Chris Taylor on MNRK's Rebrand, Managing Death Row Records Catalog, and Music's M&A Market

Chris Taylor is the president and CEO of MNRK, a record label that was formerly eOne Music. In this episode, he walks us through his journey from being a touring musician to having a legal practice to starting an independent label to heading eOne’s music division through its rebranding. He shares what it was like to sell Last Gang during the pandemic, to represent Drake and other Canadian artists, and to manage the Death Row Records catalog. He also offers advice as a record label executive to developing artists.

Get thrown back to the pre-streaming era and see how the music landscape is changing from the eyes of a veteran in the industry!

Episode Highlights

[02:18] What MNRK has been up to since its rebranding and the process of how eOne sold its music business to Blackstone

[08:40] On leading MNRK now compared to 2016

[15:52] The synergy opportunities that Last Gang and eOne lost because of its strategic partnership and the onslaught of COVID

[19:02] Chris’ thoughts on the music landscape from the perspective of music companies and record labels, legacy copyrights, and 

[25:28] The highlights of his legal career

[31:58] What buying and listening to music was like in the early 2000s

[35:48] On managing the Death Row Records catalog

[40:15] On the opportunities for developing artists in the era of streaming and social media

[48:02] Why some record labels have gotten into trouble

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Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Chris Taylor, @solicitorct, MNRK Music Group

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