17 JULIE GREENWALD
CHAIRMAN/CEO ATLANTIC MUSIC GROUP
CRAIG KALLMAN
CHAIRMAN/CEO
ATLANTIC RECORDS
Greenwald says that Atlantic Music Group’s year was distinguished by “a lot of different successes in different genres”: the Barbie soundtrack; Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy “going into stadiums”; and Melanie Martinez releasing her third album, Portals, which Greenwald says “took her to the next level” — her third top 10 Billboard 200 release and the highest-charting. Portals debuted at No. 2 and was followed by an international tour that will end in February. In May, Martinez will return to the road in North America with her Trilogy arena tour, which already has sold out in most markets. “She blew it out,” Greenwald says, adding that Ed Sheeran broke the attendance record at San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium in September. “It’s not just that they’re getting a stream from a playlist. Fans are invested in our artists and their careers. And that’s our highest achievement.”
What was it like to be part of the Barbie juggernaut?
The music really felt like another character in the movie. It was wall-to-wall music. The A&R folks that worked on it got such incredible music from such a wide caliber of artists, and then the marketing department really did a spectacular job. It was one plus one equals seven.
What do you think about the state of artist development today?
Social media has made people think that success in this business can become instant. You cannot shortcut artist development. Building a real artist fan base requires time, it requires commitment, and it requires a lot of hard work. Someone said to me, “Faith is now the rarest commodity in our industry.” I’ve always thought that the best thing about my staff was we fight really hard. But this notion that it’s doomsday is definitely not our perspective. I always say to my staff: “Pay attention to our own garden.” Look at the successes: Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Lizzo. Everything we signed early, and then it was years in the making. Why all of a sudden should it now take less time?
How did it feel to celebrate Atlantic’s 75th anniversary this year?
When I came over in 2004, Ahmet [Ertegun, who co-founded the label] was still working here. I had to talk to him about how I was going to rebuild his company. I told him, “Don’t worry, it’s my company now, too. I’m going to take really good care of it.”