Monday Night Forum

This weeks forum guest is Rick Farman, Co-Founder and Partner of Superfly Productions. At the young age of 17, Rick Farman began promoting concerts at small clubs in New York City. Soon after, he moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane University. In 1996 Rick and four friends and music enthusiasts took advantage of their love for the industry and began their own production company. Rick Farman, Jonathan Mayers, Richard Goodstone, and Kerry Black began Superfly Productions which would become one of the most quality and creative young companies in the New Orleans market. Some of the company’s first successes were seen through shows during Mardi Gras and Jazzfest. In 2002, Superfly was the leading force in the creation of the Bonnarro Music and Arts Festival. Immediately the success of Bonnaroo was recognized and praised. Rolling Stone noted Bonnaroo as “one of the 50 moments to change the history of rock and roll,” while Billboard and Pollstar deemed it the Festival of the Year. The New York Times called it “the American rock festival to end all festivals”

Recently, Superfly partnered with the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. In 2008 the first ever Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival took place with an exceptionally green “eco-friendly” production. With six stages, a wine tent, local delicacies and a number of special, local attractions this festival was coined “the biggest and most ambitious ticketed concert in Northern California history.” 140,000 fans attended the first time festival and now, plans with Superfly Productions are in the works for a bigger and better 2010 Festival. In addition to being a production company for shows and large-scale events like festivals, Superfly is now a marketing agency for Fortune 500 Corporations and other businesses and serves as a management agency with a client roster that includes the New Orleans based band very familiar to Loyola University forum, Galactic.

In 2009, Rick, along with Bonnaroo partners Jonathan Mayers, Rich Goodstone, Kerry Black and Ashley Capps, were included in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of “100 people who are changing America.” Superfly Production’s festival greening initiatives, multi-facetted talents and very dedicated staff, success and recognition will only grow.

Please join us  in welcoming Rick Farman on November 16 at 5:00 PM.

Anu Kirk graduated from Dartmouth College, an Ivy League school, in 1991 where he studied, of all things, economics. After four years of learning how business models work, and studying financial structures, statistics and all else that a degree in economics is comprised of, Anu took the path that many would – he went to L.A. to become a rock star. While playing gigs and following his music career, Anu was simultaneously meeting people in the music industry. He was gaining opportunity after opportunity and soon began to work for a company which made professional audio equipment, where he began to make even more connections. After years of playing in different bands, producing records, experimenting with film and TV scoring, Anu began to settle into a industry that was new then – internet music.

In 2001, Anu Kirk became one of the people responsible for launching the first internet music subscription service what would become Rhapsody. Fully realizing the cost benefit of producing and distributing music digitally, Kirk took full advantage of this. Before fully launching Rhapsody, Kirk held positions in multiple other companies involved in distributing music over the internet. Product Manager for TuneTo.com, where Kirk developed the business plan for what would become Rhapsody,  Senior Product Manager for Listen.com, where Kirk became responsible for launching Rhapsody 1.0, Senior Product Manager for Liquid Digital Media, where Kirk became responsible for developing digital media for War-Mart, and now, General Manager of Product Management for Rhapsody, Kirk obviously has a very impressive resume. Today, Rhapsody “is a digital music service that lets you listen to whatever you want, wherever you are – without paying per track.”  Rhapsody is one of the largest, legal, online music distributers and is responsible for promoting millions of songs and thousands of artists.

Please join us in welcoming Anu Kirk November 9 at 5:00 PM.

Robert Mercurio was born in 1972 in the Washington D.C. area. He grew up listening to mostly DC Punk Rock and later expanded his horizons to funk, jazz, and r & b. Robert began playing bass when he was just 13 years old and as a product of this, joined his first band, the Skitzmatics. In 1990 Robert moved to, and still remains in New Orleans. Education, as well as the continuing to pursue a career in music were important to Robert, and where better to be for both of these things than in New Orleans. “I had heard about the Meters (a local funk band) and was familiar with scene, but didn’t know how intense of a scene it was” Mercurio says. Robert ended up at Tulane University, but the city’s music clubs are what continued to grab his attention, and it was these clubs that taught him more than any class could. “I fell in love with the city and its culture.”

In 1994 Robert started Galactic with friend, and Skitzmatics band mate, Jeff Raines. Galactic has toured all over the world, and has recorded multiple albums. Robert managed and did booking for Galactic for its first three years and began doing the same for bands Good Enough for Good Times and Dragon Smoke. “I remember when I was a freshman” Robert stated, “going to shows at Tipitina’s that were totally packed and thinking to myself ‘maybe someday I’ll play here.’” Robert admits that he never thought Galactic would be as successful as they are today, and when talking about his unexpected success in the business says “I never thought I’d really be making a living off of music. But I can’t say I’m not happy about it.”

Please join us in welcoming Robert Mercurio of Galactic Monday, November 2 at 5:00 PM.

To learn more about Robert Mercurio you can visit: www.Galacticfunk.com

To hear Galactic’s music visit Myspace at www.Myspace.com/galactic

For Good Enough For Good Times visit: www.Myspace.com/goodenoughforgoodtimes

And for Dragon Smoke visit: www.Myspace.com/dragonsmokeband