Spotlight On

Cynthia Parsons is Director of Concierge Services at Lyte, ​the reservations technology platform reimagining ticketing for artists, venues and fans.For decades, Cynthia has dedicated her career in the music industry through building meaningful relationships with artists, fans, and industry professionals. At Lyte, she has the opportunity to continue her passion in helping to create memorable and accessible live experiences for fans through Lyte’s innovative technology platform. Lyte’s mission is to fill every seat and make the entire experience delightful and simple.Cynthia began her music industry career in 1987 when her love of music led her to Bill Graham Presents (BGP) with the legendary concert promoter and rock impresario, Bill Graham. Over the 13 years in the Artist Management division, Cynthia managed the day-to-day business and personal activities for a diverse artist roster, which included Aaron Neville, Eddie Money, Joe Satriani, The Neville Brothers, and more.In 2003, Cynthia joined SLO VIP Services, an industry leader in VIP Packages and VIP Ticketing founded by the late, great Shelley Lazar, aka “The Ticket Queen”. The two met during their years working at BGP. In 2008, SLO was purchased by Ticketmaster (Live Nation Entertainment). Over the years, SLO has represented legendary artists such as the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, just to name a few. Cynthia directed the Concierge Services division of SLO, where ticket and package requests were all treated as VIP to ensure that the artist clients’ fans and all customers were provided with a special and personalized experience.Cynthia serves on the board of the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and in her spare time enjoys running, hiking, and attending live music and sporting events. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vito Iaia joins us to discuss the genesis of the Immersive Van Gogh exhibition that his company Impact Museums co-produced. He shares the story of his immersive studio and how content gets licensed and exhibited.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lauren A. Spalding graduated from high school on a Thursday afternoon and started working as a publicity intern at Capitol Records the next morning. That was over fifteen years ago, and she hasn’t worked a “real” job since. As an artist management consultant for her own shop, The Spalding Company, she's shepherded fruitful partnerships to help bring her clients' big ideas to life. As a managing member of Sofi Tukker’s artist oasis, Animal Talk Collective, she’s been a songwriter, party planner, publishing executive, and webmaster, sometimes all in the same day. As co-founder of educational non-profit FEMME HOUSE, she chips away at the equity gap inherent to the technical roles of the music industry, providing womxn and non-binary folx opportunities to learn how to be producers and engineers. And as her artist alter ego, hermixalot, she lives out her pre-teen Missy Elliot dreams, writing and performing songs to move the people.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Theresa Vibberts is the Executive Vice President of North America at CAMI Music, a performing arts agency that reps Lang Lang, Howard Shore, American Ballet Theatre, Alexandre Desplat and others. Vibberts leads the development of CAMI Music’s North American business strategy. In addition she directs CAMI Music’s domestic booking efforts and serves as an artist manager. She also served as the company’s national director of booking since 2016, booking tours and producing promotional assets for artists in jazz, world music, classical music and more.Vibberts joined CAMI in 2011 and previously was head of production for photographer Danny Clinch’s Three on the Tree Productions specializing in music videos and music documentaries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lawrence Peryer is an American producer, writer, filmmaker, and business person best known for his work with Keith Richards, for whom he has produced numerous projects, including an ongoing series of reissues from Richards’ solo catalog. In 2021, Peryer produced and oversaw Bowie 75, two temporary, experiential retail locations dedicated to the work and legacy of musician David Bowie. The shops were open to the public from October 25, 2021 and closed on January 23, 2022. His 2016 project, UNBOUND: A ★ Miniseries, made as part of the promotion of Bowie's final album, ★, won best film at the Austin Arthouse Film Festival.Since 1993, Peryer has been a pioneer in direct-to-consumer and digital marketing in the music and entertainment spaces. He has held leadership and executive positions at companies including early online music retailer CD Universe, digital music startup Imix.com, artist online services company UltraStar Entertainmet (sold in 2007 to Live Nation Entertainment), Warner Music Group and Amazon. As of January 2022, Peryer was Chief Strategy Officer at e-commerce company Lyte and hosts the company's podcast Spot Lyte On, where he discusses the life and work of his guests, including celebrity musicians, artists, writers, and business leaders. Peryer's community work has included board and advisory positions with the National Independent Venue Association, iVoted Concerts, and Seattle Music Partners. He is also an Arts Commissioner in the city of Normandy Park, Washington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With over 15 years of classical violin training, and her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music, Marissa proved her natural versatility on her very first audition for Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull – winning the lead violin position on his 2006 US tour. She would go on to join Jethro Tull for 5 more international tours.Marissa quickly became high in demand as both a featured soloist and recording artist. In the years from 2006 to present, Ms. Licata has collaborated and performed on national and international tours with Alicia Keys, Jethro Tull, Wyclef Jean, H.E.R., James Montgomery, Mario Frangoulis, Ben Harper, Ringo Starr, K. Michelle, Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, Gloria Estefan, Pras of the Fugees, and many more.Appearances on ‘Good Morning America’, ‘The View’, ‘The Latin Grammys’, and ‘Live From The Artist’s Den’, launched the violinist into the spotlight once again in 2012 – this time as a headliner, for her sold out Scullers Jazz Club debut in Boston. Even with a full solo tour schedule, Marissa remained active within the orchestral and chamber music scenes, guesting at chamber festivals throughout the Northeast and performing with the Boston Ballet.In 2018, Marissa joined the American Repertory Theater as violinist and concertmistress for the Alanis Morrisette musical, ‘Jagged