On the Record An independent entrepreneur is giving big-label music companies a run for their money.
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Vital Stats: Michael Koch,40, founder and CEO of Koch Entertainment in Port Washington, NewYork
Company: independent musicdistribution and record company
Projected 2003 Sales:: morethan $100 million
Der Rebel: Inspired by hisfather's music business in Austria, Koch came to the UnitedStates in 1987 to begin Koch Entertainment. By 1991, Koch becamethe first national independent music distributor of domestic labelsin the United States, challenging the system that had relied onregional independent or national major-label distribution.
"I startedeverything from nothing and figured it out along theway." |
Solid Gold: By re-releasingrecordings that catalogs have forgotten and signing artists likeCharlie Daniels, Carole King and Ringo Starr (who no longer sell inhuge numbers but still have a solid fan base), Koch has struckgold: "We have the infrastructure to bring [artists] to themarket the same way multinational conglomerates do and give themthe home-type feeling that used to be prevalent in all recordcompanies."
Laissez-Faire Label: Whilethe health of the recording industry is declining, KochEntertainment continues to grow. One reason is, Koch nurtures theartists rather than making demands on them. "We don'tdictate their creative process as much as larger labels would. Wefocus more on the artist and the relationship. Let the music speakfor itself."
Coming Attractions: With thecompany branching out to VHS and DVD licensing and distributionthrough video division Koch Vision, as well as film production withKoch Lorber Films, Koch Entertainment is growing to be a multimediaforce to be reckoned with. Says Koch, "It's all aboutentertainment."
