael Alago.
”They're bastions of indie rock”: Author interview with Debbie Southwood-Smith.
”The all-vinyl business had its ups and downs”: Author interview with Bob Merlis.
Yetnikoff, Tisch, and ”the Evil Dwarf”: From Nathan, Sony, Sony, p. 172. p. 172.
”When Larry got in” and ”[Tisch] thought the business relied too much”: Author interview with George Vradenburg.
Yetnikoff's idea for Sony to buy CBS: From Nathan, Sony, Sony, p. 172; Yetnikoff, p. 172; Yetnikoff, Howling at the Moon, Howling at the Moon, pp. 209, 240. pp. 209, 240.
”The noncreative side” and Schulhof background: Author interview with Michael Schulhof.
”Whatever you discussed with [Schulhof]”: From Nathan, Sony, Sony, p. 170. Ohga answered some email questions for this book but would not agree to a full interview. p. 170. Ohga answered some email questions for this book but would not agree to a full interview.
”I called Morita at home”: Author interview with Michael Schulhof. Mayfair Regis and Bill Paley detail as well as MiniDisc/DAT theory: From Nathan, Sony Sony, pp. 173174.
”He said, 'If the company was worth $2 billion yesterday'”: Author interview with Michael Schulhof. ”Install me as Super Czar and make me superrich”: From Yetnikoff, Howling at the Moon Howling at the Moon, p. 209.
Thomas D. Mottola biography: From Anson, Robert Sam, ”Tommy Boy: Even by the Standards of the Wild and Wooly Music Industry, Tommy Mottola, Chairman of the $5.9 Billion Sony Music Entertainment, Plays by His Own Rules,” Vanity Fair Vanity Fair, December 1996, pp. 288294, 313314.
”Al was a Harvard MBA”: Author interview with Bob Sherwood.
Jon Landau and Bruce Springsteen detail: From Griffin, Nancy, and Kim Masters, Hit & Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood Hit & Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997), pp. 289291. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997), pp. 289291.
”Once they blow me out, Walter's vulnerable”: Author interview with Frank Dileo.
$25 million settlement: From Griffin and Masters, Hit & Run Hit & Run, p. 290.
Detail about Yetnikoff's fall, including Ohga quote and ”Count my money”: From Yetnikoff, Howling at the Moon Howling at the Moon, pp. 260261.
”He was riding that job for all it was worth”: Confidential source. Aerosmith, Mariah Carey, and mansion spending: From Anson, Vanity Fair Vanity Fair, pp. 314316.
”The eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room”: Author interview with Bob Sherwood.
Michael Jackson called...Schulhof: From Anson, Vanity Fair Vanity Fair, p. 315; confirmed by Schulhof.
This was unacceptable: From Fabrikant, New York Times New York Times, December 1, 1991, p. A1. ”I wouldn't sign a rock act with Sony if my life depended on it”: From Philips, Chuck, ”Charting Sony Music's Future; for Tommy Mottola (Yes, the One Married to Mariah Carey), the Next Step Is to Take the No. 2 Firm to the Top,” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, May 5, 1996, p. 1. May 5, 1996, p. 1.
”n.o.body likes to overspend”: Author interview with Michael Schulhof.
Mottola's personal expenses and ”famiglia”: From Eaton, Phoebe, ”Tommy Mottola Faces the Music,” New York New York, March 3, 2003, p. 42. ”These guys were very aggressive”: Author interview with Jeff Ayeroff.
”I didn't look at the financials”: Author interview with Michael Goldstone.
”a real oligarchy”: From Eaton, Phoebe, New York New York, p. 42. ”They wanted to move Columbia”: Author interview with Bob Sherwood.
”Mo loved talent magnets”: From Cornyn, Stan, Exploding, Exploding, p. 272. p. 272.
”He trusted my instincts”: Author interview with Michael Alago.
Steve Ross biography, as well as WarnerSeven Arts deal and Sinatra's role in it: From Bruck, Master of the Game Master of the Game, pp. 4857.
”There were many people there in key positions”: Author interview with Jorge Hinojosa.