Little Pill’. The new musical premiered to rave reveiws and a sold out run. After this great success, Ms. Licata continued in the NYC theater scene, joining the orcehstra at Radio City Music Hall for the 2018 ‘Christmas Spectacular’ starring the The Rockettes.2019 has perhaps been the most successful year yet. Marissa has balanced appearances on ‘Jimmy Kimmel’, The BET Awards, featuring with H.E.R., and recording as breakout artist on projects in the Latin genre. Showcasing the eclectic violinist in her native musical roots, promises a unique combination for the genre and the future of music across the Americas.Her dazzling intensity both on stage and on camera have been mesmerizing audiences, fellow artists and fans everywhere. With a resume of global accomplishment, drawing on World music influences from Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East – Marissa’s unique Gypsy fusion highlights universally familiar melodies with contagious rhythmic energy – a relentlessness presented with tremendous passion, heart, joy, and a stylish flair all her own. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a lifetime of playing music and a Ph.D. in Sound Studies, Mike Butera founded Artiphon to reinvent the musical instrument as a smart, connected device. Mike is intent on building a future where everyday creativity is augmented by technology. He thinks everyone can play music with the right tool, regardless of their training or skill. Beyond Artiphon, Mike likes to think and write about the social structures, phenomenologies, and possible futures of creative technologies.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Slate is an ASCAP award winning singer-songwriter from New York City. He co-founded the 1980’s mod/punk band the Mindless Thinkers, and in the mid-90’s released The Townshend Tapes, on which The Who’s Pete Townshend acted as executive producer. He later opened for Sheryl Crow on her “Tuesday Night Music Club” tour before founding the band The Badge in 1997, who released three albums and countless singles, EPs and live “bootleg” sets, two “best of” compilations, and went on to become darlings of the UK/European “mod” scene in the 2000’s. In 2010 Slate released the solo single “Dreamtime,” which featured Earl Slick (Lennon, Bowie) and Carlos Alomar (Bowie, Lennon), as well as other alums of David Bowie’s bands. Birds of Paradox, his first solo album of original material, was released in 2012. It was followed in November 2013 by Imposters & Attractions, and his contribution to the Pete Quaife Foundation Kinks tribute album Shoulder To Shoulder in 2015, which honored the band’s late bassist. His 2016 album Secret Poetry was another all-star affair, lauded by critics and fans alike. A video of the song “Letter From Paris (Showed Me The Way)” featuring Slate and Slick, was directed by Patrick McGuinn.Jeff's music has appeared in advertising and films and on television, including in the hit show Gossip Girl. Over the past decade Slate has been a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Esquire, Rolling Stone, and many other publications, writing about music and culture, and has appeared on television and radio numerous times, including on former-Sex Pistol Steve Jones’s Los Angeles drive time show Jonesy’s Jukebox, and SiriusXMs Volume channel, where Slate is also a guest host, as well as the BBC numerous times. He is the co-author of the 2017 book The Authorized Roy Orbison, written with the late legend’s sons, and has written liner notes for albums by Orbison, the Small Faces, Shawn Colvin, for the Stax Records 60th anniversary reissue series and for The Beatles’ 50th anniversary edition of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. In 2018 Slate wrote the 10,000+ word essay included in Bob Dylan’s More Blood, More Tracks, the 14 edition of his long-running Bootleg Series. In 2019 Slate appeared onstage at the first World Of Bob Dylan conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, sponsored by the Bob Dylan Center there, where he interviewed The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn and performed with the legend. He also performed at all-star concerts celebrating The Clash’s album London Calling in New York and L.A. In 2020, and Slate appeared at a show in Los Angeles fronting the band from the “Echo In The Canyon” film, as well as at an all-star concert at New York City’s Town Hall honoring the 80th birthday of the Woody Guthrie song “This Land Is Your Land.”During the 2020 lockdown, Slate performed over forty Facebook Live and Instagram Live streaming concerts to thousands of fans each week, including one for the Martin Guitars series “Jam In Place,” and released the live album Lockdown Live taken from those performances. He also released the single and animated video “Heartbreak,” which featured Slick, Duff McKagan and other rock and roll luminaries, and contributed a cover of the Traveling Wilburys’ song “Handle With Care” with his band to the official celebration of Tom Petty’s 70th birthday.Slate proudly plays a Martin OM-28E Retro Acoustic Guitar with Martin Strings, as well as Hofner basses and Vox amps.Photo credit: Rachel Naomi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jordy describes himself as a Marketing Generalist with 13+ Years of Integrated Marketing Experience (Brand, Product, Digital, Content, Influencer, Experiential, Paid, Comms) driving high-impact global programs for Sony Corporation, Intel Corporation, Pernod Ricard, the E.U. Government & more. Both in-house + agency. He's got Deep experience in Emerging Technology (VR, Immersive Audio) & Entertainment/Music verticals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scott Register is head of A&R at ThinkIndie, a distribution company that was founded by the Coalition of Independent Music Stores in 1999. They are also a proud partner of Record Store Day (and have been from the very beginning). Their mission is the same one today as it was the day they started the company: to bring great special releases to independent music stores all over. They are working all day, every day to do our part to accomplish this mission as well as continue to connect great artists and great record shops with great releases. Their end goal is to keep bringing true music lovers to the stores that truly make a difference.Besides sharing the avid fan’s passion and enthusiasm for music, Think Indie stores are equipped with a unique catalogue of exclusive releases, live shows and limited-edition goodies from a variety of well-known artists – the kind of stuff that makes cool record stores even cooler.So, find an independent record store near you, and remember what it’s like to shop in a store where the only appliances are in the break room. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.