Bruce Kirkland Making it in the USA

Rip It Up, Issue 202, 1 June 1994, Page 10

Bruce Kirkland Making it in the USA

Bruce Kirkland, Capitol Records.

When ex-pat kiwi Bruce Kirkland arrived back on these shores in May (on holiday) he was sporting a new “corporate” title as General Manager / Senior Vice President of Capitol Records, Los Angeles.

Prior to his corporate appointment in 1993, Kirkland’s work in the music industry had been in the indie area — he toured acts through NZ in the mid70s with the NZ Student Arts Council, then he joined promoters Evans Gudinski in Melbourne, moving to Stiff London before starting Stiff New York, based in a warehouse loft. From the large loft he has headed Mute USA and his own company Second Vision, founded in 1983 and representing artists such as Peter Gabriel and Depeche Mode. Bruce was hired by the new Capitol boss Gary Hersh who was brought in from Geffen to revive the label. At Geffen, Gersh signed Nirvana in part due to Sonic Youth's enthusiasm for the now infamous trio.

In Kirkland’s words: “Gary was brought in to revive Capitol, it was heading in a downward plummet. It was having trouble attracting artists as it had no vibe.” Gersh immediately trimmed the roster from 60 to 30 acts. MC Hammer was one of the big names to go. "Gary wasn’t interested in continuing the relationship. Hammer and his million dollar videos didn’t fit with what Gary wanted Capitol to be, a much leaner, meaner street-orientated label. But that doesn’t mean we’ll be an alternative label.’’ Kirkland stresses that Gersh’s “record making skills are coming to the fore in all areas,” even with Capitol’s mainstream artists Bonnie Raitt and Richard Marx.

How has it been working with a Kiwi export, Crowded House?

“I don’t look at them as different from any other artist on the roster. I have an understanding of what they’re about. {ln Split Enz days} I never knew Neil that well, I knew Tim really well.

“Once you move around you become stateless. They’re an international band. They’ve been working in an international environment for a longtime. More and more people are like that.”

How are Crowded House going in the States? “They have a very solid following — immense credibility — a real favourite with the media, retail and industry. There’s no-one who dislikes this band. Their live show has been incredibly successful, selling out in most markets. “We’re having trouble moving

them beyond their core base audience of 250,000 to 300,000. Ultimately all they’ll need to move beyond that point is a hit record.

“It’s all about chipping away with this album. We couldn’t hear an out and out hit single but there’s not a bad track. We gave Neil the option of going back in and adding a hit single to sell a multi-million dollar album.

"Instead-, we gave ourselves a long window in which to work Together Alone. If we do 5,000 records a week we’ll end up with a gold album. That’s how we’re working it — it’s a marketing excercise. "MTV love this band. When they do come up with the right track, there’s so much good will there, it’s going to be incredible.”

For NZ bands Kirkland sees the need to think beyond the local market. “In the UK there isn’t a record company that signs an act only for their market. The

investment can't be recouped in the UK as opposed to Germany or America who can support their own domestic market.” Kirkland thinks that New Zealand is attractive when compared to the USA where every

album is a $400,000 plus investment. “I think it’s in our own interest to come in and support an industry that has spawned so many artists.” Is the USA market more open now? “In the old days it was cost-prohibitive to break Australian acts through long periods on the road and the traditional breaking through the AOR (Adult Orientated Rock) format. The Alternative format is now the more viable way to cross acts over to the pop format. It’s more song orientated now — the Cranberries and Counting Crowes. In the old days you had to put a band out

dki 'J "\lSSillllffi

on the road for years and that s still the tried and true way — for example Soundgarden. “Counting Crows are breaking through, through the song and are not doing all the road work. Because that is now viable and NZ bands are traditionally more song orientated, maybe now’s the time.” What happened with the Straitjacket Fits? "I’m not totally familiar as I didn’t track that record. It had as good a shot as any counterpart European or American band. I don’t think anything was lacking. It just didn’t happen. They were on the same playing field, that’s the important thing.” What about the other Flying Nun acts? “The Chills got a lot of visibility. Bailterspace may have a great opportunity. {Their label} Matador know how to work the alternative marketplace.” Are you suggesting that Arista (SJF’s label) didn’t? “Maybe it {the problem} was the label not the band.” Bruce Kirkland is in awe of boss Gary Gersh’s A&R ability. In his late 30s, Gersh is the youngest CEO of a major record label. Kirkland sees Gersh’s strength in both “recognising that intrinsic quality in a band and knowing how to make a record.” “He signed Counting Crows to Geffen and made the record, then left.” Explaining Gersh’s A&R philosophy Kirkland says,’’Gersh believes his best A&R people are his artists and A&R is about making a good record not about signing the artist. If he’s doing a great job with his artists then they’ll attract artists to the label.” Kirkland is cynical about the average A&R person, seeing the “genius” in the making of records, not in the signing of acts. "Usually the buzz is so big, there’s ten record labels bidding. The one who throws the largest amount of money at the band gets them and these A&R people still think they’re geniuses.” Kirkland points out why an A&R guy who hasn't signed an act in four years may be doing his job well. “He’s saved his company hundreds of thousands of dollars by not signing the wrong band. That may be a fucked up way of doing business. But it’s a fucked up business.” Were you happy to move to L.A.? “I was attuned to L.A. long before I went there. The bulk of my work was with West Coast labels. I love New York — I can’t say I love L.A. but I love what I’m doing.”

MURRAY CAMMICK

-:IIJ