Interview with Keren McKean – manager of The Mill and head of our influential, sharp-eyed A&R team.
Ok, let’s start with a big question. What’s your proudest moment to date?
My first platinum disc. I have 3 now. All quite special, but the first was the best. And that my name is the very first credit on Final Straw by Snow Patrol.
Yep, that’s pretty impressive. So what was the first record you bought?
I’m fortunate enough to have had quite a cool dad who liked his music, so both my first record and first gig are not too embarrassing. Thanks to him my first record was Blondie and my first gig was Adam & The Ants.
And right now, what song’s in your head?
I have got Untitled by The Ads absolutely stuck in my head!
Great track. So who’s your favourite band?
My constant few are Love, Television, Patti Smith, This Mortal Coil, dEUS, and obviously Snow Patrol and Aerials Up (formerly known as The Ads). I can get really into one song by an artist – my ringtones change fairly frequently. Alec Downie, a friend and part of the Scottish music industry, regularly posts brilliant YouTube videos on Facebook of old songs that always remind me of something I love. I currently have “Since Yesterday” by Strawberry Switchblade on. Sometimes I don’t want to answer the phone as I like listening to the song too much.
So, when did you realise that the music industry was for you?
I was about 16. I was friendly with Teenage Fanclub and the BMX Bandits. Duglas Stewart used to make up the most amazing compilation tapes for me. While I was at Uni, I managed my first band, State of Flux, who were signed to T&B (Twitch from Optimo’s first label).
And how did you get in to A&R?
First as a promoter. My dad died from leukaemia when I was 17. Teenage Fanclub helped me put on a charity gig in aid of leukaemia when I was 18. We did 2 nights at King Tut’s that were totally sold out. Geoff Ellis was the booker. He ended up offering me a job at DF where I worked in a variety of roles.
Then where did you go?
I applied for a job with Big Life in 2000. Jazz Summers (responsible for the success The Verve, The Orb, Badly Drawn Boy, Killing Joke and more) found my passion for Scotland and Scottish bands a worthwhile investment. I am still there. I co manage with Jazz and Tim Parry and do A&R for the publishing arm, where I signed Snow Patrol. I have actually offered two publishing deals to The Mill artists recently.
Got any advice for anyone wanting to get on in the music industry?
Most people that ask me about the music industry want to get into management – it’s a good place to start. It generally gives people an idea of all the different roles needed to break a band. With things the way they are in the music industry, a good manager is someone who is creative, has loads of ideas about how to market their band and is very pro active. No one is sure what business models are working and which ones will fail, so you need to have confidence to experiment with your ideas. Just because no one else has done it before, it could work brilliantly so it’s important to have that belief in your band and yourself.
So, how has your time with The Mill been so far?
Busy! It always has been, from day one, but I like that. There is such a big team on The Mill, so many people behind the scenes making everything happen.
What do you think about what Miller Genuine Draft are doing?
What I loved about The Mill most at the beginning was the way Miller Genuine Draft listened to my ideas, understood what the bands needed and acted on it. Looking at the number of bands asking for a slot at The Mill, I know we are getting it right. It’s a fantastic opportunity for any emerging band to be associated with our line-ups and also to receive all the assets for free. Loads of bands don’t realise that they get to keep the rights, even though Miller Genuine Draft pays for the recordings. Many bands can’t afford to work with Tony Doogan, so that is always a huge selling point. Production Co Pilot that make all the videos have also developed loads since working on The Mill – everyone comments on how good the quality of the videos is when they see them.
Any of The Mill bands you can see going the distance?
The obvious ones are Frightened Rabbit, Broken Records, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Twin Atlantic but I also see huge potential in Found, Aerials Up (formerly known as The Ads), OK Social Club, Pearl & The Puppets, Sparrow & The Workshop, and a few others coming through that you will see confirmed shortly.
At the moment, what’s your favourite downloadable The Mill track?
Other than The Ads, I like all of OK Social Club’s tracks.
Finally, predictions for 2010?
It will be interesting to see how the music industry goes. I hope to see Found and Aerials Up breaking through.
