I was working my way through high school and early university working at record stores. It was $1.75 an hour. I remember it clearly. I make $2.00 now. (Laughter) It was very much about the love. The funny part is, I was working at record stores in grade 9, and I spent every bloody dime I made buying records. My parents were saying, “Would you like to maybe, you know, buy a car at some point?” Never saved.

I felt it was my destiny from when I made those charts at eight years old and took up the guitar at nine years old and felt like this was something that I need to do. It’s never changed. I’m in my late 40s now, and I feel exactly the same, and I still am as excited as when I was 16 about hearing a new song and turning other people onto it.

When I was 18, I was a guy who had all my buddies over to my basement with a case of beer, and I made them all shut up and listen to the new on Broadway album by Genesis. If they talked, I’d berate them, because it was so important to me that they could hear what I was hearing. That stays with you in life. That stays with you if you choose to do this for a business, because that same joy, I now go home to my wife and my four kids, with the same excitement. I make my kids listen to a new Nelly Fertattle song that I think they’re going to like. When the kids talk, I go, “Shhh. Talk after the song.”

I think to love it is the key. To still love it 30 years later, there’s only one word for it, and that’s a blessing. It’s a blessing.

I joined this company in the mailroom. It was called MCA at that time. Every time—ironically, there’s a lot of fatalistic in this comment—but every time I either had a job offer or I went to go to another company, something happened. I remember in 1983, I was going to go work for another label, because they offered me a job, and we picked up Chris List for Canada, and Chris List became piping hot.

In 1985, I was interested, there was an opportunity, and we picked up Island Records just as U2 and Marley and everything was happening. It’s very interesting. As I grew and evolved in my career and in my knowledge and in my thirst for knowledge, which is key, we made additions. As the 80s came, and I had another opportunity, we bought Geffen, which at that time was smoking hot with Guns and Roses and Aerosmith and all this.

So organically, this company has grown, and I, for a whole bunch of fatalistic reasons, have gone to leave in terms of opportunities a couple times, and something has attracted me or someone has attracted me to stay, and this is where I’ve spent my life, and this is where I’ve spent my career. I love this company, because I’ve been in it all my life.

My day-to-day here at the office—I do all of my music listening at home on my iPod, to and from the office—because I need to concentrate. Here at the office during the day is not the time to do that. I always joke with my wife that I’m a little bit like a stockbroker on the floor. I’ve got three things in the air and three other people that are trying to get to me. It’s chaotic, and I thrive and love that as a businessman.

I guess in the average day I would have at least—I would talk to somewhere between 6-10 artist managers. I would probably talk to between 4-5 artists directly. I would most certainly deal with a number of lawyers in the course of the day, contracts and addendums we’re doing and things like that. We have a number of meetings internally. Our vice presidents that report to me, I meet with them, touch them at some point during the day even if it’s for five minutes on a very quick debriefing.

During the course of the day, I don’t do anything that’s longer than about eight minutes in one thing. I don’t sit in two-hour meetings. I don’t have two-hour meetings. By day it’s a series of 5-, 8-, and 12-minute intervals. This as long as I’ve sat down in quite a few weeks. No, no—for good reason. There’s just a myriad of people to deal with and it’s very stimulating and exciting for that reason.

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