Explore every episode of the podcast Penalty Office - Music Business 101

Monica Lynch is one of the most respected and knowledgeable record executives in the music business.

She talks about her arrival in New York from Chicago as a teenager, becoming Tom Silverman's first hire at TommyBoy and her rising quickly to ultimately become president at TommyBoy. She talks about her relationships with everyone from Afrika Bambaata, Queen Latifah, Naughty By Nature, Whizz Kidd, De La Soul, House Of Pain, Coolio, Digital Underground, Jock Jams and the other projects she guided.

This is a must listen podcast

Growing up in rural Northeast North Carolina, Shane joined the 82nd Airborne Army unit and came out with the amazing gift of discipline and appreciation of hard work. With his love of music he went to College in LA and trained in music production and has since produced and released over 600 titles. During that time he got a degree from Full Sail and has become the go-to guy for all things digital marketing. He has also added a real estate license in both Florida and Georgia, while continuing to produce and market music. He’s one of a kind.

Angel is the go-to guy for everything in Latin music and media. He has a 40 year successful track record in Latin music and media. A very active part of the Latin Grammys, Billboard Latin Music Awards, He has produced many TV shows for Telemundo and Univison as well as guiding the current reintroduction of Menudo. If it’s Latin he’s done it successfully.

Richard is the promotion man’s promotion man. His 40 year run in the ever shifting music business has been nothing short of astounding. Starting with little to no experience, he rose to executive positions at Atlantic, Elektra and Capitol, while remaining humble and always hard working. Richard talks about his journey in detail and is a true inspiration to this day as he works on the ever changing radio promotion and streaming landscape. One of our favorite people.

Eddie has been a fixture in the music business since the mid-sixties. Most well know for producing the number one record “Doctors Orders” by Carol Douglas and for Salt N Pepa on his Next Plateau Records label to his Joint Venture with Republic Records.  Eddie also signed and developed Crazy Frog his his 9.66 Billion YouTube view with over 16.4 Million YouTube subscribers. Eddie talks about his life in music and his feelings about the business. This is a must listen podcast.

Larry Talks about his pivot to managing TV and Film Actors and directors,
 
Starting his journey as a songwriter/producer in South Central LA and moving from a 4 track to a full 24 track tape deck at his Avatar Entertainment. Larry got his big break producers 4 songs on Venessa Williams debut album. He has produced or remixed  some of the most iconic R&B and Hip Hop records including Prince, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, Whitney Houston to name a few. We follow Larry pivot to TV and films morphing into one of the top managers of Latin and European Film and TV Actors, directors and screen writers. A true entrepreneur with boundless energy and a joyful attitude, he is a true inspiration.

Starting his journey as a songwriter/producer in South Central LA and moving from a 4 track to a full 24 track tape deck at his Avatar Entertainment. Larry got his big break producers 4 songs on Venessa Williams debut album. He has produced or remixed  some of the most iconic R&B and Hip Hop records including Prince, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, Whitney Houston to name a few. We follow Larry pivot to TV and films morphing into one of the top managers of Latin and European Film and TV Actors, directors and screen writers. A true entrepreneur with boundless energy and a joyful attitude, he is a true inspiration.

Veteran record executive and Superstar PR guru, Fiona Bloom, talks about her journey from Classical music in London to becoming the go-to person in the Hip-Hop world and her world class agency, The Bloom Effect.

Jonathan Finegold is a music licensing expert and music supervisor for film and advertising.  He talks about the many aspects of what it takes to get sync licenses for music.

Ira Kessler is a true music business legend in the area of distribution and fulfilment. He shares his various jobs and the power of networking in finding new job opportunities.

Right after we did this, he started a new position at Warner.

David Borgstrom is a master of Crypto & NFTs. He explains the basics and how it could affect the future of the music business.

Andrew Krents is a veteran entertainment lawyer and all around great guy, with a big history of making great deals. A must listen.

Earn Money  is the head of Scream Ent, an independent label specializing in Hip-Hop. Earn introduced the world to Noochie, an upcoming artist from DelMArVa, who's building a strong following from his base. They talk about the journey they're on and where they want to get to.

Growing up in the streets of St. Louis, Diego Fresh is a new artist but has been grinding for years. Military veteran and entrepreneur Diego has used his military discipline to be successful in the legalized cannabis business with his Red Line brand.   Now Diego is ready to take over the music business with his first single featuring the one and only Boosie Badazz.

Master Ace traces his roots in Hip Hop since 1985 through to his current unnamed project. His no compromise style has helped define the genre AND BEYOND. He’s always honest and tells it as he sees it.  His insight and brilliance have been a true inspiration to millions of fans. There’s a lot of great music to listen to here and you’re sure to be excited to hear his thoughts. We are proud to present him here. A true Hip Hop hero

Mitch Dudley is a master of distribution and marketing. A travel with him through his job as an accountant at a wallpaper company to his early life as a rapper then his transition as a music business professional in distribution. His insights and story are sure to entertain and educate. A must listen to podcast.

