Press Room

SEPTEMBER 2007

Industry Profile: Jay Jacobs
By Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner

ENCORE - In his 35 years as a successful music executive, veteran agent Jay Jacobs has seen his share of colorful industry changes. Today, the former head of music and vice president of the William Morris Agency (WMA--1961-91) and vice president of International Creative Management (ICM--1991-94) is head of music and president, Touring Division of Parc Landon, a music, sports and entertainment professional services firm that represents promoters and casinos from Asia and around the world, where he negotiates tours and corporate sponsorships. He is based in Palm Springs, Calif.

"Overwhelmingly our buyers are in the Asian market place," says Jay. "However, we're expanding every day and establishing relationships with buyers in Africa, Israel, Germany and Canada as well as in the United States. It's a real joy to reconnect with so many of my former friends and associates at the agency level as well as the major U.S. based promoters."

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Jay began in the infamous William Morris mailroom in 1961 he moved to New York at age 19. "I was armed with perseverance, a keen eye and ear for talent and a lot of youthful exuberance," he reminisces. "I was plucked out of the mailroom and promoted to assistant agent under the supervision of two young agents -- Wally Amos--Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies--and Sherman Tankel - yes that's his real name. He discovered Bill Cosby, and Wally Amos discovered Simon & Garfunkel. Cosby was eventually taken under the wing of Norman Brokaw, the then head of TV for WMA in Beverly Hills. Norman got Bill his first TV series and all that followed." Brokaw later on became president of WMA.

Within a year, Jay's hard work, long hours and determination landed him a new West Coast band that was just breaking: The Beach Boys. At about the same time the British invasion was taking off, and Jay booked part of the first U.S. tour for the Rolling Stones, The Animals and other hit groups of the time."One of the most exciting days in my early career was when Al De Marino, my associate at WMA, and I convinced our boss to let us rent a limo to pick up a new unknown British artist, David Bowie," he says. "We picked up David and his manager, Tony De Fries; at JFK Airport for their first ever trip to the U.S. The first thing David said was, 'I want to see Carnegie Hall.' "By that time I knew almost all the stage door managers in town, and they let us walk that world-famous stage. Unfortunately, we weren't able to work out a deal for Bowie's representation as our bosses wanted more commission than David was willing to pay. You can't win 'em all."

Years later Jay put together the 1984 reunion tour of Crosby, Stills & Nash, which continued to tour for five more years, 1984-88. About the same time, he also co-represented and booked Jackson Browne, Van Morrison, and others.

Jay viewed packaging as critical, noting, "I always packaged, if possible, to maximize an artist's audience exposure and to all but guarantee a box office success. Putting The Temptations and The O'Jays together paid off big time in all the major outdoor summer venues as well as in hotels and casinos," he states. He did the same with Al Jarreau and George Benson, Miles Davis and Al Jarreau, and Ashford & Simpson and Teddy Pendergrass.

In April 1991, after 30 years with the William Morris Agency, Jay joined ICM accepting an offer, which he says, "I couldn't refuse." Within a month, the acts he repped at WMA followed -- Al Jarreau, George Benson, Joe Sample, Melissa Manchester, Michael Feinstein, The Temptations and David Sanborn.

"ICM did not deliver," he relates disappointingly. "Synergy among the agents and the various other departments that existed at William Morris didn't exist at ICM. Each agent was an agency unto himself and trying to get most of the agents there to book the clients I brought over was like pulling teeth." In April 1994, Jay was fired.

Pressing forward, Jay turned his knowledge and expertise to the most powerful media of all time - the Internet - believing he could start over again without working for a major talent agency "and all the internal distractions that go with it," he explains.

So in 2001, Jay went live with his online consulting business, talentagentadvisor.

"That's very stimulating and exciting. I felt strongly that I could guide and direct the careers of thousands by sharing my expertise on the Internet," he continues. "What an amazing wonderful time I live in. Being able to share my wealth of knowledge, my expertise to the world, seemed to be the next natural step in my professional evolution."

