Oxygen

Jonathan McHugh scores senior VP gig at Island/Def Jam records

2010-08-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

Published: Thursday, May 06, 2010, 9:00 AM on silive.com.

Original article located: http://www.silive.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2010/05/staten_island_native_jonathan.html

Written by Ben Johnson

He lives in Santa Monica, plays tennis on hotel rooftops and schmoozes with rock stars backstage. When you’re talking to the guy on the phone, you get the idea he is using his Blackberry to talk to somebody else at the same time. The major record label exec speaks at unsafe speeds, and friends describe him like they might talk about a Bruce Willis movie character: “The guy doesn’t really take ‘No’ for an answer.”

But unless you’re Donald Trump, born with a combover and a three-piece with cuff links, every suit was once a T-shirt.

McHugh, who used to deliver the Advance as a 12-year-old and graduated from Curtis High School, remembers when he first realized that his music fandom could translate into something bankable.

“In 1977, when I was 15, Led Zeppelin played several nights at the Garden,” says McHugh. “They were the act to see, but you could never get tickets. I sent a money order in from Staten Island, and by some stroke of luck I got back eight seats. The next day at school I was obviously the most popular guy in the game. People started saying they’d give me double for my ticket. Now, I’m getting mine paid for. That’s when I realized the power of tickets.”

A few weeks ago, McHugh was named senior vice president of film, TV and soundtracks for Island/Def Jam, part of Universal Music Group — the largest company of its kind in the industry. It’s the logical result of a career with some impressive credits. On May 7, another credit can be added to the list: One of McHugh’s artists, The Rocket Summer, will debut on TV with a song that will soundtrack the season opener of NBC's acclaimed football-themed series “Friday Night Lights.”

In the modern marketplace, getting an artist’s song into a television show, movie or ad campaign is one of the most effective ways of getting that artist — and their label — paid, either through direct money or increased exposure. Now that recordings themselves are easily pirated and sold cheap on iTunes, touring, merchandise, and the kind of placement that McHugh does so well — called “sync” in the business — are top revenue streams.

“What’s so amazing now, is how immediately my placement can be evaluated, as well,” says McHugh, whose resume also includes co-producing platinum soundtracks for movies like “Austin Powers,” “Blade” and “The Wedding Singer.” “My sales people can look and see in real time whether iTunes sales of The Rocket Summer spike at the beginning of the airing. And they can tell how effective my placements are.”

Having your job under the modern market’s microscope like this seems like it could produce high levels of stress, but McHugh welcomes that kind of challenge. After he graduated from Curtis, he headed to Tulane University in New Orleans, where his appetite for tickets led him to help promote shows for WTUL, the university’s radio station. After one of the station’s promoters was let go for suspect promotional practices, McHugh told the brass that he could do as good or better of a job.

“I said ‘Look, give me a month,’” recounts the 40-something mover-and-shaker. “‘If I can’t figure this out by then, so be it, but give me a chance to do this.’”

A month later, the freshman still had his job. Since then, McHugh has done everything from working at Elektra and A&M Records and to starting his own independent film and television supervision company Song Stew Entertainment, to working at Zomba and New Line Cinema. The people who have worked with him say that McHugh’s journey from hawking tickets on Staten Island to working in the industry is the reflection of a serious love for music and an inventive, relentless attitude.

“What he has done well is take a very specific skill set in promotions, and combine it with some other passions like film and film music,” says Neil Portnow, the current president and CEO of the National Academy of Recording Artists and Sciences, who hired McHugh to Jive Records when he was VP of the company’s West Coast division. “He adds to that the basic characteristic of being entrepreneurial and self-starting. It’s a very useful combination of abilities and personality traits in business. He has incredible tenacity.”

Portnow experienced this tenacity first-hand, when the two were working at Jive and bringing the Backstreet Boys to the Academy Awards. As the label guys, they had restrictive credentials, but McHugh wanted to get full access. Portnow says his buddy got them onto the red carpet, and past several checkpoints, almost scoring them seats to the event itself.

Others have amusing stories of McHugh’s abilities as well. Jaret Reddick, lead singer of Texas pop-punk band Bowling for Soup, likes to tell a story of going with McHugh and the rest of the band to a random red carpet event. When Ben Stiller got out of a nearby limousine, McHugh grabbed a photographer immediately and created a photo-op with the actor and the band, even though Stiller had no idea who they were.

McHugh’s move paid off — the group’s photo was published and made the rounds in local publications.

“Jon is this sort of slick Hollywood guy that rolled up and ended up being one of the most loved people in our whole circle throughout the years,” says Reddick. “He became a fan of the band and worked super hard to make some things happen for us. Jon’s always been there; a lot of people in his position will be easy to get on the phone until things aren’t going so well. He’s never been like that. In some ways he’s better at staying in touch than I am.”

McHugh’s current roster of A-list artists — from Kanye West and The Killers, to Justin Bieber, Hole and Melissa Etheridge — are in some ways a reflection of those abilities.

