Tess Taylor is the busiest woman in show business… literally! She’s the managing president of the Los Angeles Music Network and the National Association of Record Industry Professionals, and also finds time to save the world and educate America’s youth about the music business. Says Publisher & Editor of Hollywood Today, Jeffrey Jolson-Colburn, “Tess Taylor is one of the great resources of the music business. She’s a walking job fair. She has amazing insights into where the business is going and combines that savvy with a Rolodex the size of an SUV.”

Tess has built her reputation and galaxy-sized network the old fashioned way, through moxy, charm and hard work. In addition to creating two of the music industry’s most well-known professional associations, Tess’ main talent lies in being a tastemaker of people, if you will, seemlessly able to bring groups of people together in innovative ways. I’ve met a lot of great friends and business associates as a member of NARIP, and I highly recomment the organization and its president (i.e., Tess) to anyone trying to make it in the music business.

Jim: NARIP has offices in L.A., Arizona, NY, and the UK. Basically, you guys are a global organization. What’s your secret to embracing the global market?

Tess: There is no secret! One of my friends said to me early on, when I was thinking of a good name for the organization, (what should it be and is it reflecting what we are?) In hindsight, I shouldn’t have limited it to ‘national.’ At the time, I said, “Pish-posh,” but now I see the genius of his advice, I should not have limited it to national, but intergalactic.

Jim: Intergalactic, I like that. One day people on Mars will be members!

Tess: If they have interest in the music business, sure. There’s a screening process we have when starting new chapters- we need to see if the people are serious. If they’re willing to put in the work, we take it from there. There is no secret, just a lot of hard work and late nights. It beats working for someone else… as you know. I don’t want to have to play the whole, “Yes ma’am, no ma’am, can I go to the bathroom, ma’am?” I did have a job like that when I was younger, and I never wanted another job like that.

Jim: That’s why I like you; you’re a free spirit!

Tess: Thank you. I think we all are, but some are too afraid to act on it.

Jim: Can you give us the back story on the L.A. Music Network and NARIP?

Tess: That was a complete accident. My background is as a classical pianist. Growing up, I spent time in Austria because my mother is from Austria. I traveled to Europe for the first time when I was 13. I lived over there and I went to high school for a year. It was a great experience, and as I came close to graduation- I majored in Piano, Literature and German, and I knew it was impractical and the bell would soon toll, and reality would soon hit. I’ve always loved knowledge and school; my parents were teachers, and when graduation came, I knew I did not want to perform. I still loved music, and decided that I wanted to work in the music industry.

It came down to freedom, and as a performer there’s not a lot of freedom and power, as you are dependent on people liking you. I liked performing when I was in school, my technique improved, but my ability to perform dropped, as I had to perform for juries; plus there isn’t a lot of freedom in classical music. As Victor Wooten was saying last night, “There are a lot of rules.”

Jim: I find it strange you were nervous to perform. I’ve seen you give lectures and you really come to life.

Tess: It’s funny you say that, as I love to give lectures. It is odd; my preferences are different from others. People come to my house and see a piano or a guitar and they lose their inhibitions and play, but they freeze up when they have to give a speech. Public speaking is the number two fear after death. I think public speaking is a breeze, but not performing. That’s why Victor Wooten and his book are so cool! Also, I’m working my ass off to make my business function more independently of me, so I can play again. I really want to explore that more, but it comes down to time.

To get back to your question about the L.A. Music Network, after graduation, I decided not be a performer because I thought to myself, “You can get to Carnegie Hall and some slime-ball critic can pan your performance just because he got up on the wrong side of the bed, and that affects future bookings, etc. I didn’t want to put control of my career into someone else’s hands, so I decided to work in the music industry. I got a great job at Avalon Attractions. This was when concert promotion had exploded and Avalon was the biggest in the business.  I was a lower-rung person, but I learned a lot. I would get tickets to some great shows like U2, Bruce Springsteen… I was paid dirt, but I got to meet a lot of people within the industry.

I realized that meeting people in person is better than talking on the phone. I also noticed that there were no real clubs, or places for people in the industry to meet and talk. I got to talking with friends in the industry and I decided to throw a get-together. In the beginning, it was only four people, but more and more people became interested in the get-togethers, and what was only a few people, became a list of over 85,000 people. It was 20 years in making; I would book restaurants and then clubs because it grew so big. I wanted to meet the heavyweights, and I knew that I wanted to be around smart, successful people and learn from them. I figured that I would invite the smart people to speak at a panel. I would host the panel and I would learn from them.

The first panel I did was a big success, it was called “Artist Development In The 90’s.” We had the biggest executives in the busniess at the time as panelists.When I arrived at the event, I saw a huge line of people and I could not for the life of me figure out what they were there for, when I realized it was for my event! I hosted the event and asked the panel a lot of questions and I learned so much from them. I started a newsletter and was able to get John Kalodner which was big. I wasn’t doing this for the money, since I had a day job and a salary, all I wanted to with all of this was to break even. This all grew organically.

It’s an important function of business to ensure that there’s consistency, stability and trust. I’m happy that I have created value that people recognize, and that it’s useful and meaningful to people. For young men and women coming up, there are so many directions to go in, and it’s important to do the right thing. You have to find your voice and the best business to be in is to find an extension of your voice. Jim, for example you are doing what you love with CWG, and that’s the first part of the battle, the second part is to monetize. The key to getting things done is to focus on a project 1,000%.

Jim: I wanted to discuss your philanthropic projects, like building a school and ‘LAMN Gets Loud At The Library.’

