Interview With…

Greg Ladanyi, President of Maple Jam Records

Greg Ladanyi is a Grammy award winning producer and engineer and has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry. After building up a star-studded resume with acts such as Jackson Browne, REO Speedwagon, and Warren Zevon, Greg has formed Maple Jam Records; an outfit that includes Nashville’s own Ligion. Greg was kind enough to share a few thoughts with us about awards, the industry, and the future of commercial music.

1)      You’ve had 18 Grammy nominations and a win in 1982 for your work with Toto IV. For those of us that don’t know, what is the experience of being nominated and winning like?

Being nominated by the Grammy Committee is an exciting and humbling experience. Your peers are saluting you with their respect for your work, how amazing is that? Winning is off the charts, nothing like it when you take home the Grammy!

2)      I read that you were one of the innovators of 5.1 surround sound. When this technology was being created did you have any idea that it would become the standard and did you receive any flak from ‘purists’ about it?

I wish it was the standard in how we listen to music, unfortunately it never really made through to the masses. 5.1 is truly an amazing way to listen to music where you can travel through the speakers and inside as if you were there when it happened. I was lucky to be part of the 5.1 movement by creating the first 5.1 live music venue, live sound mixed in 5.1.   I also mixed Running On Empty by Jackson Browne and Capricornia by Midnight Oil in 5.1.

3)      You are now the President and A&R Director for Maple Jam Records. How did you get involved?

My partner Starr Andreeff found a band in Baton Rouge, Louisiana called the The Terms. As it went we created Maple Jam Records around them and now we have expanded the label to Maple Jam Music Group bringing on a great manager named Mike Renault.  Label, Management, Music Publishing and Merchandise. Completely full serviced for the artist.

Greg in 1984

4)      With music being bought and sold mostly through online resources, Maple Jam seems to have embraced this shift in the industry. How viable is it, in your opinion, for labels to adapt to the new age of digital music?

It is the only way they will survive. Music now moves at a very fast pass through the internet. Kids and adults love to browse, listen and then they buy, maybe…. I think in the next 5 years, 70% of all music will be purchased through the internet via downloads.

5)      One of the artists on your roster is Nashville’s own Ligion. Please tell us how they caught your attention and how things are going with their new album ‘External Affairs’.

I met Ligion backstage at a Terms show at the Exit/In. We talked for 2 hours and 8 months later signed them to Maple Jam Records / Icon. The band is a great classic rock band in my opinion; timeless rock is what I call classic. Melodies, guitar riffs, driving bass and rhythm (drums) that kick ass. External Affairs is holding its own and making a name for Ligion.

Ligion's "External Affairs"

6)      For bands that are unsigned, what advice would you give them about going through the process of getting your band signed?

Build a solid fan base through myspace and other internet websites, tour as much as possible, get your music in the hands of as many people as you can so they can help you build a good base and then you can connect with a label for distribution, marketing and promotion.  We are looking for artists who have built an awareness so we can support them to the fullest.

7)      There are a number of bands being signed out of Nashville. What do you think of Nashville and have you been looking at any other local acts to join your label?

Nashville is slowly becoming the Music City of USA. Not just Country music but rock, rap, hip hop and pop, it’s all coming out of Nashville. We are always looking.

Ladanyi Productions Sound Studio

8)      Your Soapbox: What is the single biggest thing you would like to change about the music industry?

We need people to support music by paying for music. Undoing the theft that goes on in this country is a major task and we all need to work hard at turning that around so artist can continue to create and live through it’s process.

9)      You have quite a resume including working with artists such as The Motels, Linda Rondstadt, and most notably Jackson Browne’s album ‘Pretender’. How did studio work and relations with artists differ in those days compared to now?

I think the only difference today is the way we work technically. Studios are all

digital driven and we also work in smaller, home studios now.

As far as working with the artist on their creative desire, I think it’s pretty much

the same, get the magic out so we can all enjoy it.

10)  How did you wind up working in the music business? Was it a dream to work in studios or did you fall into it?

I started playing accordion when I was 12. From there I moved more toward the

business side managing bands and booking them throughout the west coast from

17 – 20 years old. I was always mixing live shows and working with the bands on

their music. I started engineering in a small studio called Stronghold Studios

where I recorded my first record with Captain Beefheart. When I was 23, I

started working at the Sound Factory assisting David Hassenger and Val Garay.

Jackson Browne gave me my first big break and the rest is history, I guess.

www.maplejamrecords.com