Slush Management on Musicians and Brands Upping Their Creative Game

Artists that push outside industry norms will have longevity in the biz

Aaron and Neal are cofounders of Slush Management, a boutique artist management company formed in 2010, representing a wide range of artists across multiple genres of music.

We spent two minutes with Aaron and Neal to learn more about their backgrounds, their creative inspirations and recent work they’ve admired. 

Aaron and Neal, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now?

Aaron Greene: I grew up in Novato, Calif. and now live in Sebastopol, Calif., where we built a retreat for artists—a creative hideaway with a studio and space to breathe. My work focuses on supporting artists, both here and elsewhere, as they build worlds around their music and vision. The space is meant to pull our clients out of routine and into pure creativity.

Neal O’Connor: I grew up in Marin County, Calif. near San Francisco. Currently I live in Los Angeles with my wife, young son, dog, and cat.

Your earliest musical memory?

Aaron: Listening to my Dad play bass while all sitting on the floor as a young kid. I think those memories are pretty significant for me more so than any concert. I think those were the first times I heard music in a way that felt like it was speaking. Definitely wasn’t the moment I thought I was going to work in music though. 

Neal: Hearing The Beatles Greatest Hits on cassette tape at about 6 years old. I remember jumping on the bed with excitement while it played, and then playing it over and over for months. There was something so magical and captivating about those melodies. That’s the moment I became obsessed with music.

Your favorite bands/musicians today?

Aaron: Tyler, the Creator and Turnstile. They’re so incredible at building worlds for themselves and seeming like nothing is going to alter that about them.

Neal: Such a hard question to answer. I listen to so much new music all the time. If we’re talking about really current stuff, my mind goes to acts like Magdalena Bay, Wisp or Sammy Virji, but my favorites regardless of era are probably The Beatles, Deftones, Justice, Alice In Chains, Underoath, Eric Prydz, Tame Impala and Stone Temple Pilots.

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

Aaron: Porter Robinson‘s,Second Sky, was something truly special. We built a world I’m incredibly proud of—a place where everyone could feel the love, care, and obsession we poured into it. The energy we gave came right back from the fans, and for three magical years, it felt alive. We worked with the same people behind the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to create the physical installations. Together, we built an interconnected story that tied every part of the festival together—characters, locations, and hidden details woven into a single universe. There was even a speakeasy, a private bar with its own storyline, where VTubers “broadcasted the news” from inside that world. Most people probably never realized just how complex it all was—but they felt it. That energy, that attention to detail, made it beautiful.

Neal: Porter Robinson’s Language Tour. Not because it was the biggest or best thing we’ve ever done, but because it was our first time doing something—in this case, running a proper headline tour with a bus, truck, crew, and full video and lighting production. This was the first time we were fully in control of the whole show experience for fans. We made custom-fabricated light signs in the shape of Porter’s logo, and brought in a much bigger overall visual and lighting production than what other artists of his size were doing at the time. The tour really impressed people, created a ton of buzz, and kicked off a series of many years where his fanbase grew in large part through the strength of his shows.

A recent project you’re proud of?

Aaron: We just launched and sold out of EDEN’s DARK fragrance line.. The idea started while we were working with him on his new album, DARK. Early on, he mentioned his favorite perfume brand, Folie à Plusieurs,, which he’d worn for years. We teamed up with them to create a custom scent that fit perfectly within the world of the album. To bring fans deeper into that world, we included a sample of the fragrance with every vinyl. Once fans had a chance to experience it, we released the full-size product and it sold out in 48 hours.

Neal: EDEN’s DARK album campaign overall. We signed him in the middle of a very challenging situation where he was parting ways with both his prior manager and his record label in the middle of an album roll-out. So with several singles already out, we had to find him a new label deal, orchestrate a buy-out of the initial singles released by the prior label, and then reset and restart the campaign months later. Thankfully, it ended up going incredibly well despite all the unusual challenges. We made some really amazing music videos, hosted a film-screening for fans, sold out of all four of his vinyl variants immediately, and launched a successful tour off the back of all that.

