Closer to Your Dreams: Slow Motion Soundz Co-Founder Codie G on the Value of Studying the Music Business and Reading Fred Goodman’s “Fortune’s Fool”
This article is based on an earlier interview I did with Codie. You can check out Codie’s SoundCloud here.
“To me, reading brings you closer to your visions and dreams,” explains Huntsville, Alabama music vet and co-founder/general manager of Slow Motion Soundz Codie Gopher AKA Codie G. For Codie, his passion for self-education through reading grew once he was tasked with breaking Huntsville rap legends like G-Side to a national audience. Though Huntsville was unknown for rap music until the late 2000s, Codie helped artists from the city get a co-sign from music heavyweight Diplo while gaining recognition from major publications like NPR, Pitchfork, and Stereogum. Once their audience expanded and the demands of being a manager increased, Codie realized he had to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of the music biz. “How did I learn about sync? I read it.” he says. “How did I come to understand how tours are conducted? I read it. I see so many people in management positions doing everything but studying their field.”
“To me, reading brings you closer to your visions and dreams.”
For Codie, you need to go deeper than just reading within your discipline if you really want to set yourself apart from the rest. You also have to develop a business savvy by reading books and magazines that go beyond music. “I went from reading The Source and XXL to picking up the The Wall Street Journal and looking into magazines like The Economist,” he tells me. “My office at one time was filled with National Geographic magazines, just to pull energy from different sources.”
While Codie’s passion for reading helped him navigate the high points of Huntsville’s growth, Fred Goodman’s Fortune’s Fool, a book that would help him reevaluate the current state of the music business, came at a low point. “It was a father’s day gift a few year’s ago,” he says. “G-Side had broken up. We were in talks with RCA to get a deal for them, we had come off the best year of building and touring, and then it was all over. Creatively, in my daily life, and emotionally I was pretty much at rock bottom.”
“I see so many people in management positions doing everything but studying their field.”
Fortune’s Fool serves as an important cautionary tale of the music industry during a time of transition. The book outlines wealthy Seagram’s heir Edgar Bronfman, Jr.’s difficulties as chairman of Warner Music Group. Bronfman, despite his best efforts and tremendous wealth, struggled to understand the music industry’s chaotic change from physical albums to digital downloads, especially during his initial years with the company after he took over in 2004. “Bronfman, Jr. felt money could fix everything,” says Codie. “He had no clue what was happening with Napster and the age of illegal downloads. He kept throwing money at the old machine and wasting valuable resources instead of sitting back and learning the business.” And while the book covers events from several years ago, including the rise of Napster, Codie sees many parallels in today’s music industry. “I think the same thing is going on in the business today, even on the indie side,” he says. “People build it up to make it look a certain way, all the while it’s all for show, with no real business foundation behind it.”
“I went from reading The Source and XXL to picking up the The Wall Street Journal and looking into magazines like The Economist.”
Codie isn’t shy in his criticisms of others within the industry, but he is also quick to acknowledge his own missteps, something the book also helped him reflect upon. “Seeing the changes and the lack of changes that Edgar Bronfman, Jr. made was like having a mirror placed in front of me,” Codie admits. “I had blinders on.” And although his efforts to put Huntsville artists on the map haven’t always gone as planned, Codie has an optimistic outlook on how he can help artists in the future. “I’m out for musicians to have health insurance and death benefits for themselves and their family members,” he says.
“Not to sound like a broken record, but that next breakthrough is going to come from studying, educating, and learning the business, surroundings, and self.”
Skeptical readers may question whether health insurance and death benefits are achievable goals in such a volatile and unpredictable industry. Vinyl sales are at a 28-year high. Album sales are at historic lows. Meanwhile, the upstart site Bandcamp celebrated digital album sales growth of 14% in 2015. The music industry continues to defy logic and morph into something far beyond the events outlined in Fortune’s Fool. But at the end of the day, Codie still believes making a living as a musician is possible, and he thinks artists can avoid disillusionment by understanding the realities of the business. “They should know the terminology, speak the language, and know the ledge for themselves,” he advises musicians. In Codie’s eyes, a willingness to learn will is essential for the new wave of talent in and outside of Huntsville. “Not to sound like a broken record,” he says, “but that next breakthrough is going to come from studying, educating, and learning the business, surroundings, and self.”
To learn more about Codie, follow him on Facebook and Twitter @CodieG256. You can also check out his music curation over at Original Mattress.
Bookshelf Beats is a website run by Gino Sorcinelli. I interview people about books that change their lives, inspire them, and/or make them think differently. If you enjoyed this article consider subscribing to my Medium publication.