Jays describes the time spent between 1994 and 2001 was "my retired brain dead time. I was recovering from being fired for the first time in my life, and I spent much of my time trying to lose money in the stock market as a day trader. Actually, I made out pretty well. I also bought and sold a ranch in San Luis Obispo and a couple of other properties. Taking care of the real estate took up a good amount of my time."

In 2005, through his consulting business, he met Parc Landon founder Anni Lam, with whom he eventually formed a professional partnership when he joined the company in March 2007 as senior vice president.

Experience & Advice
To be nice to everyone and not burn any bridges. To treat Industry professionals, and indeed everyone, as I would like to be treated. Always get all offers in writing. Even the most trusted buyers who are friends make mistakes and conversations can be forgotten. The same applies to associates. You'd be amazed at how often conversations are misinterpreted and forgotten. Confirming everything in writing assures everyone protection.

How did you and Anni decide to form a partnership?
She found me on the net through my consulting business. After two years of getting to know each other, she invited me to join her firm as senior vice president. Because she's one of the hardest working, most talented people I've encountered in a very long time, and because I wanted to be a part of her growth process, I took her up on the offer. Since then I became president of the Touring Division, and I haven't enjoyed myself more in the last 20 years. I'm more energized and happier now than I ever was. She's a joy to work with, and the combination of my three-and-a-half decades of experience coupled with her youthful zeal and enthusiasm makes for a wonderful and rewarding relationship. Because she books all of the Asian markets, she starts her day at 9 a.m. Texas time, and works straight through until the following morning, not calling it a day until 3 or 4 a.m.. You can only do that when you're young, eager and extremely driven.

Is talentagentadvisor your consulting business site still active?
For all intents and purposes it's shut down with the exception of phone consultations. I made that decision shortly after I began to work with Anni. I wanted to devote all of my time to Anni and her company, Parc Landon.

Who are some of the artists you have attained corporate sponsorships for and what sponsors?
We've been focused on building our relationships with the agents and buyers and structuring our business to become one of the most reputable and viable talent bookers. We're just now able to focus our attention to other arenas such as corporate sponsorships, booking performing arts centers, casinos and establishing alliances with corporate booking agencies, TV and film production companies, etc., and are working on alliances and merging arrangements with two companies right now. We're a young company filled with determination, and even though we frequently put in 12, 14 and 18-hour days, it takes time. We're fortunate to have a great young support staff and a wonderful entertainment business attorney. We're adding new notches to our belt daily.

Why did you leave ICM?
I was fired! When I accepted ICM's offer -- an offer I couldn't refuse -- all of the clients I repped at WMA followed me over within a month. I delivered, but ICM didn't. With the exception of one or two agents, no one was booking them. No offers, no clients, and so they all left one by one and rightfully so. They were being booked quite well at WMA, and there was synergy among the agents and the various other departments. That didn't exist at ICM. Each agent was an agency unto himself and trying to get most of the agents there to book the clients I brought over was like pulling teeth. At WMA department meetings moved quickly, we covered what needed to be shared, and the agents went back to their offices and handled their respective tasks.

I could fly coast to coast in the time it took to finish a music meeting at ICM and hardly anything was ever accomplished. Even the food was awful! From my perspective, the problem was that ICM bought the Fred Lawrence Agency and its agents. I don't know what school Fred was from. He wasn't from the old school, and he sure as hell wasn't from the new school. He brought in three of his own agents, and their allegiance was to Fred as the head of the department. Consequently and unfortunately, they were programmed to book only Fred's clients and therein was the problem. Even after numerous meetings with Fred and Bill Elson, the over-all head of music, to try to correct the problem, it was futile and hardly anything changed. True to form, instead of making a concerted effort to change, alter or fix the problem, ICM just got rid of the agents after they lose all the clients, which occurred in the first place because of a fundamental flaw in the way the company was run. This has happened repeatedly and regularly over the years. After I was fired, ICM fired Fred Lawrence, Mort Viner, Bob Zeivers, Jon Podell and many others and later on hired the next team of soon to be fired personnel. I guess their philosophy is, if it's broken, leave it broken and just continue to replace.

