president of EMPIRE Tina Davis participated in a keynote discussion during ADE 2024, speaking to a packed audience at the dance music industry's annual convention in Amsterdam.
Saturday's (Oct. 19) talk covered many aspects of Davis' career, beginning when she was a 25-year-old running the A&R department at Def Jam and taking the bus to work.
“I didn't have a car. I was sitting on a bus going to work every day, running Def Jam on the West Coast, making pennies,” Davis said of her career despite feelings of self-doubt. “I think it's just how much you want it, how much you drive [you have] and how much you believe in yourself. Even if you doubt yourself, just try anyway.”
The discussion, moderated by journalist Pay Komüs, focused heavily on Davis' work as president of EMPIRE, a position she ascended to in the summer of 2023 after five years at the Bay Area-based independent label, publisher and distributor. The executive spoke about working in EMPIRE's global business, the importance of authenticity to artists, and how that authenticity has helped Shaboozey become one of the top artists of 2024. The hip-hop/country artist signed to EMPIRE IN 2021 and three years later his hit single, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” made him famous. The song is currently in its 15th week at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Davis was one of thousands of industry executives who traveled to Amsterdam for ADE, which has already announced dates for next year's event: October 22-26, 2025. Here are five key takeaways from her keynote.
Working globally means working collectively
With teams in the US, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Davis emphasized that it is vital that each region has the lead in decision-making. “We're not in San Francisco to tell people in Africa, 'this is how you should do it,' or say [our team] here in Amsterdam, “You have to do it this way,” he said. “We can't tell you how it should be done. We have a structure in mind. We know how we like it. We know it's about authenticity. We know it has to do with cultural significance. But for the most part, we make sure we work with the people we have in our company and take their advice, listen to them. they listen to us and we collaborate as a strategy in everything we do.”
Every Artist Is a Partner
“We don't sign artists, we sign collaborators,” Davis said of bringing new acts to the roster. “We see them as partners. We look at their business and understand how we can help them grow, just like we do for us.” For this type of structure to work, Davis emphasized that trust is essential to “make sure the relationship is strong. We want to make sure our artists feel our presence and understand how much we care about their future.”
Artist authenticity is vital
EMPIRE, Davis said, “is a company that's very much about authenticity and culture. If you're not true to yourself, you can't be true to us, or to your consumer.” The label is “not against” artists constantly changing styles, he continued, “but at the same time it's kind of like, 'Okay, is this really who you are?' Let's figure out how we can find a middle ground or how you can present yourself in a different way but not lose the fan base that you have.”
On Shaboozey's success — And the patience it took to get him to this point
Expanding on her thoughts on authenticity, Davis said EMPIRE is “complicated when it comes to making sure the direction matches the talent.” He recalled that when Shaboozey was introduced to the company, “he had fuses on his head, he's a tall African American, and he came in doing country and hip-hop. Nothing was really working at the time. It had happened before, but nothing at the time really topped the charts that sounded like him.”
But Davis says that when the team met him, they felt his authenticity. “So you can't say to someone who looks like that, 'Hey, you're not a country. You can't make a country,” he said. During the three years that Shaboozey was signed to EMPIRE before he blew up, “we highlighted and allowed him to continue his journey and continue to grow. He was putting out music and the first few records and the project went OK, but it took a minute to get to this point and we had the patience for it.”
Artists don't need a major label to succeed
Davis questioned the need for artists to be on a major label to be successful, suggesting they change their mindsets about major label deals – particularly when it comes to artists who retain control of their masters by remaining independent. “I can't tell you why someone like Justin Timberlake still has a major label deal,” Davis observed. “It doesn't make sense. Mind you, his deal is probably a bit better than most of the younger artists coming up, but it still doesn't make sense. he should share himself. He could go to TuneCore and make a lot more money than he would with this gentleman from that big check they give him.
He went on to say that changing artists' mindsets about major label deals was “a process. It's been an old rule for years that only gentlemen can violate you, but Shaboozey shows you right now that you really don't need a gentleman.”
Not paying attention to what other people are doing can be a key to success
Davis observed that “you have to have blinkers when you're working on your own thing, when you're focused on your own vision, when you're trying to achieve something. You can't look to the side, because you'll lose a match. You have to stay focused and look at what you're working on because you have to figure out how you're going to make your lane on the freeway where everyone's still going in the same direction.”
He also highlighted EMPIRE's position as an innovator and leader, continuing that other companies are “looking at us. They follow us. Everyone is turning to where we've always been. When they started hiring PPC departments we didn't need it. We were already different. When they said, “We need more women.” We were 51% women. We were like, “We don't have to worry about that.” We are taste suppliers. We are leaders. we don't like to follow.”
