Craig Kallman, CEO Of Atlantic Records: Focus On The Work And The Things That Move The Needle
The Chairman & CEO of Atlantic Records has an unparalleled instinct for new talent. It’s all about silencing the noise.
Craig Kallman has arguably one of the most demanding jobs in music & entertainment, where success is loud and failure even louder — both on instant display with just a glance at the iTunes charts.
Although he sits at the helm of a 70-year-old musical institution, the former nightclub DJ turned CEO & Chairman of Atlantic Records is a musical director first, and music executive second.
A creative collaborator and A&R to the core, his auditory perceptions have gone unrivaled. He’s uniquely talented at identifying talent no one else can, helping them create music better than they thought possible. The label giant has put some of the best contemporary artists on the map, including Aaliyah, Bruno Mars, Sean Paul, Cardi B, Wiz Khalifa and fresh talents like Lizzo and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.
A longtime fixture on the Billboard Power 100 List, this year Kallman and his longtime partner and co-Chairman Julie Greenwald were awarded the Clive Davis Visionary Award, recognizing the extraordinary feat of dominating the Billboard 200 in 2019 for the third year running. When the power duo was asked [in 2017] the key to their successful working relationship, Greenwald’s response speaks volumes about Kallman: “The amount of trust. I know Craig so well — he eats the same salad, every day, for the last 14 years.”
He’s earned the respect of the artist community as well. From his childhood musical adventures with his dad to his early days of DJing, Kallman has let his curiosity and love of music lead the way, resulting in a career long commitment to a diverse cross-section of artists and wide range of genres. This has led to the breaking of new formats and support of new artists when others weren’t ready to make the long-term investment in them.
Trustworthy and regimented.
A fine and rare combination in the music business. And it’s exactly what has helped him thrive for the past 33 years.
As an introvert in an extroverted industry, Kallman quietly cultivates hit after hit, happily under the radar. But even music CEOs still answer to a higher stratosphere of Alpha bosses and eccentric artists who buzz with cacophonous demands. To Kallman, it’s all white noise.
That’s simply because he’s in it for the art — not the fame.
While he eschews having a mindfulness practice, it’s his single-minded focus on doing what he loves that he attributes to his success identifying new talent.
Kallman estimates that he listens to 40 hours of music a week. That’s 2,000 hours a year over some 30 years. He equates this commitment with Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours principle or what psychologists call deliberate practice — focused attention conducted with the specific goal of improving performance. In Kalllman’s case that’s a prolific ability to turn his instincts into repeatable brilliance.
He’s a true music-obsessive, as evidenced by his storied collection of 1.5 million+ vinyl records and an additional 250,000 pieces of music memorabilia.
He shares his home with his wife of 22 years Isabel and teenage son Ryland (when he is not away at school).
Kallman with wife Isabel and son Ryland. Photo courtesy of Craig Kallman
Here he grants us all-access to how he spends his mornings, and thus his disciplined approach to succeeding in the unruly world of platinum music.
Follow us into his Manhattan residence, home to his family and legendary music collection.
Morning Diary
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Kallman’s daily life is as patterned and structured as verse and chorus. He starts every day the same way…by filling up on all the global and music industry news while enjoying a healthy breakfast. By the time he gets to the office he’s nourished his mind, fueled his body, gotten to inbox zero and is ready to start the day focused on the now.
Kallman’s eats breakfast and catches up on the news every morning. Photo courtesy of Craig Kallman
First thing’s first: I get up, get the paper, go right to breakfast. In the kitchen. By myself.
Nutritious start: I like to start the day by eating healthy, so I try to keep it light and stick to healthy carbs. I set up a bowl of fruit, sliced apples and blueberries, and have a fruit shake.
Getting current: I read The New York Times and the New York Post. I want to be up to date on news and current events. Then, I’ll get even more current because that’s almost a day-old newspaper already. So, I’ll go to my emails right after breakfast. I read all the emails and newsletters that came in overnight and first thing in the morning, catching up on all the latest music news and then all the news of the world. Then I’ll go through my Gmail and then Atlantic email. I answer them — knock them out so I can start my day in the office 100% current.
“Mornings are about revving up. I’m getting ready to go, turning on the engine.”
About that salad routine: I’ve always tried to eat healthy throughout the day; including a healthy lunch as well, like some kind of salad, broccoli salad or some kind of fruits and vegetables for lunch.
Kallman with work wife Julie Greenwald and T.I. Having worked side by side for 16 years, Greenwald he knows his daily habits inside out, including the salad order that’s been on repeat since 2004. Photo by John Shearer.
On the power of trusted partners: She’s [Greenwald] a tour de force. She’s extraordinary. She has superhuman powers as an executive, as a marketer, as a driver of the whole engine of the company.
On fitting in exercise: I go swimming three to four times a week at the Equinox Gym. And I’ll do the elliptical some days too. In the morning or at night when I come home. It just depends on what my mornings look like.
On his 300 pairs of Stan Smith sneakers: It simply came about when at one-point Adidas announced that they were going to delist Stan Smiths. So, I ended up buying the world’s supply of size 10 Stan Smiths — in the US and all around the world. I need to make sure I had enough pairs to last for the rest of my lifetime. Shipped from England Germany, everywhere. 300 pairs. I find them super elegant, simple, comfortable sneaker. A design classic. They can go dressy, casual — they go with everything in my wardrobe.
