Sam Holdsworthits former editor and publisher Advertising sign, died on May 18 of a heart attack. It was 72.
Holdsworth, who was also its co-founder Musician magazine, was part of a joint venture that bought Billboard Publications Inc. (BPI) in 1984 from the Littleford family in a move that led to him becoming publisher of Billboard.
The joint venture was led by investor Boston Ventures and an internal BPI management team led by Holdsworth and Jerry Hobbs in a move seen as an unobtrusive way of keeping BPI — which included Billboard, Musician and Entertainment business, among other titles — intact. Hobbs, who had served as executive vice president of BPI and Advertising signof the publisher, became president/CEO of the new entity, while Holdsworth became its publisher Advertising sign and then publisher/editor-in-chief. BPI had bought Musician in 1981, which brought Holdsworth to the company.
“As editor, Sam was a wonderful calming influence on everyone around him in an otherwise stressful publishing environment. I will always appreciate the faith he has shown in me and his willingness to delegate critical tasks to his trusted management team.” Ken Slagerwho served as managing editor under Holdsworth, says Advertising sign.
“He and Jerry Hobbs brought Advertising sign in a new era,” he says Adam Whitewho was it Advertising signEditor-in-chief when Holdsworth became publisher, before leaving in 1985 and then returning as international editor in 1989. “For that alone, he should be remembered.”
Holdsworth and his childhood friend, Gordon Byrdwas founded Musician magazine in 1976. “He was the brains and the flavor and I was the mouth and the energy… Our early days as a magazine for school music programs were so rough, until Sam suggested a sharp left turn after our first year in jazz and rock”. Baird wrote in a piece published Monday (June 10) in the Massachusetts The Gloucester Times. The two had met in Gloucester 70 years earlier as children, their mothers being best friends.
With his new direction, Musician It quickly became essential reading for music fans and artists alike, and was able to attract leading music journalists who appreciated Holdsworth's trust in them to direct their own tracks. “Sam was able to get them to write great pieces at a fraction of the price [that Rolling Stone paid writers]Byrd continued. “Next came the photos. Musician Left. Readers came to us, record company journalists came to us, Paul McCartney, Springsteen, Michael Jackson, George Harrison, Bono, Clapton and Steely Dan came to us to be interviewed. Sam's formula was music first, lifestyle second.”
When BPI approached Holdsworth and Baird to buy Musician“Sam was a complete visionary and negotiated half the purchase price on Billboard stock,” Byrd added.
“At the time, I was responsible for its growth and development Advertising sign and its numerous ancillary products,” says Hobbs. “After a meal in New York, we quickly decided that the app would be a good fit, and in early 1981 our partnership began when Billboard Publications acquired [Musician]. We did not expect that our relationship would be so fruitful, exciting and long-lasting. Furthermore, that it would develop into a life-long personal friendship.”
Hobbs had found the perfect partner to help realize his goal of acquiring and expanding BPI to include not only music properties but also those dedicated to film and theater as well as art and design. “During my first year working with Sam, his talents, personality and entrepreneurial spirit became apparent,” says Hobbs. “I realized I needed a partner to help orchestrate a deal, raise the capital and execute a plan we would develop to move the business forward.”
Hobbs and Holdsworth's plan changed the way Advertising sign he came up with a model that still works today. “We were eager to develop data to supplement and expand the information we would collect about our publications and the audiences we served,” Hobbs says. “Actually, we would use Advertising sign as a model for our new venture. Unlike most other B2B publishers at the time who depended primarily on advertisers for their revenue, we wanted to create and own products and services that our audience would be willing to pay to receive.”
In 1994, Dutch publisher VNU acquired the American titles, so Holdsworth left Advertising sign and moved with his family to New Mexico. He later joined an investment group led by JP Morgan Partners. One of their acquisitions was the Ryko Corporation, which included the Rykodisc label. Holdsworth oversaw the company until it was bought by Warner Music Group in 2006. “He was very good at looking past the past and around the corner,” says Baird, who spoke with Holdsworth hours before he died. “He was also good at being in the right place at the right time for some of those tag buys and sales, some of them came to him.”
Holdsworth continued to work with investments, as well as paint and write, from his farm in Silver City, N. Mex. He was working on the farm when he had a heart attack. At the time of his death, he was managing director of Sword, Rowe and Company, an investment banking and mergers and acquisitions firm based in New Jersey, according to his LinkedIn profile.
As Hobbs says, Holdsworth possessed a rare blend of creative and business acumen and had a discerning eye. “Sam was indeed a renaissance man. He demonstrated an enticing mix of the mandatory traits: authenticity, creativity, curiosity and resilience; sine qua non elements that attract people,” says Hobbs. “And he never mistook most for best.”
Survivors include Holdsworth's wife, Betsy, and his three children.
