On the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Sept. 12, 2020, 24KGoldn and iann dior’s song “Mood,” co-written by Omer Fedi and Blake Slatkin, reached No. 8, on its way to an eventual eight non-consecutive weeks at No. 1. Now, more than 20 months later, as Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” (co-written by Slatkin) remains in the Hot 100’s top 10 at No. 9, one company has notched a remarkable feat: clients of Electric Feel Entertainment — which manages artists like 24KGoldn and dior and co-manages Post Malone, as well as managing songwriters like Slatkin, Louis Bell, Billy Walsh, Carter Lang and Linden Jay and is the publisher for Fedi — have spent 87 straight weeks in the Hot 100’s top 10, through songs like “Mood” and “About Damn Time” and tracks by artists like Justin Bieber (“Peaches,” co-written by Bell), Lil Nas X (“Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” co-written by Fedi, and “That’s What I Want,” co-written by Fedi and Slatkin), SZA (“Good Days” and “Kiss Me More” with Doja Cat, both co-produced by Lang) and The Kid LAROI (“Stay,” co-written by Fedi and Slatkin, and “Thousand Miles,” co-written by Bell).
It’s an impressive feat for the company, which in addition to its management and publishing operations also runs a records division, a new Ventures wing for investment opportunities and is opening a studio in Miami for its roster and other creatives. And it helps earn Electric Feel founder/CEO Austin Rosen the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
But that’s not all that Electric Feel has cooking. With longtime client Post Malone gearing up to release his next album, Twelve Carat Toothache, on June 3, Rosen’s got a busy month ahead with a long streak to continue. Here, Rosen talks about the success his company is experiencing, the ways that he’s able to connect different types of creators to build hit records and where Electric Feel is going in the future. “There is a common thread of amplifying relationships anywhere I can and being a conduit for people to get connected and build together,” he says. “I want to connect talent that doesn’t know each other that should be working together.”
This week, Electric Feel’s songwriting and producer clients and artists are celebrating 87 straight weeks in the top 10 of the Hot 100. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
Well first, it’s been incredible to be on this run and so many people don’t realize this huge milestone and accomplishment for the company and our roster. “Mood” was an exciting moment for us, really launching and propelling Goldn and iann’s careers during the pandemic, but also knowing that Blake Slatkin and Omer Fedi had co-produced/written the song made it be a fully Electric Feel record — [that] was a moment. Louis Bell also played a huge part in keeping us on the chart with co-writing “Peaches.” We also have producer Carter Lang who contributed to this success with his run with SZA’s “Good Days” and Doja Cat and SZA’s “Kiss Me More.” The behind-the-scenes decisions that I contributed to were connecting many of the collaborators you see on these records, whether through artists, managers or through the EF songwriter and producer roster. We have a level of talent that we like to align ourselves with and that’s been a common thread to our continued success.
Your writers and producers in particular seem to have a knack for penning and creating songs with some real pop culture sticking power. What’s your company’s approach to A&R?
We are very particular with who we sign. It’s strategic, always. The integrity creatively is hugely important to me so my team and I aim to bring in talent who can get behind the Electric Feel mindset of being a creative house of co-collaborators and proven hitmakers. We’ve built such synergy within the roster as well. Blake and Omer work together extensively, as do Louis Bell and Billy Walsh, among others. It’s really amazing to find that alignment and see everyone rising in their careers together. So many names on our roster have become in-demand and it’s incredible to see that success and see those goals I set out to achieve really come to life.
Your writers and producers also have six songs in the top 10 of Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart from five different artists, and eight songs on the Hot 100 from seven different artists. How are you able to manage getting your writers and their compositions in the right rooms and with the right artists?
I think having our own studio has made a huge difference, where so many major records have been created organically. Building that space has opened doors for everyone on the management and publishing rosters. It’s about forming relationships and really putting the attention on the creative first. The model for Electric Feel back in 2013 when we started has evolved so much, but it will always remain that the attention to the creative is paramount. The success of this studio helped inspire breaking out into other markets as well. We have studio space in Berlin, which aligns with where our Electric Feel Europe HQ is. And we’re building Miami, and after that New York.
You also co-manage Post Malone. What’s the difference between managing songwriters, who are mostly behind the scenes, and managing a superstar like Post?
For all of my artists and management clients I am consistently looking at new ways to elevate creatively, but also strategically from a business perspective. For Post, alongside my co-management partner Dre London, we’ve worked hard at elevating his brand deals and touring and building out his overall public persona. With songwriters and producers, it’s about finding ways to amplify their work in different spaces to help them build their brand and sound. Something exciting is, together earlier this year with Louis Bell, we were able to launch Electric Bell Publishing in partnership with Electric Feel Publishing. Working with Louis for so long, it felt like a perfect time to continue to elevate his work and help him identify and sign new talent on his own within our company infrastructure.
Electric Feel just launched a new Ventures wing of the company. What are your goals there?
To do the same thing we do in music: help connect talent and great founders of emerging brands on the cutting edge in their spaces, whether food and beverage, tech, fashion, Web3 and more. There is a common thread of amplifying relationships anywhere I can and being a conduit for people to get connected and build together. I want to connect talent that doesn’t know each other that should be working together. So many artists don’t want to just be the faces of brands anymore, they want equity and to have more of a stake, so I’ve been able to do that for the music community in different spaces. Earlier this year, Hero, the low-carb bread, launched at Subway and through my relationships I was able to bring in Tom Brady, The Weeknd, Lil Baby and more into the fold as investors. It’s been really great to continue my entrepreneurship in different places.
You’re also building out a creative hub in Miami. How will that help Electric Feel and its clients moving forward?
It’s about building a unifying and accessible space for everyone. We will have state-of-the-art studios, along with offices and a rooftop lounge. I want it to be a welcoming space for the intersection of Electric Feel Entertainment and Electric Feel Ventures as we continue to expand all divisions of the company. Miami’s music scene is really coming back, and we want to be leaders in the city and have a place that we can continue to grow and develop. Overall, I think the accessibility for not only our roster, but artists coming to Miami wanting to have a special experience to their creative process. You can be working on a hit song in the studio, then sitting upstairs with the next biggest founder talking about different ideas of how to roll out the song being created at the same time.
How has management changed during your time in the music business?
Management has changed in that you constantly have to be paying attention and adapting to new ways that consumers are ingesting content. Not just the music, but the overall brand is really important. Paying attention to the shift of what is happening in the culture so new opportunities can always be brought to the table is also key.