Scott Fagan is a prolific singer/songwriter who arrived in New York on a scooner from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, with 11 cents in his pocket and a phone number for Doc Pomas, a successful songwriter/manager and producer. Scott talks about his journey as an artist living in the vibrant New York recording scene of the 1960s. His story is fascinating.

Compton based Big Reg has been part of the west coast hip hop scene since the 80s working alongside Easy E, Tha Dogg Pound and the infamous Death Row Records. Big Reg has an amazing story of how gansta rap got started in L.A. to working on T and film projects to his time that he was incarcerated.

Compton based Big Reg has been part of the west coast hip hop scene since the 80s working alongside Easy E, Tha Dogg Pound and the infamous Death Row Records. Big Reg has an amazing story of how gansta rap got started in L.A. to working on T and film projects to his time that he was incarcerated.

Manager, label executive, book publisher, Music Supervisor, brand builder Paul Stewart takes us on a journey from managing Montell Jordan, Coolio, Cypress Hill and Warren G just to name a few. Paul has always looked to the future. Paul has also done music film supervision for films such as Poetic Justice, Hustle & Flow, Fast 2 Furious to name a few. He also has been involved with the rebranding of Puma and created a partnership with Troy Carter at Atomic Factory as well as becoming a book publisher.  A great story by a true creative executive.

Hailing from East New York, Brooklyn check out our interview with Domingo as he walks us thru his career from signing to Marley Marl in the late 80s to producing songs from Fat Joe, Big Pun, KRS One, Kool he G Rap, Rakim to name a few. Through all the changes and turmoil in the recorded music business Domingo has always stayed ahead of the curve by selling beats on-line to creating a new distribution platform called Media Famous. Listen how Domingo continues to evolve and change with an ever changing business environment. 

Part 2 with Will Socolov discussing his venture after Sleeping Bag Records by starting Freeze Records and signing Jay-Z’s “Reasonable Doubt” classic LP. Will is a true pioneer that you’ll love to hear.

Will Socolov- As the founder of Sleeping Bag Records (EPMD, Joyce Simms) and Freeze Records (Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt) Will details his career trajectory and what he’s doing now.

Part 1 of Will Socolov’s interview on launching Sleeping Bag Records and Fresh Records as he discusses  signing EPMD, Just Ice and Mantronix.  Will is a true pioneer and has some great stories that resonate to this day. He did it all from hip-hip to dance and continues to be a passionate music lover.

Jack Forman serves as Executive Vice President of BiCoastal Productions, the New York City-based concerts and theatrical booking agency.  His current clients include: Lee Rocker (of Stray Cats), Naturally 7, Colin Mochrie’s HYPROV (of Whose Line is it Anyway?), The Hit Men (Legendary Rock Supergroup), Scotland’s Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Vegas-Strip favorites The Bronx Wanderers and The Daily Show Writers Comedy Tour. Originally spearheading the agency’s coverage of the Western United States, Jack now oversees the core agency staff and global touring strategy.  He remains actively involved with industry organizations like the Western Arts Alliance (WAA), North American Performing Arts Managers and Artists (NAPAMA), and the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP).

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (an avid Packers fan) Jack attended Chicago’s Columbia College with a focus in Arts, Entertainment & Media Management while also interning at The Windish Agency (now Paradigm) with Indie & Electronic music agents.  After college, Jack was recruited to ICM Partners’ New York City branch in the Urban Concerts department and he would later join BiCoastal Productions, adding to the growing team led by Ron Gartner & Fran Heller.  Jack currently lives on the New Jersey Shore with his wife, Shelly, and their baby girl, Jeanette.

Check out our interview with Kxng Crooked formally known as Crooked I as he takes us down memory lane by signing to Virgin Records and then moving on to Death Row Records and his relationship with Suge Knight. He also moves on to joining the supergroup Slaughterhouse and signing to Emenim’s label Shady Records. Listen to how he’s stayed hot by releasing weekly freestyles on his Hip Hop Weekly Series and continues to stay relevant by doing his homework and being one of the best rappers in the game

IZ316 is an up and coming socially conscious rapper from Wichita, Kansas who talks about the challenges faced by a young rapper with little money who has built a rising career going from 600 streams a year ago to over 250K streams for his new single “Top Down”. He talks about how he went from a juvenile offender, being incarcerated as a young man, and rose to run for city office, wrote a book, and has become a counselor to at-risk youth. 

Warren Schatz - Warren Schatz is a music industry veteran who details his life in the music business as an artist, engineer, producer, arranger and more. Warren has produced classic records like Turn The Beat Around and Express Yourself, Memories, To Sir With Love and many more, Executive Produced Evelyn "Champagne" King's  hit "Shame." He arranged "Our Day Will Come" for Frankie Valli and Tony Orlando as well as signing some of the biggest acts in the recorded music business including like Bonnie Tyler, Triumph, Krokus and more. 

