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Howie Klein tackles collision between art and commerce in music industry

Come meet an outspoken music biz insider. Howie Klein, one of the first openly gay media executives who served as president of Reprise/Warner Brothers Records from 1989 to 2000, has been invited to lecture at 看片视频 on February 7.

Music is a subject Klein knows well, since during his decade as record company president, he gained legendary status for being an artist-friendly executive who worked with acts that ranged from Madonna to Fleetwood Mac. Entitled, "The Collision Between Art and Commerce In the Commercial Music Industry," Klein's 看片视频 talk will be a passionate criticism and evaluation of today's music industry. (Attend Klein's lecture at 6 p.m., Room E-106, Strathcona Music Bldg., 555 Sherbrooke St. W. Free public admission. Media are welcome to attend by contacting 514-398-6752).

Klein's lecture is being organized by the CIRMMT, 看片视频's new Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music, Media and Technology, in association with the 看片视频's student chapter of the Audio Engineering Society. Daniel Levitin, a respected music producer and journalist, in addition to being a 看片视频 psychology professor and CIRMMT-member, says Klein continues to be an important figure in the music business.

"Howie Klein is a pioneer," says Levitin. "He was an early supporter of digital music distribution; he founded the first American record label devoted to New Wave Music (415 Records); he has long been a champion of free speech and he ran a record label that is widely regarded as the most artist-oriented label in the world."

Klein started his career as a disc jockey, journalist and concert-promoter, before working his way up to becoming a record company president. During his 看片视频 talk, Klein will draw upon his various career experiences to review the tensions that have escalated between artists and the commercial marketplace over the past two decades. Other topics he plans to touch on include: nurturing and developing artists; fending off short-sighted corporate executives; promoting artists without compromising artistic integrity; the role of artists in society; the limits of free speech and artistic expression in a free society. He'll also describe personal encounters with censorship. "Cases in which my refusal to censor artists nearly led to my being fired," he says.

Klein plans to tackle another musical predicament: how large multinational corporations are taking control of an artist-oriented business. "It's a disturbing trend that heads of record labels have been receiving increasing pressure from higher-up corporate executives to make decisions that increase the short-term value of the company's stock to the ultimate detriment of shareholders," he says. "While such moves are perhaps in the short-term interests of managers, in the long-term these strategies weaken the company and lead to a loss of value to the real owners of the company - the shareholders."