Album Capsules
by Mark E. Waterbury
Rick Caruso - Keep the Dream Alive
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Big Green Limousine - Title Track Conspiracy
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Living Space - Fade Into Existence...
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Jarrod Birmingham - Stages
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Corbin Keep - Call of the Wild Cello
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Sprawl - Sarah Veladora
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Annie Humphrey - Edge of America
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QWIKSAND - The Fellowship of the Groove
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Pthalo - self titled
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Matador - self titled
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Crossroads: George Lynch
by Mark E. Waterbury
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Industry Profile - Scott Baggs, Talent Buyer - The Entertainment Collective
by Mark E. Waterbury
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Indie Band Spotlight - Rick Caruso
by Mark E. Waterbury
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Scott Turner's Song Publisher's Perspective
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Music Biz Opportunities
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Music Industry Marketing Showcase
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Copyright 2004 by Music Morsels, a Serge Entertainment Publication.
Editor: Sandy Serge
Contributing Columnists/Writers:
Mark E. Waterbury, Scott Turner
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 TM© April 2004
Industry Profile - Scott Baggs, Talent Buyer - The Entertainment Collectiveby Mark E. Waterbury
"When I was sixteen I heard the Minor Threat song 'Sour Days' and the Social Distortion album 'Mommy's Little Monster' and it just ruined my life!" Of course Scott Baggs was just musing about that time in his life when he realized he had a true passion for music. Born and raised in east Texas, Scott spent part of his teen years in Dallas where he admits he played in some bad bands. After a stint in the Marine Corps and some time in college, he began to pursue the business side of the music industry, an aspect he had previously realized he was better suited for than performing. He gained his first real insight when he managed the band Engine Number 9, who were friends of his. "At that time, I had a cousin who worked in the industry in New York City who helped me out," Scott recalls. "And I did a lot of do it yourself stuff. I learned by trial and error. The band were good guys, not the best band in the world, but it was kind of surprising that they were the jump off point on how the business works."
After his managing stint, Scott landed an internship working with the talent buyer for a rock club in Dallas called Trees. Soon afterward, he worked with an indie label before moving on to the Alliance Entertainment Group where he booked a roster of eight bands. After only eight months at Alliance, he returned to management with the band Pimpadellic and secured a recording deal for with Tommy Boy Records. "I learned so much from the people at Alliance and I saw all the sides of the business. It was with Pimpadellic where I really began to put what I learned so far together. It took me awhile to figure out what I liked doing the best."Scott was a bit restless, so when he heard the booking agent at Trees left, he jumped into that slot and then later managed the club before taking the talent buying position at the legendary Bronco Bowl, a huge Dallas theater and venue that was sadly torn down recently. "The Bronco Bowl was where I Iearned everything. It was cool because it enabled me to work with different promoters every night, different tour managers and different bands. I really learned about the national touring end of the biz and what that level of band expected when they walked in and how to handle it."
In June of 2001, Scott left the Bronco Bowl to become a talent buyer with the Entertainment Collaborative, a company that took over the bookings for Trees and Gypsy Tea Room exclusively, as well as several other clubs and venues on a more limited basis. He finally found out what he was the happiest doing and was ready to quit being restless with his career. "I didn't really like being a booking agent especially when you have bands that people weren't really that excited to book because no one really knew them. I didn't like the management side because I didn't really get into the baby-sitting end of it. With the labels, I noticed there was too much instability with the job security. I found I enjoyed being a talent buyer for venues. It's more my style putting shows together, having a successful night and having the band and the fans be happy." Scott worked under Charles Attal, the Entertainment Collaborative's chief talent buyer and owner of Charles Attal Management in Austin, the booking entity for Stubb's, La Zona Rosa and the Austin City Limits Festival. It was a rough time for the business when Scott came on board which was just a few months before 9/11. "The business was really tough, but over the last few years, I feel that I have really learned more and more about how to do my job and to do it right. How to hustle and promote shows and get the word out. If you are going to be a talent buyer you have to hustle, at no level in this business is anything going to be just given to you. You have to get out and earn it and also earn people's respect, and never ever let your integrity be questioned."
The Entertainment Collaborative and Scott survived the turbulent times after 9/11 and continue to grow, bringing bigger and better shows to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. They have made constant improvements to their clubs sound systems, amenities and safety features. In regards to the later, Trees was one of the very few clubs that had actually had their capacity increased following the Warwick, Rhode Island tragedy, as the Entertainment Collaborative was proactive in club safety measures. Scott sees continuing growth ahead and does not see the need to try changing his career path anymore at this time. "As a company I have seen a definite progression, not only as far as the way the shows are run, but the types of shows that we are running. With myself, if it was the right situation I wouldn't mind going out on tour sometime as a tour manager but it would have to be the perfect situation. Right now I feel that I have the perfect situation. I have people I really enjoy working for, venues that I love and the staffs are great there. So I've got it pretty good right now."
Scott Bagg's advice for musicians: "First make sure you know how to tune your guitars. Make sure you are rehearsing a lot, and play as many gigs as possible. The more you play and the more you tour, the better your band becomes and the more experiences you gain for your songwriting. And promote...bands at times forget that they need to be promoting themselves. This is their business and they have to view it as that. As fun as this job can be, you have to remember that this is a business, and if you aren't thinking about money, someone else is and you will never survive if you don't think about that.
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