For three decades, one record company ruled the music charts. But in the blink of an eye, their reign was over. After crafting in-depth biographies of music legends like Brian Wilson and Bruce Springsteen, New York Time best-selling author Peter Ames Carlin decided to tackle his most sweeping subject yet: the history of Warner Bros. Records. Through a series of wide-ranging interviews with industry legends Mo Ostin, Lenny Waronker, and many others, Peter wrote the book "Sonic Boom", the amazing story of a record label that put artists before commerce, and in the process built a musical dynasty. Join Nick and Peter as they discuss the tumultuous history of Warner Bros. Records, from its formation as a way to keep the studio's actors from making money for other companies, through the heyday of the 1970's psychedelic rock era, to the corporate machinations that tanked the label in the 1990s.
HIGHLIGHTS:
[02:00] Peter explains how his childhood record collection led him to write his new book, "Sonic Boom"
[05:26] Legendary producer Lenny Waronker returned to Warners Music, on the sole condition that he could get his first job back, as a low-level A&R guy
[08:22] Peter explores the origins of Warner Bros. Records under the watch of Jack Warner
[10:52] Peter faced a challenge in writing his book, in trying to balance the Mo Ostin part of his story with the Warner Bros. Music part
[13:13] Peter realized early on that the personalities running the company were going to be the heart of the book
[15:45] Peter put a lot of work into his book proposal to convince the major players to get on board
[18:54] Writing about Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen exposed Peter to the rivalries between Warner Bros. Records and other record labels
[21:52] Mo Ostin broke open the "no rock 'n roll" floodgates at Warner Bros./Reprise by signing The Kinks
[25:37] Mo Ostin realized that Top 40 radio wasn't going to be the future of music, because Baby Boomers wanted more sophisticated rock music
[26:37] Warner Bros. gave artists the time to build an audience and a back catalog
[28:47] Stan Cornyn, who hated advertising, created a unique and humorous marketing voice for Warner Bros. Music that appealed to younger people
[33:04] Warner Bros. Records missed the punk/new wave trend, but they bought Sire Records and suddenly had Talking Heads and Madonna on their roster
[35:34] Mo Ostin was candid about his difficult business relationship with Seymour Stein, the founder of Sire Records
[40:14] Warner Bros. Records was finally done in by Corporate America, and it ended in the most "soap opera way" ever
[48:41] When Peter was a TV critic, he came to the realization that every culture-changing show was an accident that evolved from the creators working without corporate intervention
[51:05] Peter describes his creative writing process, and the "creative calculus" he uses to come up with an angle that inspires him
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Find out more about today’s guest, Peter Ames Carlin
Find out more about your host, Nick Terzo
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