When not exercising Kallman stays fly with his collection of 300 Stan Smith sneakers. Photo courtesy of Craig Kallman
On why meditation is not a must for inner peace…yet: Meditation is hard for me. I was introduced to it by Bob Roth from the David Lynch Foundation. I’ve read so many good things about it, but it’s difficult for me to sit still and think of nothing or think of a mantra and say it to myself for that long of a time. I’ve not been able to successfully work it into my routine — but I keep trying.
On keeping calm in a cut-throat industry (pretty much golden advice for anyone in the music biz…and anyone): I focus on what’s really going to move the needle, which is finding great artists, helping them make great records, getting those records to the marketplace with great marketing, then everything seems to work itself out.
“I lose myself in the work.”
You can’t get distracted by all the triage that is incoming. You handle that, but always keep your focus on the prize, which is creating great music. It always comes down to that. Everything else is noise and you just have to handle it, manage it and deal with it.
A favorite career moment moving the needle: Every once in a while, in our business, there’s an artist or an album concept that just changes the landscape forever, and Hamilton was truly doing something revolutionary. You had this brilliant artist and visionary talent in Lin-Manuel, an album that redefined and reinvented the cast album, and a musical creation that singlehandedly reinvented what Broadway can be. Hamilton was a transcendent moment that made everything before it feel like ancient history. What Lin has done for hip-hop, for Broadway, for modern art and culture, is truly history making.
Editors note: as originally told to the National Museum of American History’s American Scene.
Kallman and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and original star of the Tony Winning Broadway musical Hamilton on stage at the Richard Rogers Theatre on April 16, 2016 for the RIAA gold record presentation for the show’s Grammy-winning original cast recording. Kallman was personally responsible for bringing Miranda and the Hamilton project to Atlantic Records. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian, American Scene.
On expecting failure: This is a business where the odds are generally stacked against you; maybe one out of ten artists become big, so you have to be prepared for failure. If I gave it my all and created music that I believed in. If it didn’t work, at least I could stand proud behind what I helped create or discover.
On the art of resilience: Because the odds are stacked against you in the music business, you kind of have some built-in coping mechanisms. You’re not meant to succeed every single time you step up to the plate. It has always allowed me to take measured risks.
I’ve been doing it so long, 33 years — I started in 1987 making records and some worked, and some didn’t, so I learned early on you have to take the good with the bad.
“Manage your failures knowing that you believed in it.”
On his successful track record: On the back of the napkin, I’d probably calculate I’ve logged 50,000 hours of music listening in a discerning way to then be able to then critique and make creative decisions based on a history of intense learning and absorption of music.
Some of Kallman’s 50,000 hours of listening to music takes place in his at home music studio. Photo courtesy of Craig Kallman
On his chill place: My home studio. It’s the source of great inspiration for me. I am always awestruck about how much incredible and great music has been created —and I derive a lot of inspiration from the greats in all the different genres of music, try to learn from it and apply that learning to all my artists to create better music. I don’t see it as work but inspiration, enjoyment, awe — it’s a musical haven.
Kallman keeps a rotation of 25,000 albums from his collection in his home studio. Photo courtesy of Craig Kallman.
On the illusion of balance (and kudos to supportive partners): I don’t think I have a healthy balance…because I’m a workaholic. But I have a wife who understands that I’m a workaholic so that’s a good thing. We make time for each other in the evenings for dinners and weekends. I try to have a healthy mix of friends as well. They are important to me.
I guess it’s trying to make sure you’re present when you are home. And coming together in the face of challenges. We really work hard together to make the right decisions for the family. Decisions that aren’t always easy.
Kallman with son Ryland, Chris Martin and kids. Photo courtesy of Craig Kallman.
On giving 100%: Between friends, entrepreneurial investments, my work and my family life, I try and be present in whatever it is that I’m doing; not being frenetic or distracted.
I focus on whatever it is I’m supposed to be focused on at that time, and don’t let pressures or extraneous things come in between. Because you can always be working harder, working more. You could always be worried or concerned about work. I try to just give it my all and my best when I’m doing it, and then when I check into something else, I try and make sure I’m present and you’ve got my all.
“Whatever I’m doing I’m giving 100% to it.”
Lark Files
First job: DJ at the Cat Club
First startup he launched: Big Beat Records (he sold his first records by schlepping a shopping cart through the NYC boroughs).
First artist Big Beat Records signed: Taravhonty
Year he sold to Atlantic Records: 1991.
First Atlantic signings: Inner Circle, Lil’ Kim, Aaliyah
Fun fact: Craig produced Cardi B’s smash hit “I Like It”.
Behind the scenes: Craig’s collection of 1.5M vinyls is the largest private collection in the country.
New artist to watch: Pink Sweat$
A recent startup investment: Thrasio
Underdog rep: Signed Bruno Mars, T.I. and Wiz Khalifa after they were dropped by rivaol labels
Number of pairs of Stan Smith sneakers he owns: 300
