| Thursday 9 September 1999 |
|
Tommy talks about Mariah
Anyone looking for proof that music is a global business need look no further than the phenomenal success of Latin sensation Ricky Martin. The Puerto Rican heartthrob recorded his new self-titled album in English for a Japanese conglomerate run by an Italian American who grew up emulating black musicians. Thanks to an elaborate, multicultural marketing campaign, Sony Music Entertainment, the company for which Martin records, has already sold an estimated 10 million copies of his pop crossover debut around the world since it was released in May.
Martin is just the latest in a steady stream of global blockbusters for Sony - including multimillion-selling mega-hits by Mariah Carey, the Fugees, Lauryn Hill and Celine Dion - since New Yorker Thomas D. Mottola took charge of the Tokyo-based electronic giant's worldwide music division in 1995. Mottola, a former guitarist and artist manager who joined the company as head of CBS Records Group in 1988 and took over as chief of Sony Music in 1995, is credited with transforming the once-stodgy, superstar-driven corporation into a fierce global competitor with a diverse roster of young pop, rock, rap, R&B and international acts. He restored Sony's credibility by installing one of the industry's most aggressive and stable management teams - revenue has nearly tripled on their watch from $2.4 billion in 1989 to $6.3 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1999. Sony is the second-largest record company in the world and currently ranks third in the United States, capturing about 16% of the domestic market with hits by such artists as Offspring, Macy Gray, Jennifer Lopez, Korn, Elvis Crespo and NAS.
In his first extensive interview in several years, Mottola, 50, discussed the global consolidation of the music business, its impact on artist development and, for the first time, spoke about the breakup of his marriage to Sony superstar Mariah Carey. Q: Your breakup with Mariah Carey, one of the biggest stars on the Sony roster, got a huge amount of public attention. Have you gotten that behind you?
A: Well, there was a lot of love and affection in the relationship and, as in anybody's personal life when there is a breakup, that can bring pain. Like all couples, we were a couple that made mistakes. It was tough. But right now, I'm really happy that she is doing well in her personal life - and similarly I'm doing well in my personal life.
Q: Your marriage broke up just before the company was about to release a new Carey album. Most of your competitors thought Mariah inserted a character into the first music video that appeared to be making fun of you. How did you feel when you saw it?
A: To be honest with you, I saw the video, and I didn't get it... I think people love to create gossip and take shots. I don't think that there were similarities. I didn't have any problems with it.
Q: Was it a problem running the company and being married to your biggest star?
A: That became a little difficult sometimes because it didn't give us much of an opportunity to have a separate life from our business life. It would happen during the day, and then it would happen at night. So, in the respect that all couples have problems, that compounded it. There's no question. But I really believed in Mariah's talent right from the very beginning. I still believe in her talent. She has built an incredible career, and I'm really happy that I was a part of that.
Q: How big a factor is luck in the success of a music company? Your competitors say Sony benefited greatly a few years ago from the "Titanic" soundtrack, an unexpected worldwide hit that ended up selling more than 30 million copies.
A: It's funny. We had a record year that year, and all anybody ever talks about is "Titanic," "Titanic," "Titanic!" We had a bunch of hits, including a Celine Dion album that sold 30 million, plus hits from Will Smith, Savage Garden, Mariah Carey and Jamiroquai.
Q: Nobody had a clue, though, that the "Titanic" album would be such a huge hit when you signed the contract, right?
A: I thought the single was a hit, but no, I had no idea that the soundtrack was going to sell 30 million. I'm happy it did. It was an amazingly pleasant surprise. No one can ever predict that they are going to have a windfall like "Titanic." You have to go with your best educated assumptions as trained executives, and you've got to be right more times than you're wrong.
Q: So luck doesn't help?
A: Luck always helps. But you can't operate a company on luck. (Los Angeles Times)
|
