Jeff Bowers of Wax Management: Brands and Musicians Need a Meeting of the Minds

It's about creating authentic communities

With over 20 years of experience, Jeff is founder of Wax Management. As a teenager, Bowers was a member of the Arizona punk rock scene, fronting the band Last Option and releasing music on his own record label. He spent his early career on the major label circuit, working for Warner Bros. and Atlantic, managing creative strategy for seminal catalogs during the the vinyl revival. In collaboration with Wax CEO Janis Shen, Bowers has struck equitable deal structures that foster long-term success for artists. He represents cross-genre acts and specializes in the Soundcloud community, working with Freddie Dredd, 1nonly, LLusion and more.

We spent two minutes with Jeff to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired. 

Jeff, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Tempe, Ariz., and now live in Los Angeles. 

Your earliest musical memory.

Seeing Liberace play when I was 6. 

Your favorite bands/musicians today.

Black Flag, Lauryn Hill and Pharoah Sanders.

One of your favorite projects you’ve ever worked on.

When I was getting started, I led the creative direction for Led Zeppelin’s vinyl box set for The Song Remains The Same. I loved getting to work with the band members to help bring their vision to life and get the project over the finish line.

A recent project you’re proud of.

Freddie Dredd’s Inferno album. We dug in and turned album tracks into singles in real-time. We leveraged influencers in the gaming community. When an influencer created content, we would work with them in real time, tapping into organic fan engagement. 

One thing about how the music world is evolving that you’re excited about.

I’m excited about streaming and influencer/social media marketing. Both are ever-evolving spaces that require constant creativity. The mainstream used to be just 200 artists. Now, anyone can break through. This is what democratizing the music industry looks like. It’s just a bit messier than it was before. 

Someone else’s work, in music or beyond, that you admired lately.

Everything Tyler, The Creator has done for his Chromakopia album has been brilliant. The way his music can be quirky and fun but still abrasive is really interesting. It’s awesome to see him in so many facets of the culture.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

I’ve been very inspired by Dr. Gabor Maté. His family survived the Holocaust. He’s done a lot of work studying addiction in personality disorders, and he’s a great spokesperson for compassion and self-compassion. He wrote a book called The Myth of Normal. I try to apply his principles to the way I work.

An artist you admire outside the world of music.

Virgil Abloh. He was a visionary and had the instinct to create something out of nothing.

How brands should approach working with musicians.

Brands should meet musicians where they’re at. People are attracted to movements because we’re attracted to people who believe the same things. Meet the artists there.

A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.

Craig Kallman, Tom Whalley and Tom (Grover) Biery were saying things about music and marketing 20 years ago that people are just catching up with today. These guys were very open-minded and ahead of their time.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in the music business.

Owning a book or record store.