“You have to get new music as soon as possible, and find the right stuff for the right people at the right time; It’s based on relationships,” he says. “But it’s also paying attention. I watch my daughters—they hear a song on ‘Gossip Girl,’ they hold up their phone and Shazam (a song-identifying iPhone app) it. That to me is the beauty of television and movie music: When you put a good song in a visual cut with some emotion to it, it can really help move a song forward.”

Oxygen featured in an ad for Zinio

2010-06-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

Check out the newest Zinio commercial featuring Oxygen!

Directed by Chad Bishoff...

In Support of the Nebraska Special Olympics

2010-06-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

Oxygen Supports...

2010-06-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

We're pround to support both of these great organizations and really appreciate the great work that they are doing: It's Always About a Girl and Triple Play Productions. Check out our links page for more information.

Voting for Best of Omaha 2011

2010-06-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

Voting for Best of Omaha 2011 will begin July 1st, 2010.

With your help, we did really well last year. Thanks for your continued support.

We will keep everyone posted on details about how to vote.

2010-04-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

test

2010-03-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

Devetter Fitness

2010-03-22T17:41:00.000-07:00

Devetter Fitness have used our song 'Let Me Set You Free' in their latest video blog.

DeVetter Fitness is your source for Omaha bootcamps, personal training and in home personal training in the NE area.

Indie On Air

2010-03-22T16:39:00.001-07:00

OXYGEN featured on "Indie On Air" Internet Radio! Click to hear NEW Oxygen music with special guest, April Jones.

Mothpod

2010-03-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

The latest OXYGEN single, 'Brand New Skin' was featured on Mothpod! (It's episode 160 which should play automatically, 'Brand New Skin' starts about 14 minutes in). Click here to listen.

Radio Express

2010-03-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

OXYGEN has been picked up by Radio Express for inclusion in their network of 5,000 radio stations in 140 countries! Other Cowbell Digital Music artists selected include St. Paul and Angie Whiteley.

Thanks Omaha

2010-03-22T16:36:00.001-07:00

Thanks for your support Omaha. We've just been voted Best Local Band in Omaha Magazine!

Buy Oxygen

2010-03-22T16:32:00.001-07:00

Buy the latest Oxygen releases from our online store.

"Oxygen Set To Play Ohlone College in CA"

2010-03-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

The Reader, Nebraska
By: Mike Stegmaier

"Oxygen Set To Play Ohlone College"

2010-03-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

The Ohlone College Monitor,
Fremont, CA
By: Jessica Losee

"Oxygen offers island songs, CDs"

2010-03-01T19:12:00.001-08:00

BY: Robert Morast
Section: Link
Dateline: Sioux Falls

Some critics of capitalism like to say things like, "The only free thing in this country is the oxygen we breathe."

Well, apparently the Oxygen we listen to also is free.

A melodic pop rock band that likes to harmonize, Oxygen is one of those rare bands that isn't afraid to give people its music for free.

"We give away our CDs and have from day one," says Brent Cerny, the band's lead singer.

Seriously. We're not talking about CD singles or a couple free downloads on a Web site. Oxygen actually gives people free copies of the band's polished albums - no basement mix tapes here.

The Omaha band's moves could be seen as altruistic, if it weren't such a great marketing idea.

Rather than play a show and hope their sounds are catchy enough to inspire the audience to buy a couple of discs, Cerny gives free copies of the music to anyone who wants them. The idea is that it builds a larger fan base that will be willing to come to future concerts or possibly buy future albums.

This weekend, Oxygen will hand out the free goods at the BrickHouse with 9:30 p.m. shows Friday and Saturday.

"My past experience with bands, I cut a full-length album, and we tried to sell it, but you just don't get the music out there," Cerny says from a phone in Omaha. "It's hard to get people to pay that kind of money for an unestablished act.

"The good thing about this is that it's free, and everybody wants it."

Indeed. People love free, especially when it's music that draws comparisons to Maroon 5 and Jimmy Buffett.

That doesn't mean Cerny and his mates are singing about margaritas and cheeseburgers. But Oxygen does have a number of sunny ditties that talk about the ocean. Kind of odd for an Omaha group.

"I know, that's the funny thing," Cerny says. "At least a couple times a year, I go to spots on the Gulf of Mexico and write songs."

Obviously, Cerny hasn't quit his day job if he's giving away music for free and still taking trips to tropical locales.

Thus, Cerny says some musical peers have wondered how Oxygen is able to afford its handout music service.

"Some people say, `You're selling drugs to make money for CDs,' " Cerny says. "I just figure you have to play the game. With free music on the Internet, you have to compete."

"Oxygen Supply, Not Air Supply"

2010-03-01T18:54:00.001-08:00

The Post-Bulletin in Rochester, MN
By: Kristina Kiliion-Valdez

Soul Fusion may be playing tonight and Saturday at Kathy's Pub, but its the band coming to town that will have the spotlight this weekend.

Oxygen, an Acoustic Rock Band from Omaha, NE will spend the weekend in Rochester passing out a 1000 CD's before taking the stage at Kathy's Pub on Sunday night. Oxygen will be making a special appearance on Saturday night as well.

Their CD "Volume 1" includes the track "All my Heroes" which was published in American Songwriters Magazine and placed in the Suggested Artist category VH1's "Song of the Year"