We had the good fortune of connecting with Bob Divney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bob, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In a word, necessity. In the music marketing and promotion for hire space, I needed help with various projects I was working on, and it felt like every time I needed a team I had to start from scratch. I decided to build a music promotion and marketing company that could be flexible and provide a long-term commitment to developing and breaking artists and The Artist Cooperative and Mars Music Services were born.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Pasadena Records was born out of The Artist Cooperative and Mars Music Services and where I could better help developing artist reach a greater audience and ultimately help them build a career. We have been fortunate in finding talented artists who have made amazing records. In naming the label, I wanted us to be from a location, a place on a map that can attract talent and if we are lucky create a scene. There are three record/media conglomerates dominating the US and global music marketplace, Warner Music, Sony, and Universal Music., we are a world apart from those companies but a part of a new golden era of small independent records labels that I have no doubt will be at the forefront of musical trends to come. Companies like Polyvinyl, Run For Cover Records and Enci Records among others are an inspiration and each with a musical vision. We see ourselves driven by the artist we represent.
This has been a 30 plus year journey for me starting with playing in bands, to working at a record store in Boston to a gig in the mailroom for a record distribution company. Like any job, work is required and sometimes it is fun but often it is another day in the office and then you hear a new song from Faith No More, or the B52’s or Green Day or Depeche Mode and you are energized. Along the way there is always resistance, and often the greater the resistance the bigger a song or artist becomes. I have had the great pleasure in representing amazing talented artists and through the marketing and promotion of their art, changing culture for the better. Showing up, persistence and hard work has led me here and keeps me going.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A week of leisurely travel would avoid airports and include a few empty milk-crates in the trunk and make a cross-country pilgrimage to record shops from coast to coast. The itinerary would start with Mississippi Records in Portland, OR drive down the coast to Amoeba Records in Hollywood, CA. Then head east on Route 66 with stops in Austin, TX to Waterloo Records, we would hit Shangri-La Records, (Memphis) and Grimey’s (Nashville). Then ont0 Reckless Records, Chicago, IL, and then onto Princeton Record Exchange, New Jersey and end in NYC at A1 Records Shop and for desser, The Thing in Brooklyn. If we are lucky we have seen a couple of bands and had some barbecue!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My experience at Warner Brother’s Reprise Records informed my appreciation for the hard work in helping artist achieve success and how to negotiate this business with integrity. Rich Fitzgerald, Howie Klein, Steve Tip and Phil Costello have all been massive influences in my career. Jeff Kwatinetz who built businesses out of shear will was another influence in the power or taking chances. My current partners in these endeavors, Andrew Govatsos, Bob Hathaway, Rich Garcia, Kathie Romero, Glen Firstenberg and especially Lisa Cristiano continue to inspire and motivate me. I also could not do any of this with the support from my wife, Mary and daughter Grace.

Website: https://pasadenarecords.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pasadenarecords/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-divney-66416720a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PasadenaRecords

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNw_NDiuS_x0ehcbzd_gCnQ

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