With a management roster of active touring rock bands — marquee names Shinedown and Halestorm among them — plus artist development and an office in midtown Manhattan, you’d expect De Goot Entertainment to be particularly vulnerable during the pandemic.
However, the full-service management company owned by independent promotional guru Bill McGathy announced seven internal promotions and restructurings, hired new employees and opened an office in Nashville, all in the first half of 2022.
“Instead of getting around the ball and worrying about what’s going to happen, we decided to get really smart and go in every other direction possible to serve our customers,” explains Alison Shepherd, the company’s new head of marketing and strategy. “During the pandemic, we ended up signing several new businesses, including GWAR and Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, broke Ayron Jones, and discovered we really needed additional staff because we were so busy and having success.”
Of the 22 artists on the list—which denigrate about 75% of active rock—“every of the bands we represent, their standards are soaring during the pandemic. I’m very proud of that,” says In De Goot President McGathy.
“I feel like Brent [Smith, Shinedown singer] And all of our bands were a big part of rerunning the tours, because we did really strict protocols for the bands,” McGathy adds. “We had seven or eight rounds when other bands were like, ‘Okay, we’re going to cancel.’ It was pure Halestorm. [Covid protocols]. “
Brent Smith from Shinedown / Photo by Sanjay Parikh
And don’t tell In De Goot that rock/hard metal bands have a really tough struggle. Sheppard acknowledges that “sometimes these bands seem to get sort of categorized as ‘just metal.’ or ‘it’s just rock hard.’ We don’t believe in that at all. ‘We don’t believe in lanes.'” Perhaps the perception is The external is that there is this ‘metal corridor’, but that is not how we operate. We think there are really creative ways to expand audiences, tell the story, and get new people who might have never listened to metal or rock before they got interested in an artist.”
The company’s hilarious founder McGathy has never committed to one track, and has stories for days about appearing in his radio days – rock and disco – and working as a PD station, as well as at Polydor and RCA. In the previous label, he tells the tale of his boss who agreed to a promotional item for a Cocaine mirror Pat Travers linked to the 1980 song “Snortin’ Whisky”. “They moved my boss aside and I got his job,” McGathy recalls. “I think the promotional element really caught everyone’s attention,” he says with a laugh.
His stint at RCA ended under less than auspicious circumstances, but it did lead music nerds to a revelation. As McGathy recalls, “I said to myself, Those bastards.” Then I realized, you idiot. How could you put yourself in a situation where people could do this to you? You are great at what you do. You have an idea. It frightened some people.”
That was the first step to realizing that “I hope I’ll never be in this situation again.” Founded McGathy Promotions in 1982, he quickly became a pioneer in independent radio promotion.
As one radio insider remarked, “He was a solid independent promoter, if his client didn’t work out, it wouldn’t be good! But he stayed with her. His annual conventions were outrageous, and his staff was really loyal.”
Hallstorm / Photo by Jimmy Fontaine
Through a decade of impressive successes (and some excesses), McGathy realized that managing was a role he felt he could shine in. He founded In De Goot in 1993. The company’s name and logo – for a dog spending his time in the gutter – were born after a rocky visit to an Amsterdam cafe. In De Goot means “in the gutter” in Dutch.
But McGathy had high aspirations. “I’ve always wanted to be Elliot Roberts,” he says, referring to the late director. “Elliott taught me more about managing artists than anyone else. The best thing he ever did was introduce me to Neil Young! But then, he said to me, ‘Hey, if it’s not fun anymore, stop it.’” Second, “Your artist He’s never wrong, no matter the situation, you need to find a way to see him his way.”
Roberts also told McGathy, “If your artist calls you and says, ‘I need you,’ you don’t say when, where and what day you go to the airport and get on a plane.”
McGathy follows these principles, which is why artists like Shinedown have been with In De Goot for 20 years, and the roster includes teams that are passionate about staff and close to it, including Biffy Clyro, Wilson, New Year’s Day, Lilith Czar, Saint Asonia, and The Dead Man Theory.
“You can’t sell it if you don’t believe in it. We have a relatively large roster, but we make sure every band on the roster knows it’s a priority at all times. That’s why we’ve just undergone a restructuring,” McGathy explains.
Recent promotions, in addition to Shephard, include Michael Iurato, President of A&R and Artist Development; Adam Leibinsfeld, Head of Promotion; Gouther Bultmann, Senior Vice President of Artist Management; Chris Frank, Vice President of Promotion; Katrina Tomandao, Director of Digital Marketing; and Matthew Young, Digital Marketing Director and Artist Director.
“I think a lot of the creative ways we’ve all gone through the pandemic via live streaming or new technologies will only add to the fan experiences we’re building going forward,” Sheppard says. “We had our traditional model, tours and radio etc. But now there are all these really new and interesting ways of introducing people to music that will bring fans closer to artists.”
McGathy finds ways to connect with even his youngest employees. “Look, I’m dealing with some millennials. Some people think that’s a bad word. It’s not. It’s just a matter of figuring out how they work and what makes them want to work hard. One of those things is not giving them a ceiling,” he says. “Like not saying ‘Oh, that’s exactly what you do.’ They all know if they find something great, they can bring it in, and then everyone who loves it succumbs, everyone knows we can sway it. We’re all a team.”
Even if the band is great, he admits that for a starting lineup, “Just playing right in front of rock ‘n’ roll can be really hard, you know?” He says. “But if you’re really good and you’re reading this article, come see me.”
Bringing old-school humor and expertise to the present, McGathy relies on the In De Goot team at times to calm his impulses. “There is always a better way to find a solution,” he explains. “If you ask someone about me, you can still find a bunch of people who will say, ‘Oh, yeah, he told me I’d never be in music again. “It’s a badge of honour. If you haven’t been told you’ll never work in music again by Bill McGathy, you’re not a member of the damn club.”
Sheppard uses the word “legend” to describe McGathy, adding, “He wants people to have a chance. What’s great about him as a manager, for the staff, is that he wants In De Goot to be a place where people can grow. You can come in as an intern and grow to be very successful.” “.
employee standards? “I love people who check their ego at the door,” McGathy affirms. “This is a teams game.”
Company restructuring is a way for employees to work within teams; Several different ideas at the same time, share ideas and personalities that benefit both employees and teams. “Bill really appreciates the team approach and wants people to have a chance to spend time with the artist, travel and meet the people they need to meet. He’s not owned in any way. He wants to be a part of that,” Sheppard says. I know how he does it, but he participates in every squad. He has a relationship with every band.”
And while Honshu In De Goot may be over 70, slowing down isn’t in his future. “I’m living in the moment. It’s our time at In De Goot now. It’s time for Shinedown, Theory and Halestorm now because they’re with the right team at the right time. And when am I going to quit?” he asks without rhetoric. “I will quit when my head hits the table. No retirement for me. I love this shit.”
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