Do Music Execs Need Their Own Managers? A Secretive Power Broker Explains Why ‘It’s More Crucial Than Ever’
Secretive firm MOB explains why music executives need their own managers.
As the music industry wrestles with how to diversify its leadership, there’s one company that believes it’s particularly well positioned to help, having quietly offered an unusual service to music’s most promising executives for years: managing them.
The firm MOB — short for Making Opportunities Better — was launched eight years ago by Steve Moir, Michael Ostin and Brian Postelle, three music-business veterans who manage executives and creatives just as talent managers would manage artists. Working with a client roster that includes executives, attorneys, agents and creatives from the C-suite to director or manager level in any department of a major or indie music company, MOB markets clients to companies that are hiring, advises clients on decisions regarding their current positions and helps clients launch independent ventures and raise funds.
Until now, MOB’s co-founders have operated only by word of mouth, declining interviews and shying from the spotlight. But now, amid the racial reckoning stemming from the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, MOB wants to make its services better known. “We don’t want to be silent anymore,” says Postelle. “We can’t. It’s more crucial than ever to bring additional awareness to what motivated us from the start: to make things better for executives in terms of diversity, inclusion, fair and competitive compensation as well as advancement opportunities.”
Related
Among the executives that MOB has counseled is Grammy-winning producer Dion “No I.D.” Wilson (Jay-Z, Drake, Snoh Aalegra), who has held executive vp stints with Def Jam Recordings, Capitol Music Group and was most recently at Universal Music Group. Another early client is Kirdis Postelle (Postelle’s ex-wife). She had spent nearly 20 years as GM of Dr. Dre‘s Aftermath Entertainment before segueing to CMG as senior vp marketing in 2013. Following posts with Warner Bros. Records and Hitco Entertainment as senior vp and executive vp/GM, respectively, Postelle was named to the new post of global head of artist marketing at Amazon Music earlier this year. There’s also Noah Preston: A former talent scout for Columbia Records, he has since risen from A&R rep at Def Jam (signing Logic, Jhené Aiko, Hit-Boy) to vp A&R in 2014 and then senior vp A&R in 2018.
The foundational template for MOB was laid down by Steve Moir. A musician whose first industry job was in music publishing, Moir later became an A&R executive before deciding to specialize in scouting executive talent 25 years ago through Moir Entertainment. He still owns and operates the firm, currently managing artists, executives, songwriters and producers/engineers. Industry veteran Michael Ostin, son of legendary Warner Bros. Records chief Mo Ostin, held prior posts as senior vp A&R at Warner (Paul Simon, Madonna, Prince) and president of DreamWorks Records. Postelle, a member of DreamWorks’ executive A&R team during Ostin’s tenure, had previously served as urban music vp at Famous Music Publishing (Eminem, Redman, producer Irv Gotti).
Postelle spoke with Billboard for the Los Angeles-based company’s first-ever interview, discussing how MOB works and why it’s not just another headhunter firm. “We’re here to put people in position to keep them working,” he says.
Why did the three of you join forces under one banner?
We had been friends for several years when Steve approached us about starting a company together. Because of my and Michael’s personal experience in holding executive positions in the music industry and the network of contacts we built, the idea came to add a different element to what Steve had already been doing. Conversations then about inclusion and diversity weren’t as candid as they are now. However, we still saw the need to pump new blood into the music business by helping minority groups achieve equal opportunities and move up in the business. What Steve was doing was very interesting to me because in the African-American community, we weren’t aware of the behind-the-curtain scene that was really going on. We just did what our predecessors had done before: hire a lawyer to negotiate your deal and that would be that. Then stay in that job until a next deal came along and call the lawyer again. So here was a chance to help people grow in this business in a way that hadn’t been done before.
What is the range of your clientele and the process involved in working with them?
We don’t disclose information about how many executives we manage or fee structure. However, our clients are not restricted by race, gender or age. In terms of job and title range, we’re talking every area of a recorded music company and music publishing company, both major and indie: CEO’s, COO’s, presidents and executive vps to directors and managers in business affairs, marketing, promotion, A&R, digital social media and publicity. We also represent attorneys, agents, record producers, songwriters and recording engineers.
For example, producer No I.D. was one of our very first clients. He was working at Def Jam [first as co-head of A&R then executive vp/head of A&R]. He had come across some obstacles to where things weren’t moving in a way that was needed. So I suggested that he sit down with us. Dion has since become executive vp at Universal Music Group. Less than a month ago, he also became a business partner with MOB in a publishing company.
Regarding the initial process involved, we talk at length with potential clients first to see whether there’s a strong connection between what we believe in for them, what they believe in for themselves and if we can move forward together in putting them in front of the right people. So it has to be the right fit. In the same way that artist managers can’t take on every artist, we don’t take on every client we meet with. At the same time, everything isn’t always a success story; we’ve had instances where a position might not have worked out in a client’s favor or the client wasn’t happy in the job. Some clients do come back and we take them on again. And sometimes the positions and appointments don’t happen overnight. It can take time.
How do you describe the difference between MOB versus a headhunter firm?
We get that question a lot. However, headhunting is the furthest thing from what we are or do. Headhunters just deal with a company’s human resources department. But we’re managers. We go directly to the chairman, the president or head of a department to determine what their needs are and fill those positions with our clients, advocating for workforce diversity and financial equality. Then MOB continues to stay in touch with each client every step of the way. You don’t take the position and then not hear from us again until there’s another job. It’s also about advising, mentoring and problem-solving as we work together to navigate decisions regarding current positions or handle issues that our employed clients may come across. We help market them to companies that are looking, help them launch Indie ventures and help to raise funds when and where appropriate. We also ask tough questions like whether the client is at the right company to further his or her career. That’s the clear distinction between us not being agents or headhunters.
Related
What challenges has the firm dealt with in placing Black male and female executives?
The most challenging part at times has been trying to convince some of these companies that our clients are the more qualified talent to bring on board. The other part is that the industry has shrunk and there aren’t as many opportunities as in the past. So we’ve started looking at other avenues as well that involve music, such as helping clients break into tech companies like a Spotify or the film and TV industries. One example is Kirdis Postelle, who was appointed global head of artist marketing at Amazon Music in March. As for the tech industry being more open now, it depends on the company. But overall, in my opinion, many of them could use help.
Both No I.D. and Preston come from A&R backgrounds. Are there more Black executives working in A&R than in other music company departments?
Positions as a whole are limited. Therefore, it’s even more so if you are an African American male or female. You don’t see a head of pop music that’s African American but you will see someone that isn’t Black heading urban music as it’s called. Or having the final say whether something gets signed or not. So we would love to see this business diversify further, so that skin color doesn’t decide the color of an eardrum. If it’s fair to have white people say, “Hey that rap song is great, let’s sign it,” then there should be Black males or females put in positions to make decisions for the next Katy Perrys and Billie Eilishes of the world.
In the wake of #BlackOutTuesday, do you believe the music industry is invested in true change?
The music industry hasn’t been the best when it comes to diversity and inclusion. However, there’s now more awareness about these issues and I believe the industry is sincere in making change happen. I also believe more women are going to be presented with opportunities to run companies. But we [the overall music industry] have to be smarter in how we move forward. It’s not that we haven’t been. But R&B/hip-hop music is the No. 1 genre and that can’t be ignored. So the African American music community has to be put in position for C-suite appointments and promotions. And MOB is here to ensure that qualified women and minority executives aren’t overlooked; that companies know this talent is out here. All of the current music companies have the potential to become better working environments for everyone. That’s what we’re fighting for.