Tess: These are things that just happened. In my spare time, I try to make a difference and help people. I look at the world around me and think, “What can I do to make it better?” I feel like I’m very lucky to have opportunity, jobs, education and health – many people in the world don’t have any of that. If there’s something I can do to help, I want to. The school in Bangalore and the LAMN Library project were organic. I was at the library every week, and I got to know the staff. They asked if I could speak to the kids about the music industry, and since I am in music, they also asked if I could get a ‘hip-hop artist’ to come perform for the kids. By throwing a few events with local rappers, we increased youth attendance at the library by 400% which is great!

We created a platform for artists to perform and develop, and an after school program for kids. It’s a great synergy to mix music and books. We were introducing the idea to kids that they could learn music; it makes them productive and produces great art. This can open doors for them…its win-win.

Jim: That’s the thing, you have people saying they want to do more, but do nothing. That’s what I like about the library program – it creates a solution, and it’s the first of its kind. You’re actually changing the world instead of just bitching about it.

Tess: Right! What I hate the most is inaction. Truly successful people are out there doing things, they might fail, but they still get up. Critics can knock you, but what are they doing to change things? Anyone can bitch. I welcome constructive criticism, because it can produce change for the better, but when people are just bitching for the sake of it… I just hate it. People knocking the government or whatever; what are you doing to make it better? I want to be involved; I want to get into politics. I want to be involved in my community and make things better for others and myself.

Jim: I’d like to get your opinion on the future of the music business. Major labels are tanking, and it is becoming harder for artists (not that it was easy before). You;re changing things with NARIP, by showing artists and industry people that they can have successful careers independently of the corporate music world. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Tess: You should read an article that was published in the UK Guardian. Brian Eno had compared the recording industry to selling whale blubber. Before cars, whale blubber was the main source of energy. If you were a whale blubber merchant before automobile oil was the next big thing, you were sitting pretty until the new the form of energy came out, and now your blubber was not worth anything. He said the music industry was like that. It was a huge successful business for a long time, but now that day is gone and a new one has begun. Really, you have to take your career in your own hands.

We (NARIP) have a program in NY on how to create a grand-slam music marketing plan. With the decline of the record industry proper and the major/independent labels, you have to take control of your career, which is the way it always should have been, in my opinion. The labels once had the upper hand, they had a model that worked, but now records don’t sell as much, people have been laid off and the model is has taken a hit. When I started NARIP in 1998, I wanted every single person in the record industry to be a member- from the president to the mailroom clerk. There were so many music organizations for producers and engineers, but nothing for people working in the record industry.

When NARIP first formed, our membership used to be mostly from the major labels, and what I have seen now are people like you, Jim, who started at a major label and now are independent. Also, what I’ve seen is that many people who have been laid off are using NARIP to further their networking connections. I’m seeing more interest and people are participating more in the programs and lectures – it’s great!

Jim: I’m a member of NARIP, but for those non-members who are interested in joining, how do they sign up?

Tess: Go to www.narip.com – they can join online. Look at what we have to offer. By all means, they should feel free to email or call if they have any questions. For your readers, I will offer their first brunch for free if they mention your name. They just need to RSVP in advance.

Jim: Thank you. What I’ve always liked about NARIP is the fact it is so multi-faceted. Yes you can network, which is invaluable, but NARIP members also get discounts on stuff for starting their own business, not to mention the seminars and informationals, like your “How To Negotiate a Record Deal” seminar. Stuff like that is invaluable for starving artists who can’t  afford an entertainment attorney. How do you come up with these programs?

Tess: I think about what would I need, and if it’s not offered, then I create it. We have done the “Art Of The Music Deal” program, of which you’re referring to for a few years, and it’s been very successful. People aren’t sure what kind of deal to sign, what their rights are, how to negotiate a deal, how to leave a deal, what happens to the masters, and so on. This is something to help people and to guide them. There are books, you can read, but to see it right in front of you makes a world of difference. The more information you have, the better the deal you can create. We have a store on www.narip.com, there’s a section for free items and there’s a document called “Hot Button Issues In Producer Agreements” – one of our attorney members put together, and it is really informative.

Jim: For our readers, I want to say that NARIP is the best place to meet an affordable entertainment attorney. Whenever I go to a NARIP mixer, I meet a lot of good, yet affordable entertainment attorneys.

Tess: It’s a great resource! We also have a list of recommended attorneys, which is another resource.

Jim: Any final thoughts, Tess?

Tess: My thought is to go out and live largely! Go out and do something, take action! Don’t sit in your cube depressed, instead go out and make art or support art. Take advantage of each and every opportunity. You can improve the world around you. If you’re happy, you will enable others to be the same. A program to help promote music at the library or something like that can make a big difference in the world.

When I die, I want people to say, “Tess was cool, honest, kind, useful… she was alright, she did something and made a difference,” not, “She had a great shoe collection!”

In the book, “The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People,” there’s an exercise. They say to pretend to be a fly on the wall at your own wake and imagine seeing what’s said about you. It’s a humbling exercise. We’re trained to believe that we need to make over $100,000 and live in a certain place, but that doesn’t bring happiness. Imagine yourself at your wake and what people will say. When I die, there won’t be a penny left; I want to see everything I’ve earned spread across the world and helping people. I can live modestly and help others who need it; I’m happy and I feel free! I enjoy my work and besides… I get to hang out with great artists like Victor Wooten!

Like Tess? We do too! Check out our review of Victor Wooten’s appearance at LAMN Gets Loud In The Library. Also, head over to NARIP‘s website and get to know the organization.