Why could you not book your own artists at ICM thus preventing them from leaving?
Every agent was assigned a specific territory and certain buyers to cover. Consequently, we had to rely on each and every agent to deliver within their assigned territory. Unfortunately, and as I mentioned before, too many of the agents only booked certain acts that they were used to booking and that had strong ties to Fred Lawrence. It was practically impossible to have them bring my clients into the fold. There were one or two exceptions. Steve Levine, for example, is one of the best agents I've ever worked with. He'll book anyone at anytime, anywhere. He's an incredible dynamo, and the phones would have to be surgically removed from his head to have him stop. He's one of the premier agents in the business.

How is the industry landscape different now from when you were at WMA and ICM?
I'm enjoying a wonderful sense of freedom. For the first time in my career I don't have to answer to half a dozen bosses. Our decision making process is immediate and that feels wonderful. As I haven't been with a major agency for several years now, I can't really tell you what differences exist from a decade ago. But from what I can tell by talking to many former associates and friends at practically every major agency in New York and Los Angeles, the landscape appears to be more corporate, run more efficiently and much less cronyism. It's not so much who likes you as much as how many dollars you bring into the agency coffer. More competition has made everyone work harder and consequently, everyone works harder and the artist benefits.

Having spent my entire adult life working inside the box, this is a refreshing change. My perspective is clearer, my goals can be realized more quickly and everything is streamlined. No more approvals to get a new chair or a box of pencils or to have some corporate attorney go through my phone bills. I don't have to concern myself about associates eager to gain brownie points by being nasty and having to defend myself from the everyday slings and arrows coming at me from all directions. I've the stab wounds in my back to remind me of how refreshing it's to be on the outside for the first time in my life. My only regret is that it took so long to get here.

What has been most disappointing for you in the music industry in the past couple of years?
I may get shot for saying this, but seeing SFX/Clear Channel Entertainment buy out practically every major promoter in practically every major market is very disheartening. As we all know, they can make one offer on one act and control that artist's worldwide touring and knock out any possibility of anyone else buying a date. They also control the flow of tickets. There ought to be a law. Ha!

I've known the Delseners, the Jams and the Contemporarys from the day they opened their doors when the paint was still wet on their walls. To see them now as nothing more than employees of a monolithic monopoly is very sad. That's just one example in one industry that was allowed to hatch, thrive and prosper under the Bush administration, the most corrupt, arrogant and mean spirited administration led by the most ignorant and illiterate president in this country's history.

What overall industry changes do you view as positive? Negative?
The negative is easy. That crown belongs to the entertainment industry's goliath, Live Nation. I suppose, in a strange kind of way, it can also be viewed as positive because the agent can book a tour with one call instead of negotiating deals with 30 different promoters. One call, one contract, one confirmation, and you can book a nationwide tour and call it a day. Same goes for foreign. However, I don't see LN picking up dates on acts the agencies need help with. On a down note, no pun intended, the recording industry is in as bad a shape as it has ever been. The only way it can survive is to consolidate, merge and develop new cutting edge technology and only available through the labels, i.e., 3-D sound.

First concert attended
Music was everything to me; it still is. As a teenager I bought practically every new 45 rpm single that charted and blasted them so loud that my mother and grandmother insisted I move my record player to the garage and listen there. The first concert I attended as a non-pro was at a drive-in, in northeast Philadelphia in 1959: Lou Christie, Johnny Tillitson, The Shirelles, Brian Hyland, etc.

First concert worked
I was hired by the William Morris Agency on Dec. 3, 1961, a date I will never forget. I was assigned to the desk of the head of the newly formed Music Department. Roz Ross was hired away from General Artists Corporation. I shared one desk with Roz Ross's secretary, Esther Sulcov. Roz was brilliant and an unbelievable work horse. She repped Sam Cooke, Dick Clark, Gene Pitney, Del Shannon, Brian Hyland, The Supremes, Johnny Tillotson, Lou Christie, The Drifters and countless other newcomers. She created the first music package, The Dick Clark Caravan of Stars. I covered this show in 1962 at the Teaneck, N.J. Armory as an assistant agent

First industry job
1961 - Secretary to Wally Amos, Larry Spellman and Sherman Tankel at William Morris in NYC. Sherman signed Bill Cosby to the agency. Wally Amos of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies fame, made the first in roads with Motown and all their artists. I worked for all three new agents simultaneously: typed their memos, Western Union wires--no Internet back then--typed up all their play date contracts, answered their phones, got their coffee and did just about everything but shine their shoes. I don't know how I pulled it off, but the powers that be took notice, and I was promoted to full agent status within a year.