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

Aaron: It feels clearer than ever that passionate music fans are attracted to brilliant artists and those artists that push outside of industry norms are the ones that truly succeed in the long term. As a musician, there are so many people and algorithms influencing your decisions. The artists that are rewarded for the long haul are the ones who follow their actual passion. 

Neal: Every year there are fewer barriers to entry, and the gatekeepers matter less and less. Artists today can create music in their bedrooms using some of the most sophisticated tools in the world for very little cost. Then they can reach people without the need for a record label or other gatekeepers. Later, when it does make sense for an artist to partner with a label, the artist has more leverage than ever, and artists can get much better deals than they did in the past. That’s why we always advise our artists to build independently for as long as possible before committing to any sort of long term deal.

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

Aaron: I’m loving Ninajirachi‘s latest campaign. She’s clearly so inspired and you can really feel the genuine love put into the project as a whole. The best things in life to me are the projects where you feel totally removed from your personal world and are absorbed into the artists. This applies to all forms of experience to me. 

Neal: I recently watched a docu-series called Social Studies by Lauren Greenfield, about social media culture amongst present-day high schoolers. It explores how social media is like an addiction, and when she asks these kids in the film, they basically say life would be better without social media, yet they can’t stop using it. And you get to see all the ways it affects their lives. It was really interesting and well done.

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

Aaron:Movie: Nobody Wants This. I feel like romantic comedies for some reason have really gone downhill with really cheap plots that don’t respect the viewer at all. Nobody Wants This is a total breath of optimism for a genre I really love.

Neal: Book: The Creative Act by Rick Rubin is a really good dissection of the creative process and contains some great insights—not just for artists, but also for those of us who are here to help them. 

An artist you admire outside the world of music?

Aaron: George Lucas. One of the greatest worlds ever built is the Star Wars universe. 

Neal: Norm MacDonald, RIP. He was such a weird, brilliant comic. He would go on late night shows and tell meandering, 4-minute long jokes that intentionally ended with a stupid punchline. He was a comic’s comic and a true artist. 

Your favorite fictional character?

Aaron: Harry Potter–clearly I love fantasy

Neal: Whatever characters Leslie Nielsen plays in Airplane! and The Naked Gun. They’re just so ridiculous and funny.

How should musicians approach working with brands?

Aaron: With passion and creativity only. Everyone knows when you’re forcing it, if you have an actual purpose to do something collaboratively without the purpose being money, go for it! I think the process is incredibly creative though and we have brought in an amazing amount of money for our clients while simultaneously creating jointly beneficial partnerships.

Neal: It should come from a place of authenticity, and artists should only work with brands they’re actually excited about. If you’re just doing it for a paycheck, your fans will see through that, and it hurts your credibility. Our advice to artists is always based on the goal for them to have the longest career possible, and maintaining their credibility is critical to that. So we often advise them to leave money on the table in these situations, even when it can be very tempting to take.

How should brands approach working with musicians?

Aaron: I think the exact same way as musicians should approach with brands. So many brands start with the terms, but starting with the creative is so much more exciting and valuable. 

Neal: Just like the above, brands should find artists that genuinely like the brand. And if it’s a good fit, and it’s my artist we’re talking about, then they should offer us 1 billion dollars 🙂

A mentor that helped you navigate the industry?

Aaron: I honestly never had a mentor in management. I started as a promoter though and the owner of the club was a mentor to me, he took me under his wing in the sense that he gave me the reins and really trusted my instincts at a young age. Narcissistically I think he was right to trust my instincts since it became the #1 nightclub in town but I couldn’t have grown my personal career without his blind faith. Sometimes in your career, you gotta just jump with your instincts and see where you land. 

Neal: I worked at another artist management company before starting my own. They were very good at what they did and I learned a lot from them, but it was an unpleasant experience and I wouldn’t call what they did “mentorship” by any means. After that, I promised myself that whenever I had employees of my own, I would treat them with respect.

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

Aaron: Probably would want to move into consulting of some form. I love building worlds in any way I can. Maybe theme parks?

Neal: No clue, I never once considered a Plan B.