Killphonic’s Caleb Shreve on his journey & Empowering Indie Songwriters
Caleb Shreve, the founder of Killphonic Rights, he shares his journey, insights on navigating the music industry and how his work is empowering indie songwriters.
Killphonic’s Caleb Shreve on his journey & Empowering Indie Songwriters
via A2IM
Caleb Shreve is a former Music Producer, Songwriter, and Artist. He founded Killphonic in 2015 as an artist management company but quickly saw a broader need to support artists in managing their rights–specifically publishing and neighboring rights. Without finding options that felt adequate for his clients, Caleb established Killphonic RIghts in 2019 with a vision to create a rights management company with the integrity and transparency he was looking for.
Tell us about how you got your start in the music industry, and how it lead to the work you do today.
I began my professional career at Sony Music Studios in New York. My beginnings there have influenced every aspect of my career since then. I had a chance to witness some of the biggest artists in the world working at a time when the industry was at its highest point. I then witnessed the industry’s collapse through the Napster days and the rebuilding back to where it is now. Through all of that, I saw the importance of managing rights and how the issues surrounding them impact every other aspect of our industry. It soon became a passion of mine to understand how rights are continually adapted to the evolving technologies in music and entertainment.
Is there a success story or career milestone that you are most proud of?
Growing this company to what it has become is my most significant success. Partnering with a funding company this year to provide us with the capital to grow has been a goal since we started. I’m very proud that we could get that across the finish line and now open up a new chapter and roadmap to the next milestone.
Are there any projects you’re working on or company updates that you’re most excited about?
I’m most excited about all the amazing people we’re now bringing on. Some things are still in the works, so I don’t want to be too specific, but I’m getting to reconnect with people I have known and admired for so many years. I’ve already enjoyed working with some of my favorite people in the industry, Michael Grubbs and Jill Pedone, for the past couple of years. Now, with the addition of Syd Butler from French Kiss and a couple more people coming on, we have nothing short of my dream team. I know that sounds corny, but it’s true.
What’s a lesson that you learned early on in the music biz?
There are so many lessons I’ve learned. The biggest thing that has led me to all the other great lessons is not being afraid to fail. I’ve seen so many artists paralyzed by the fear of failure. I have always learned so much from failure. After a significant loss, I’ve gotten five steps ahead of my competition with the lessons I took from those experiences. I have a great perspective from having seen the industry from the peaks that I have, but it wouldn’t mean nearly as much without the context of struggling through those tough times.
“I absolutely love finding unclaimed money for clients.”
What’s your favorite part of your job and/or company?
Getting one of those big back payments for uncollected royalties is a great feeling. We had a lot of growth during the pandemic because we were all stuck in our homes on our computers, just tracking down royalties, calling friends and colleagues, and signing clients to represent. We just got in a great flow of getting people paid, and I loved getting those calls to tell us how much a royalty payment meant to them when they couldn’t tour or promote their records because of the lockdown. I have always wanted to be a producer because I want to help artists see their vision through on a record. I feel a similar feeling now, helping and fighting for artists to get paid what they’ve earned and what they deserve for their work.
Outside of your work in music, do you have any other hobbies or particular areas interest?
I don’t have too many hobbies. I love baseball, though. I think music and art are so subjective that I need an outlet or break from work that is the opposite. I love the objectiveness in that you have to be the best at what you do to succeed in sports. If you can’t hit a ball, run, or throw fast enough, you’re not going to make it. I appreciate fairness, and I find a lot of that in baseball.
“learn as much as possible”
Any words of advise for rising music industry professionals?
Everyone should try and learn as much as possible about what everyone is doing–or is supposed to be doing. I think understanding roles and relationships between different aspects and jobs within the industry will give you a great context for what your role or job is. It may even change your mind on what you thought your passion was, and give you a clearer direction or road map to what you want to do–and the best way to get to your measure of success. I think too many people find something they love or are good at early on in the industry, and it becomes their sole focus. This may work for an artist, songwriter, or producer but not as much for industry professionals. Having holes in your understanding of some aspects of the industry ecosystem inevitably catches up with you at some point. It’s a bit like training in sports. If you try to do too much without having the proper preparation, you’re probably going to get hurt at some point.
Connect with Caleb!
Check out Killphonic Rights on LinkedIn
About A2IM:
A2IM is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade organization headquartered in New York City that exists to support and strengthen the independent recorded music sector. Membership currently includes a broad coalition of more than 700 Independently-owned American music labels. A2IM represents these independently owned small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) interests in the marketplace, in the media, on Capitol Hill, and as part of the global music community. In doing so, it supports a key segment of America’s creative class that represents America’s diverse musical cultural heritage. Billboard Magazine identified the Independent music label sector as 37.32 percent of the music industry’s U.S. recorded music sales market in 2016 based on copyright ownership, making Independent labels collectively the largest music industry sector.
Learn more about A2IM here.
