Here at Joonbug, we're all about organizations that help aspiring new talent get the exposure that they deserve, because frankly, without that exposure, we'd never hear about them! While we often focus on the artists themselves, the organizations behind their success are seldom mentioned, much to our chagrin. This ends today, however, as we introduce AMG New York, a new artist management company that really is focused on the skills of its artists first and foremost.
Anthony Yepez, the founder of AMG, has been in the nightlife/music/entertainment industry since he was a kid, running the gamut from teen club promoter to full fledged artist management. With AMG, Anthony has turned his years of experience into something greater than the sum of its parts: a company that is knowledgeable and experienced while retaining a fresh and new way of doing things. This lends itself to top notch representation of all of its artists, which is good for anyone looking out for the best and brightest artists today.
Recently, we were able to get an exclusive interview with Anthony, where we speak about his inspirations and what he looks for in new artists. Enjoy!
Joonbug: What made you want to start a company like AMG?
Anthony Yepez: I have always had a love for music, even growing up as a kid, so in elementary & high school I participated in the school bands as a drummer. Also in high school I stumbled into promotions after going to a local teen night with a bunch of friends and being approached by the main promoter about working with him. I took the experience of promotions into college where I did weekly events at our local bars then eventually got into NYC club promotions. I was doing this all while studying management at Hofstra University on Long Island, after I graduated I was planning my career and thought of putting together my promotional experience, management degree and love of music....through that I developed my first management company which ran for about 3 years and was pretty successful but absolutely more of a learning experience than anything. Now 4 years later comes AMG New York, which has the same objectives as my initial company, to help grow, manage, develop and build an artist’s career in the music business.
JB: What were a few of your initial goals/ideals? Have they changed?
AY: My initial goals were to manage talent and help them achieve all their goals in their careers.... It has not changed.
JB: What do you look for in an artist to represent?
AY: First thing I look for is raw talent and skills...something I feel people overlook a lot nowadays. After skills I look at marketability...branding opportunities with the talent. The music industry is also a business, marketing plays a huge role in the success of a talent, something we have learned over the years and take a lot of pride in. Lastly I would say we look for someone who understands the business/industry...there is a lot of talent out there and those who have knowledge about this business make it further than those who don’t because they do not get caught up or put themselves in bad situations. Working with talent that’s on the same page as you is an amazing thing and makes it that much easier to do our jobs. I mean, there is nothing easy about the music business, except failure. Laughs.
JB: What does AMG bring to the table that other companies might not?
AY: There really is no secret when it comes to managing talent, we all have the same platform to work with...it really comes down to the quality of talent and I feel that's what separates us from a lot of others. Our talent is high quality from around the globe that all share the common interest of becoming successful in the music and nightlife industry. As a company, it really helps that we are a group of people who've working in the business at numerous levels before getting into management and we are very educated in the field. So our clients can be assured that they are in the proper hands in achieving their goals.
JB: What's next? Big plans? Expansion? New Artists?
AY: We are moving with the times; today EDM is really taking over the industry and general public... So we are looking into managing some EDM artists/producers. We're also making our way into working with recording artists and even bands sometime in the near future, which we are really excited about!
JB: Most important thing you've learned about the music industry since starting AMG?
AY: It really is about the people you know and how much they respect you.
We'll be featuring some of AMG's talent in the weeks to come, so stay tuned! To find out more about them, check them out at their spaces:
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