Bridge The Atlantic

Jason Flom is the CEO of Lava Records and Lava Music Publishing. Jason also has served as Chairman and CEO at Atlantic Records, Virgin Records and Capitol Music Group and is personally responsible for launching acts such as Kid Rock, Katy Perry, and Lorde. In 1995, he founded Lava Records as a joint venture with Atlantic Records, which turned out to be one of the most successful startups in music business history. The New Yorker described Jason as “one of the most successful record men of the past 20 years...known for his specialty in delivering ‘monsters.’ As well as his career in music, Jason is also a leading philanthropist who has long championed various political and social causes. He has demonstrated his commitment to social justice as a founding member of the Innocence Project and a board member of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the Drug Policy Alliance and the Legal Action Center. Highlights: -We hear how Jason started as a trainee field merchandiser at Atlantic, and how he thought it was the greatest job in the world - Jason believes it’s important to be respectful and treat everyone well, as we’re all the same - We hear about how Jason worked his way up through Atlantic and the highlights along the way - We hear the story behind how Jason started Lava Records - Jason tells us about how he posed as The 40 Year Old Virgin to celebrate his move to Virgin Records - Jason believes society should treat drug problems as a medical problem rather than a criminal problem - We hear about a new organisation Jason has started - The Church of Rock and Roll (and it’s the only church Ross and Marcio would join!) - The two most important things in the music business are the song and the singer - You can have a hit song with a great song and not so great singer, but not the other way around - Jason would love to find another iconic rock band - We hear how Jason broke 30 Seconds To Mars, which included the threat of a hunger strike at MTV - It’s less important to be in a music hub now, as artists can be more easily discovered online - Jason admits that Steve “Renman” Rennie would beat him in a game of golf - “Fashion over function, but substance over style” - Jason Flom - Jason theorizes that Bette Middler and The Riddler would be the same person - Jason throws the Monty Hall problem and it blows everyone’s mind - "The worst rap lyricist is probably better than the best rock lyricist right now" - Jason Flom Advice: - Getting your foot in the door is everything - Get somewhere where you’re able to get into the mix and meet people - It’s up to you to make your own breaks Recommendations: - Maty Noyes - Andy Black - Clairity - Drake - Kanye West - Eminem - Lil Wayne - The White Stripes Guest Links: - http://lavarecords.com - Twitter: @itsjasonflom - Facebook: facebook.com/lavarecordsUS - Instagram: @itsjasonflom / @churchofrockandroll Sponsors: - Alyssa Parma (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqlkLurzyYE) - Chris Keaton @ Chris Keaton Presents (http://chriskeaton.com) - Buck Naked Soap Company (http://bucknakedsoapcompany.com) - Christine Infanger @ Thirty Roses (http://thirtyroses.com) --- For more episodes, visit http://bridge-the-atlantic.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bridge_atlantic Subscribe on iTunes: http://bridge-the-atlantic.com/itunes Support us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/bridgetheatlantic