Radio Edit | 9.5.23

This week, MUSICTASTE CEO Vanja Primorac sits down with us to talk about how the boutique creative studio designs multisensory experiential events for artists- creating a more unique and holistic presentation of the story behind an artist’s music.

RE: Having been to one of your events before, I was pretty blown away by how cohesive and comprehensive everything felt. Since it is so unique, do you mind explaining a bit about what MUSICTASTE does?

VP: Thank you so much! Glad you were able to make it! MUSICTASTE is a creative studio focused on experience design. We use creative thinking to build out thoughtful event strategies and production, helping artists and brands tell their stories in more meaningful ways.

The initial concept for MUSICTASTE was rooted in pairing musicians and their music with chefs and their food. We all know how tough it can be to get people in this industry to show up to an event, and then actually pay attention once they’re there. I wanted to create a new way to celebrate an artist and their music while drawing the audience in and keeping them engaged.

While food is still an important element of all of our events, each experience we build is bespoke and based on the client's needs. Most recently, we did an amazing project with UMG where we were brought in to curate and produce the celebration honoring 50 years of Hip-Hop in New York. While the food portion of the experience was impressive, the core of the event was the artist's performances and installations in the space.

Interview w/ Vanja continued below

Beaches, booze, and billions

Following a four-year battle with skin cancer, prolific songwriter and businessman Jimmy Buffett sadly passed away on Friday at 76.

Long before it was commonplace for artists to develop brands outside of music, Buffett was a pioneer in his ability to harness his unique aesthetic and turn it into a billion dollar empire. Despite only mild success at radio, Buffett was able to capitalize on a devoted fanbase by first dipping his toes into personal branding in 1987 with the first Margaritaville Café and retail store in Key West. From there- Buffett has since grown that business into a global lifestyle brand that sees approximately $1.5 billion in annual sales and has almost $5 billion in the development pipeline.

Already a well-rounded business whose licensed brands include restaurants, clothing/apparel, retail, a beer line, and a music label imprint- Margaritaville Holdings is currently developing an active adult community for those 55 and older in Daytona Beach and Hilton Head- a senior living alternative for those intent on enjoying their golden years.

Buffett leaves behind a legacy that transcends music; one that helped create the business blueprint for today’s recording artists.

How IDK is bridging hip-hop culture and academia

Looking to help break down the barriers of entry to work in the music industry, rapper IDK and No Label have once again teamed up to host their No Label Academy program at Harvard Univesity.

Supplemented with guest speaking appearances by industry professionals like Zane Lowe, Mike Dean, and the late Virgil Abloh, the nine-day seminar is “aimed at democratizing and improving opportunities for students from systemically disadvantaged backgrounds interested in careers in the music business.” Regardless of their collegiate status, this immersive music business program is open to applicants between ages 18-25 and offers advice, resources, and jop/internship opportunities combined with wellness exercise like meditation and daily affirmations.

A typical day at No Label Academy looks something like this: “Students start the day with 6:00 a.m. workouts, followed by breakfast, meditations, then lectures running from 9:00 a.m. to around 5:00 p.m. Each day has a theme – like monetization, financial literacy or mental health — along with surprise guest lecturers.”

To help make the program free to all, the program is entirely dependent on sponsorship funding from donors including Nike, Converse, Jordan Brand, WMG, Microsoft, and Dior (whose men’s artistic director helped design the students’ uniforms alongside IDK ). Time and funding permitting, IDK and No Label hope to expand the program to colleges and universities nationwide.

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Interview w/ MUSICTASTE’s Vanja Primorac continued

Prior to launching MUSICTASTE a little over a year ago, you were over at Spotify and UTA. How did your experiences there influence what you're doing now with your latest venture?

At Spotify I worked on a variety of experiential events which I found to be really fun and thrilling. My day-to-day was spent working with artists, managers, and labels trying to find new ways to market records and break through the noise. So the conversations I was having showed me there was a real gap in the market. The artists were looking for a better way to tell their stories.

And then at UTA I worked with departments across the agency, and with emerging digital and tech companies that wanted to partner with musicians and talent across our roster. This experience showed me that there was also an appetite from brands, tech, and labels for more immersive experiences. So MUSICTASTE was born.

The first event I curated was in 2019 with Saro and Adam Perry Lang. The three of us met and talked all about the music, how it sounds, and the emotions it exudes. Chef APL put together a tasting menu, each dish serving as his interpretation of how the music tastes. It was such a special night and the feedback was overwhelming. I knew I had something there, it just took a few years for me to get the courage to fully dive in.

Can you walk us through the process and strategy of how you approach putting an event together for each client?

Typically, this comes to life in three different phases. Exploration and creative ideation, strategy and partnerships, and production.

The process starts with understanding the artist and the project. I ask lots of questions about the narrative, meaning, and themes behind the album and then get into details about the artist, what matters to them, where they’re from, what food they love, etc. From there, I go into creative concepting and proposal building. This phase includes a lot of outreach to potential partners including chefs, venues, designers, fabricators, and other vendors that make sense for the project. Once the artist and their team are happy with the concept we go into production which entails end-to-end oversight and stakeholder relations.

You've built this really impressive network of partners across the culinary, botanical, and design worlds. How did you find everyone?

Art, music, design, and especially food are all passions of mine and I’m always looking for new talent to collaborate with. A big part of my creative practice is looking for inspiration through these various lenses and I’ve started a database of everyone I know, work with, and want to work with. There are definitely times when my clients want something very specific in terms of cuisine or an installation build and I don’t have someone in my immediate circle, but through the network MUSICTASTE has created we are able to find and connect with the right partners.

Are these partners collaborating directly at all on a given project or are you really just quarterbacking everything yourself and calling the shots?

I like to bring all my partners to the table and create a space where we can collaborate and explore options. However, more often than not I’m working with people who are extremely busy or the project comes to me with a short turnaround time. In which case I’m really gathering all the best options and calling the shots.

From your perspective, why should artists and their teams be invested in utilizing a multisensory experience like this to tell the story of their project?

The experience economy is changing, especially after covid. Audiences want more from the events they attend. They want elevated and curated experiences with authenticity and originality at the forefront. We believe that by activating all fives senses you have the ability to grab their attention and create a lasting impact. If you’re putting together an event to highlight an artist, a project, or a product launch then make it worthwhile for your guests, it will in turn be worthwhile for you.

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Hitmaker Distro / Hitmaker Music Group has tapped Gabrielle Peluso as general manager, overseeing distribution, artist development strategy and day-to-day operations

Danny Wimmer Presents adds new hires: Elizabeth Harsh (evp of brand and experience), Johnny Firecloud, (director of digital communications), Anson Li (director of insights), and Britten Stephenson (guest services manager)

Doesn’t it seem like the best jobs are never posted online? That’s why each week we’re going to share an unlisted job opening from our network in an effort to connect people and opportunities.

This week’s unlisted job:

Day-To-Day Manager | Los Angeles

If you’re interested, send us your resume here and we’ll pass it on

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