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Steve Plotnicki and I started nine years ago, we definitely didn't anticipate the tremendous success STRIVING FOR BALANCE with rap that we've had: Platinum from Run -D.M.C. and Rob Base; a gold IN DIVERSITY from Dana Dane and albums from Special Ed, , Ron "C," Nemesis, Twin Hype and By CORY ROBBINS, President, PROFILE RECORDS Poor Righteous Teachers selling in the hun- dreds of thousands. We both liked rap, but the label we had always envisioned and strived to build was one much more musically diverse than we're currently assumed to be. While it's true that the great majority of our income is generated by our rap product, in re- ality our roster has only been about 50% rap. We serve widely different audiences. Most people who know us for Run -D.M.C. and Rob Base don't know that we have Judy Torres. Others only know us for our hardcore acts

Judy Torres Special Ed, Cory Robbins and Rob Base RECORDS, INC their own style; they're leaders. The same goes for L.A. Star. We didn't sign her because we said, "Oh, Latifah's big, we need more female rappers." We all just think she's great. We found her and recognized her talent. Listen to the record: L.A. Star has a sound all her own. As soon as people hear her voice, they know it can only be L.A. Star. Our challenge in the coming decade is to how have we gone about creating one of the largest indies in apply that same talent standard to other So types of music. One rock signing I'm thrilled the country? Our strategy is simple: We try to keep finding things about is Thom Bishop. He's an incredible that are just outside the mainstream- movements in music we songwriter and artist. He co -wrote the recent that Freddie Jackson single "All Over You." Thom feel are just about to break open. is a rare talent, and someone to watch for this year.

think will sell. Frankly, I don't think you can Philadelphia International, Stax or TK -as Some of our artists who we first estab- know what's going to sell; but you should great as those labels were, as soon as their lished in the late '80s should be making their know what you like. It's relatively easy to sign sound went out, those labels were in trouble. largest impact in the '90s. Judy Torres, a true like Murphy's Law and Cro -Mags and proba- an artist here. If an A &R person wants to sign Tommy Boy and Motown are the rare exam- pioneer of Latin -tinged dance music and a re- bly don't realize we have the rap stuff. an artist, they can; if it doesn't work out, ples of labels that have been able to survive gional favorite, is beginning to break national-

That's something that I would like to see they're not going to lose their job over it. their sounds. ly on the pop scene. The Accelerators, a no- change in the '90s. I would like to have a In a way, A &R at a record compary is analo- As for a "talent gameplan" for the '90s, we frills rock'n'roll band from North Carolina, more balanced label. I'd like to see the com- gous to radio programming. Some CHR sta- simply try to find the best new artists. Two of will be releasing their second album for the mercial success we've had with rap extend to tions, for example, will only add proven hits; our latest rap signings -Poor Righteous label. They received enormous critical ac- artists like Judy Torres, Thom Bishop, the Ac- they'll never break a record. Some of those Teachers and L.A. Star- are wonderful ex- claim on the first album, building a popular celerators, Chanelle, Leeway, and Cro -Mags. stations get very high ratings in their market. amples of how our talent philosophy works. base that will help them this time around. Essentially, the difficulty of building a ros- Then there are some stations that add 15 We didn't sign Poor Righteous Teachers be- And this year, we're also releasing new al- ter with strong artists in all genres of music is records a week because they like to try a lot cause their Afrocentric philosophy is current- bums from Run -D.M.C., Special Ed, Twin one that all independent labels face. The of things. Sometimes they discover hits and ly in vogue. We signed them because they Hype, Dana Dane, King Sun, Leeway, and hardest thing for an independent company to sometimes they play records that turn out to have an inimitable talent. They've created Euro -K. do is compete with a major for mainstream be stiffs. Some of those stations do well too. As we head into the next decade, there are talent. It's nothing for a major to pay I'd rather be like the second kind cf station. a few issues in the music industry that we $300,000 for an album. That's what they do. We don't play it safe. We sign a lot of art- need to confront. But we can't do that. ists, we drop a lot of artists, we corstantly re- The first of these is stickering. I, for one, So how have we gone about creating one of fine the roster. That's why we have so many think that we can achieve a balance between the largest indies in the country? Our strategy records. I think we have the most releases for the right of a customer to know what he or is simple: We try to keep finding things that a label our size. To me, you can t find out she is buying with the right of free speech and are just outside the mainstream -move- about a record until you put it out on the artistic expression. I'm not opposed to some ments in music that we feel are just about to street. You can play it for all your friends and kind of stickering, because we have been do- break open. Every couple of years, we decide you still won't know. ing this at Profile already. I do believe that to invest in a new kind of music. First it was One thing I purposely never wanted to have people should be warned when they're buying rap. Our success with Run -D.M.C.'s "Raising is a "Profile Sound." I always tried to avoid a record that they might find offensive. I don't

Hell" gave us the ability to invest in hardcore this by signing a variety of artists from all want them to find out after they've bought it; I a few years back. genres and by using different producers. I al- don't think that's fair. On the other hand, I'm And this year it's reggae. We've hired Mur- ways felt that labels that had a " sound" -like opposed to stores that ban stickered product ray Elias- who has a tremendous knowledge from their shelves. I say let people make their of the music and culture, and is one of the own decisions. most quoted authorities on reggae in the pop- Another issue that I've made something of ular press -to assemble our reggae roster, a personal crusade is counterfeiting. On sev- which now includes Barrington Levy, Pablo eral occasions I've seen counterfeiters on the Moses, Frankie Paul, and Frighty & Colonel street, and have called the police and had the Mite, who are at the forefront of the dancehall A person arrested or the tapes taken away. This reggae scene. Thom Bishop is a problem that affects everyone, from exec-

I think that reggae will be more popular in utives to artists... counterfeiters take money the coming years. There have always been out of everyone's pockets. And this summer, I reggae hits on Britain's pop charts, but in want to get our artists involved in AACT -Art- America, I think there really needs to be that ists Against Counterfeit Tapes. It's a new or- one big breakthrough reggae record before ganization started by independent labels, but we really begin to see reggae as a pop phe- open to the participation of any label. Headed nomenon here. I hope that record is ours, but by Fred Munao at Select, its purpose is to even if it isn't, it will be good for us because At Run -D.M.C. 1983 signing, combat the manufacture and sale of counter- we'll already have our reggae roster in place. from left: Manny Bella, VP feit tapes. Artists in particular should be

This is not to say that I believe that we can black /urban promotion; Cory aware of the problem and are the key to fight- always anticipate trends. Most of the time, I Robbins; Russell Simmons, Def ing it, alerting their fans and friends to poten- think you can't. I tell my A &R people to sign Jam Records /RUSH; D.M.C.; tial fraud. things that they like, not things that they and Run.

BILLBOARD JUNE 30, 1990 A Billboard Spotlight W-33