INTERVIEW WITH DAVE SHAPIRO FOR THE EIY HANDBOOK

DAVE SHAPIRO, 27 (Los Angeles, CA)
BOOKING AGENT, ENTREPRENEUR
YEARS IN MUSIC: 14
ON THE WEB: velocityrecords.com // kapiro.com // theagencygroup.com
CURRENT PROJECTS: The Agency Group, Velocity Records, Velocity MGMT, Gold Business Management, Kapiro.com

WHAT FIRST GOT YOU  INTERESTED IN MUSIC?  My first concert was Smashing Pumkins on the Siamese Dream tour. After seeing my first concert and having the best time of my life, I knew music was what I was destined for.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO?  No. Honestly, it took a long time to figure out that I wanted to be an agent. I’d almost say the job found me, but I’m really glad it did because I love what I do.

WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS WHEN YOU STARTED? I started booking at the age of 21, for Equal Vision Records. At the time, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but as bands I worked with grew and I sawthem play sold out shows, I realized I wanted to play a role in helping bands grow to a large enough level that they could be a career band. Along the way, I’ve set different goals. First, I just wanted an act that could sell out 500 capacity rooms, then 1,000 cap rooms, then 2,000 cap, etc.

HAVE YOU ACHIEVED THOSE GOALS? I’ve achieved a lot of my goals, but I’m always trying to grow and set new ones along the way so that I’m always looking ahead.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS NOW?  Right now a number of my acts are in a place that they should be proud of and that I’m proud of. I never take for granted what my bands and I have and what we share, but I also never am satisfied. My goals remain: to help all my bands continue to grow beyond where they currently are, and to personally grow as an agent. Another major goal of mine right now is to put my record label on the map.

WERE YOU ALWAYS ON THE PATH THAT YOU’RE ON NOW?  I took a number of different paths. I started off playing drums in a band on Victory records, then worked for Electra, then Equal Vision. I tour managed, I was a promoter, etc. It definitely was a bit of a process to find my place in this business.

WHAT HAVE YOU HAD TO SACRIFICE ALONG THE WAY IN ORDER TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE?  I’ve basically sacrificed my personal life. Being an agent is a very time-demanding job. We work long hours, we get phone calls at all hours of the nights and weekends, we work from home or on the BlackBerry instead of at the office. However, I love my job enough that it basically is my whole life now, and I like it that way.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU ON A DAILY BASIS?  The music and the people. Some of my bands are some of the greatest people in my life. Every day when I deal with them, I’m reminded why I do it. Trying to do things to help amazing people is much easier than helping people that don’t inspire you.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR SUCCESS HAS COME FROM LUCK? TALENT? HARD WORK?  I’d like to think that a lot of where I am at came from hard work, but I’m not naïve. The reality is that there is a LARGE amount of luck in the music business. This is why some amazing bands never go the distance and some terrible bands do. There are certain elements that are beyond our control, but we do our best to have as much control as possible.

HOW HAVE YOU MEASURED YOUR SUCCESS THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER?  Personal achievements. That is the only real answer. You can’t do this job for anyone other than yourself.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?  For me, success is earning a living that you are comfortable with, while doing what you love.

DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS SO FAR?  I’ve made mistakes along the way, but they’ve made me better at what I do. I’ll continue to make mistakes, but as long as I learn from them, I won’t consider them regrets.

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Read Dave’s answers to 50 questions about music and the music business in the EIY HANDBOOK, available in print or eBook version at www.earnityourself.com

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