An Interview with the Co-Owners of the Ambassador Music Group
On October 2nd, I got the chance to interview the owners of the Ambassador Music Group(AMG), Andrew Gabriel, owner and artist manager, and Rose De Guzman, owner and marketing director. The two sat down with me to discuss the upcoming festival, Rocktober and what it’s like to work in music management.
Tell us about yourself
I am Andrew and the person sitting next to me is Rose. We are the owners of AMG and we both have worked full-time since last year. I work as an Artist Manager and Rose is the Marketing Director. We help artists with their management [in areas] such as album/single release strategy and promotion, performance coaching, business negotiation, and image/brand management. One of the artists we work with is C.K. & The Rising Tide, who released a music video called Follow the Buzzard.
What do you do?
We didn’t know what it meant to work as an artist manager or marketing director until we started doing it. I was a drummer in the band since 2004 and then another band asked if I could manage them. I worked full-time at a day job and recorded my second album. We all started from the bottom and were not music/business majors. I was a math major and Rose was a Biochemistry major.
Do you have internships?
We started taking interns last year. We have three interns working in marketing, analytics, and band relations.
What is Rocktoberfest?
The main mission is to feature local musicians, partner with local businesses, and help local non-profits. We want to help children and children. We are working with Community Miracles in Action(CMA) for this year’s Rocktoberfest. The CMA give out food and necessities for teens. They encourage art and music to teens with the Louder Dreams Entertainment Program. We are having YMCA bring activities for families to enjoy and food trucks.
Is this the first Rocktoberfest?
This is the second Rocktoberfest. The first Rocktoberfest was more of an adult concert. For this year’s Rocktoberfest, we are trying to make it a family-friendly concert. The goal is for everyone to have fun especially with families who have kids.
Who are you partnering with for this year’s Rocktoberfest?
We have many artists in the lineup: Madison Vandenburg who is the recent finalist on American Idol. She [recently] visited CMA for autographs and to talk about her journey. We also have CK and the Rising Tide(Recently at the NYS Fair), Le Modernist(We have worked with them for a while now), Vince Paul Mary, Julia Gargano(R&B Soul), David and the Antics(Hip hop/pop-soul), and This Strange Paradise(Indie rock).
What is it like planning for this big event?
Last year we started planning six weeks before the concert date and that nearly made our heads go insane. This year we started six months earlier. For next year’s Rocktoberfest, we are starting to plan in January. Some of the planning included organizing a team of people, the production team, artists (We had about 37 applications, it was so hard for us to choose), sponsors, marketing, spreading the word, diversifying the lineup, and bringing in games and art so it can appeal to everyone.
What types of music scenes have you worked in over the years?
We started working with punk music scenes then morphed into managing a pop/rock artist, and then into pop and Americana. Marketing side, there are many genres that have different demographics.
What do you think of the overall music scene today?
In California, which we originally are from, artists are usually competing against each other. When we moved to Albany, we noticed the different music scenes that came together as a community, that is not like what the music scene is in California. Everyone works together, the competition was more friendly, and the media outlets are also friendly.
What is it like being a rock star today?
[It’s] hard work but also fun when you get to perform on big stages. Then, you can hang out with other artists and converse with the fans. This is only for a few days a month. The rest of the month, they are hard at work. Make sure to take your time to write good songs. Music is live-streamed anywhere today that listeners can hear a ton of good music all the time. The downside is that your music might be hard to hear if it isn’t amazing. It takes a few months between writing new songs and releases for planning and marketing. There is no instant feedback, it takes a lot of time and [more] work than people think.
If someone wants to be a professional rock musician, where would they start?
It takes a lot more than just creating good music. Music is a team sport and you need to make sure you surround yourself with a good team that can work with you and supports you. Never let rejection get you down. It’s the starting of your own business, it's part of the process. You must undergo a lot of doubts and struggles. It’s hard but that’s okay.
It was great to speak with AMG to learn more about the music industry and Rocktoberfest. This year’s Rocktoberfest was on Saturday, October 5 in Colonie Park, Albany, NY from 12pm to 6pm. The event was a hit and they’re already gearing up for next year with plans to make Rocktober bigger and better!
