The Association of Music Producers (AMP), which has chapters in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, elected its lineup of national board members for 2001 during a general meeting in Manhattan last week (12/5). Lyle Greenfield, president of AMP since its inception in ’98, chaired the session. Greenfield is president/creative director of New York-headquartered Bang music+sound design.
Each company represented on the board has one seat. However, several firms opted to have two or more people share board responsibilities. Newly elected to the national AMP board were: owner/producer Ray Foote and owner/ composer Sherman Foote from Big Foote Music, New York; executive producer Amy Sheldon, composer/ partner Jack Livesey and composer/partner Peter Nashel of Duotone Audio Group, New York; owner Robbie Kondor and executive producer Bob Montero from Kondor Music, New York; executive producer Andrea Crook and CFO Howard Dubin from CB & Co., West Los Angeles; composer/sound designer Elizabeth Myers of Trivers/Myers Music, Manhattan Beach, Calif.; and Terri Golden, business manager, SPANK! Music and Sound Design, Chicago.
Re-elected to the AMP national board were: Greenfield; AMP secretary/treasurer Jan Horowitz who is VP/business manager for David Horowitz Music Associates, New York; executive producer Larry Geismar from North Forty Music, New York; chairman Jake Holmes and president Nick DiMinno from Three Tree Productions, New York; production manager Thai Jason of Crushing Music, New York; president Kevin Joy from Rocket Music, New York; director of production Stu Kuby and president Joel Simon of JSM, New York; and Jeff Rosner, president/executive producer, Sacred Noise, New York.
Additionally Dain Blair, executive creative director/owner of Groove Addicts, Los Angeles, has agreed to continue on as president of AMP’s West Coast chapter. And Steve Ford, president/composer/executive producer of Chicago-based Steve Ford Music, remains president of the Chicago chapter. Both Ford and Blair continue as members of AMP’s national board.
Greenfield noted that the expanded representation on the board from the Midwest and West Coast will help to better serve the interests and concerns of member companies in those markets, fostering a truly national agenda in ’01. He expressed appreciation for the contributions of three current board members who will step down but continue to serve on various committees within the organization. These are: national VP Andy Messenger, executive producer, Mess Hall, Montclair, N.J.; Jeanne Neary, owner of Scuba/ Look, New York ; and Alan Zahn, president, Red House Music, New York. Greenfield also acknowledged Michael Levine, partner/producer/composer of bicoastal Michael Levine Music, for his leadership role in the formation of AMP. While Levine is still involved with the organization, he does not sit on the AMP board.
The national board is scheduled to elect AMP officers during a January 10 meeting in New York.
PRIORITIES
After opening the floor for questions and comments from members regarding key issues, Greenfield cited several organizational priorities, including: rights agreement language; education; improving internal communications, as well as dialogue with the production and agency communities; and updating and enhancing the AMP Web site.
It was decided during the meeting to schedule seminars with agency producers and creatives to provide more information on AMP’s recently released music production guidelines, and to possibly address other areas of interest. As earlier reported (SHOOT, 10/27, p. 1), the guidelines are designed to serve as a useful tool for the business of creating and producing soundtracks for commercials. The guidelines propose to develop a better understanding of and a protocol for every stage of the process—from demos to bidding, from legal risks to project cancellation.
Also during the general membership session, there was a call to move ahead on projects—such as the AMP benefit event—that had been put on hold while the industry was in the throes of the recently concluded actors’ strike. The AMP benefit is designed to raise money for a deserving charity. The next benefit is slated for October.
Reflecting on the past year for AMP, Greenfield cited two significant developments: the aforementioned music guidelines, and the strategic alliance entered into with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (SHOOT, 4/14, p. 1).