In Part 3 Warren Talks about SNL, Shame, and his move to run BMG’s Ariola America label, where he signed Viola Wills club hit “If You Could Read My Mind”, Krokus, and The Rods

Warren Schatz - Warren Schatz is a music industry veteran who details his life in the music business as an artist, engineer, producer, arranger and more. Warren has produced classic records like Turn The Beat Around and Express Yourself, Memories, To Sir With Love and many more, Executive Produced Evelyn "Champagne" King's  hit "Shame." He arranged "Our Day Will Come" for Frankie Valli and Tony Orlando as well as signing some of the biggest acts in the recorded music business including like Bonnie Tyler, Triumph, Krokus and more. 

In Part 2 Warren talks about starting at RCA’s publishing company, Sunbury-Dunbar and had his first big club hit “Are You Ready For This” by The Brothers, “Express Yourself” by The New York Community Choir, Signing Vicki Sue Robinson and recording “Turn The Beat Around”, Becoming head of Urban A & R and signing Evelyn “Champagne” King and recording her first hit “Shame”. Taking over the pop A & R department where he worked with artists from Hall & Oates, Lou Reed, Roger Whittaker Perry Como, signing Bonnie Tyler, Toby Beau, Triumph

Warren Schatz - Warren Schatz is a music industry veteran who details his life in the music business as an artist, engineer, producer, arranger and more. Warren has produced classic records like Turn The Beat Around and Express Yourself, Memories, To Sir With Love and many more, Executive Produced Evelyn "Champagne" King's  hit "Shame." He arranged "Our Day Will Come" for Frankie Valli and Tony Orlando as well as signing some of the biggest acts in the recorded music business including like Bonnie Tyler, Triumph, Krokus and more.

In Part 1 Warren talks about growing up at the famous Associated Recording studios. Starting as a delivery boy and within a year engineering demos with Dionne Warwick, Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, Mort Shuman, Barry Mann, and many more, while developing as a recording artist first under the name Ritchie Dean, The Whispers, The Warmest Spring, and finally his own name.

Lord Finesse- Lord Finesse is a DJ, producer, rapper and performer who details his early days in the music business and how he continues to tour the world on his own terms.

Neil Levine - Neil Levine is a music industry veteran that details how he began in the music business as well a staying relevant.  This is another inspirational story of how to stay in the music business by embracing change and continuing to move forward. 

Neil talks about leaving Sony and the decision to relaunch Penalty as Penalty Entertainment where he signed, Cappone N Noreaga, Statik Selektah, Hi-Rez, EMC, Joell Ortiz and Trina.

Neil Levine - Neil Levine is a music industry veteran that details how he began in the music business as well a staying relevant.  This is another inspirational story of how to stay in the music business by embracing change and continuing to move forward. 

In Part 3 Neil talks about moving jobs to run EMI/Capitol's urban division.where among others he signed Fat Joe and had a big hit with Make It Rain and then moving to Sony/Jive to run Battery Records where he had a big record with the Gs Boys' record "Stanky Legg"

Neil Levine - Neil Levine is a music industry veteran that details how he began in the music business as well a staying relevant.  This is another inspirational story of how to stay in the music business by embracing change and continuing to move forward. 

In Part 2 Neil talks about starting Penalty Recordings and his work with Cappone and Noreaga, NORE, Lord Finesse  and More.

Neil Levine - Neil Levine is a music industry veteran that details how he began in the music business as well a staying relevant.  This is another inspirational story of how to stay in the music business by embracing change and continuing to move forward. 

Neil talks about his early days and how he started in the music business and his growing into building his premiere marketing and promotion company, Round The Globe and his work on some of the biggest projects.

Prayah is a rappers rapper who is focusing as being a great lyricist reminiscent of the 90s when lyrics really mattered. Prayah quickly caught the eye of Busta Rhymes who immediately signed him to his label Conglomerate. Hear how Prayah plans on taking his music globally and what it’s like to be an developing artist in 2020 

Joell Ortiz - Joell Ortiz is a rappers rapper. Joell discusses his career working with Eminem, Dr. Dre and his supergroup Slaughter House signed to Eminem. Joell’s story in inspirational and how to succeed being an artist in 2020.

Part 2 - Continues with Joell talking about meeting and working with Eminem and Lin-Manuel Miranda and new projects. 

Joell Ortiz - Joell Ortiz is a rappers rapper. Joell discusses his career working with Eminem, Dr. Dre and his supergroup Slaughter House signed to Eminem. Joell’s story in inspirational and how to succeed being an artist in 2020.

Joell talks about growing up in the the projects of Brooklyn and his journey as he becomes part of Slaughterhouse.

Cory Robbins - As the co-founder of Profile Records (Run DMC, DJ Quik), and founder of Robbins Entertainment. Cory outlines how he got started in the music business and how he’s kept up with the changing environment. 

In Part 2 of Cory's chat he talks about starting Robbins Entertainment after he left Profile Records

Cory Robbins - As the co-founder of Profile Records (Run DMC, DJ Quik), and founder of Robbins Entertainment. Cory outlines how he got started in the music business and how he’s kept up with the changing environment.  

Cory talks about his early days producing dance records his move to starting Profile Records