Career highlights
Being promoted to full agent status in 1962; meeting Dick Clark for the first time; booking Diana Ross into the world renowned Palace Theatre in New York for four weeks with James Nederlander, Sr. in 1978; signing my first big act in 1964, The Lettermen; flying to L.A. and meeting my WMA west coast associates in 1965; meeting and becoming friends with Albert Grossman, the manager for Peter, Paul and Mary, Janice Joplin, Bob Dylan, Odetta, Todd Rundgren, who I later went on to represent, and staying at Al's retreat in Bearsville, N.Y. ; and receiving my WMA Tiffany gold watch after 25 years with the company in 1986.

Career disappointment
Losing the representation of clients and being let go from ICM.

Greatest challenge
Gaining the trust of my buyers and being an agent every day for 35 years.

Best business decisions
Joining WMA in 1961 and transferring to WMA's Beverly Hills office in 1979, and partnering with Anni Lam who founded Parc Landon and joining her company in 2007 as senior vice president. Anni is one of the most dynamic, talented, high energy, driven persons I've ever met. She has all the qualities that I respect and admire, including a very high degree of integrity, a keen sense of honesty, fair play and never-ending energy.

Best advice you received
Put everything in writing and get a deposit.

Most memorable industry experiences
Seeing the Concert for Banglaladesh starring George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Bob Dylan, etc., at Madison Square Garden in New York on Aug. 1, 1971. It was pouring cats and dogs, and we had to park a half a mile away. We sat in our seats soaking wet and mesmerized. That was the greatest concert I ever saw; Booking Diana Ross into the Palace Theatre in NYC for four weeks to an SRO house every performance and the same with Ashford & Simpson. Jimmy Nederlander took a chance on my strong recommendation and it paid off for all concerned.

What friends would be surprised to learn about you
That I'm still going strong after all these many years in the entertainment industry and feeling like a 25-year-old.

Industry pet peeve
Hype and BS.

If I wasn't doing this, I would be...
…without a soul and bored beyond belief.

Greatest Influence on wanting to be in show business
Television and my mother. As a little kid she would take me to see all the pre-Broadway shows previewing in Philadelphia, my home town. I'll never forget every show she took me to. I can still recall the smell of the theatre--the perfume, the paint, the grease paint. I was fascinated at how the deep red gold tasseled theatre curtain rose up and out of sight. I was in awe at how the sets, the scenery moved up, down, spun around and slid off into the wings. The lights fascinated me. When the overture began, played by 26 live musicians, it sent chills up and down my spine. It left an indelible impression, and I was hooked. Some of the young readers will be amazed at how old I must be to remember life before TV. We were one of the first families on our block to get one. I used to get up at 5 a.m. and watch the test pattern before the broadcast day started. In fact, I moved to NY to be in theatre. I learned to sing, dance and act when I was a teenager in Philly.

I knew I wasn't meant to be in front of the footlights after I auditioned for Bye Bye Birdie on the stage of the Shubert theatre on West 44th Street in N.Y. After my audition song, I left the stage and threw up in Shubert Alley. The next day I filled out an application for employment at WMA and was hired three weeks later.

Industry mentors
Nat Kalcheim -- one of the old wise men and first generation WMA executives who taught me about integrity, honesty and being fair, honesty to everyone; Nat Lefkowitz -- president of WMA in the 70's who took me under his wing and was supportive to me and David Geffen; Albert Grossman -- a gentleman and a mega manager -- Dylan, Joplin, PP&M, etc.; Jimmy Nederlander, Sr. for his good advice and support.; and Pat Rains - manager of Al Jarreau, Dave Sanborn, etc. for being there when I needed him. I worked for Pat and his clients for over 25 years, longer than any other manager in the business.