First off, how did you start in the music business?

“I started out as an engineer and ended up recording and mixing a lot of big records in this format. I had a thriving mixing career, mixing countless #1 records. I also co-produced an, as then, unsigned band (Restless Heart), got a record deal with MCA and produced a #1 Christian record with Wayne Watson. I then went on to produce Alan Jackson’s first two records. Next I worked with Brooks & Dunn, with “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” which I feel was the first dance mix in Country music. Right after that I worked with John Michael Montgomery (‘I Swear,’ ‘I Can Love You Like That’) & Faith Hill. I then signed Keith Urban, after which I went to Virgin Records Nashville, where I signed Chris Cagle. About two years after that, they kept Garth’s label. After all that, I went back to being an independent producer, where I was convinced to go back into the music business.”

“Initially I bought Ronnie Dunn to the table, trying to get Ronnie a solo deal for about a year before he hooked up with Kix. As a part of that solo deal, I had songs that he had written; ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie,’ ‘Neon Moon,’ ‘She Used to be Mine’ (three #1 records), but I could never get him a solo deal.”
“All before that I had an idea to cross pollinate with other genres of music, and I still have that idea. What made me want to do that was when I was producing Alan Jackson, I would go on the road with Alan and go to all the Honky Tonks in Texas. I found it interesting that they would play a George Strait record followed by a Michael Jackson record the next. That was the embryo of the idea. I approached a friend of mine - Brian Tankersly - who was a programmer, and told him what I wanted to do. Brian put together a short 1 min, 20 seconds of what this kind of track would typically sound like. Armed with, this I went to Arista and asked if they would give me some money to see the idea through. I played them that original dance mix: they looked at me like I landed on Mars. Well, there was one person, who’s a friend of mine, who was a very prominent figure in the industry, who said that it would never work and never sell. Well, they took a chance anyway; they stopped their single sales at 400k units and decided to include it on the next album, as in those days, you didn’t want single sales to dilute album sales. That is what started that dance craze and lots and lots of people followed it.”

There seems to be a big resurgence in independent labels at the moment. If you were a new artist, what would you say to another artist out there? What does a major label have to offer an artist that an independent doesn’t"

“Certainly the independents have created competition and I’m happy for them. I’m happy for Scott Borchetta, who’s a friend, and I think he’s done a really great job over there at Big Machine Records. Scott has shown that he can compete with the majors. Of course, there’s always the question of ‘it’s great right this minute, but how is it going to be in a year from now or five years from now?’ Well, I’ve seen lots of instances of independent labels who were more like a pop bottle rocket, in so much as they went up, exploded, and once that had happened it was all gone pretty soon after. That’s one of the advantages of being with a major. Warner Brothers has been here for a very long time. They’ve weathered a lot of different things. There is a legacy. There is a value to this kind of legacy. Basically, ‘We’ve been there, we’ve done it before and we can continue to offer it.’ ”

How long have you lived in Nashville?

“More than half of my life.

”What do you think are the biggest hurdles with coming to Warners?

“Hurdles that every label faces, and that hurdle is primarily radio. If you drive from here to Los Angeles, you can either take the interstate or you can take the back roads. The interstate is definitely going to get you there quicker, the back roads are gonna take you a lot longer. You can eventually get there, but it’s that interstate that is radio - in all genres. Without Country radio, it’s a slower process. What we’re trying to do is get as many people as possible to hear our artists and to get critical mass listeners. This is a problem for everybody, it’s not just a Warner or RCA problem. There is so much talent that the general public doesn’t hear and possibly will never hear, it’s sad. There’s just not enough opportunity.”

It’s a shame that there aren’t enough opportunities.

Scott: I love Fergie’s record and I love Rihanna’s record and I think the Kenny Chesney records brilliant.

Hey, it was great speaking with you Scott and all the best at Warners.

“Thanks Chris. I’m very excited about being with Warner Bros and we have a lot of very positive things here. Good luck to you also."

CHECK OUT OUR PREVIOUS MUSIC ROW PRO INTERVIEW, WITH SCOTT BORCHETTA OF BIG MACHINE RECORDS.