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Koch Entertainment Group: Big Time Independents
A Music X-Press Magazine Feature by Jason Cangialosi How do they do it? Koch Entertainment Group is an unparalleled independent media company with their fingers on distribution, music labels, film and publishing. Such far reach is usually only obtained by giants like TimeWarner, Viacom, Bertelsmann, The News Corporation or General Electric, who, combined, own 90 percent of all US media. So what does it take to play with the big boys and become the #1 independent Label, claiming numerous top ten Billboard spots since 2001? It's no easy answer and the secret to success very often stays locked in the mental vaults of entrepreneurs like Michael Koch and Michael Rosenberg, CEO and President. The company got its start distributing Classical music CDs, but has since attracted a roster so diverse; it's beyond anyone's play list. From Charlie Daniels's country classics to the folk legacies of Joan Baez and Carole King, legends of rap like Funkmaster Flex or Master P to the mold breakers like Goodie Mob or Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Not to mention the staying power of Ringo Starr, The Cardigans, or new sounds from Lil' Romeo or Jim Jones, to the future waves of Carl Cox, Judge Jules or DJ Cam. Several artists left major label deals to get in on the small happenings at Koch, wanting a family that stepped outside the corporate arena. There are no limitations at Koch and they distribute everywhere the majors do, but what's more is there is room to grow. As the title "Independent" or "Indie" becomes a marketing vehicle for music and films, Koch is a name that transcends the odd-man out to the coolest cat in town. It's not just Billboard that has taken notice of Koch, but Fortune 500, Entrepreneur Magazine and CNN - take that Ted Turner. Koch is common knowledge for insiders of the music industry and could potentially take on household status as the category of "Indie" anything, grows legs. The trick is, not to compete or sell out to the conglomeration of media and stick to the guns you target best with. The question will be one of how to stay rooted in the approach that got Koch to where it is. Everyone wants to rule the world, so to speak, but it's the little things that count in the Independent market. One thing that speaks across the board for Koch records is its artists have original voices and often don't fit the mainstream mold. This requires a tolerance of risk-taking and the bigger your company, the harder it is to take risks. Risks like the rumored anointment of Snoop Dog as the CEO of Koch West, as he claimed in a 2005-www.dubcnn.com interview. Not that Snoop wouldn't make magic happen, but you certainly would not see that offer from Disney or CBS. Koch knows what sticks, with an intuition for what people want and music fans are a crazy lot of tastes, so that's no easy game. With a back catalog of, literally, classics, along with recent classic artists the game has gotten easier. Perhaps that's where Koch started off right, as Classical music has centuries of staying power. Though with modern classic albums from Snoop Dog, Funkmaster Flex, 2Pac's All Eyes On Me and Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Koch is Fo' shizzle, the staying power of the future. This feature by Jason Cangialosi originally ran in the Feb/Mar issue of Music X-Press Magazine
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Contributor's Note
Jason Cangialosi was the former editor of Music X-Press Magazine.
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