Will Tenney is a music industry executive, entrepreneur, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Currently, as Head of Streaming Strategy & Promotion at Crush Music, he oversees campaigns for Lorde, Sia, Panic! At the Disco, Lennon Stella, and Green Day, among other artists. In this role, Tenney manages relationships with DSPs, studies algorithms, and creates opportunities for streaming growth.
Prior to this, he worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs before returning to his music roots by co-founding SunPop Music – an NYC-based record label and management consulting company. At SunPop, he’s independently sold more than 200,000 records with artists like Sara Bareilles, Jake Miller, Lizzy McAlpine, boyband, Landon Cube, Dylan Rockoff, and more. In 2015, he received a Gold record for co-writing Amelie’s “That’s My Song” for Warner Music Spain. Other highlights of his career include receiving an RIAA Platinum record for MAX’s #1 Hot AC hit, “Lights Down Low” (Sony/Red); a Gold record for Weezer’s cover of “Africa” by ToTo (Warner/Atlantic); a Gold record for Lykke Li’s “Sex Money Feelings Die” (Sony/RCA); and a Multi-Platinum record for Panic! At the Disco’s “High Hopes” (Warner/Fueled By Ramen).
As an artist himself, Tenney’s toured North America with artists like Lauv, Cash Cash, and Parachute and currently plays in a band – Exit – recently named a RockSound Magazine Breakout Artist. Living through the golden years of Pop-Punk and Punk-Rock, he frequently comments and analyzes current cultural trends as they pertain to nostalgia within music. He’s an active member of the Society of Leaders In Development (SOLID) and was named a 2021 HITS Magazine “Noisemaker”. Tenney holds a degree in Music Industry & Business Administration from Northeastern University.
LEG: Streaming is one of the most important components in breaking a new artist in the industry today but it can be incredibly challenging to get the attention and support of the major digital streaming platforms. What advice would you give a developing artist trying to break through in streaming? What type of profile and resume do you generally need to build to be considered for the most influential playlists in your opinion?
WT: The advice I give to developing artists looking to build a streaming base is: release competitive records consistently (the general rule of thumb is 1 single every 6 weeks). Streaming (unlike the sales market), is algorithmic, and the more you feed the algorithm with positive data, the more it will work in your favor. It learns what listeners like your music (few and far between as they may be), and tries to show it to more. This is a good plan for artists looking to build a streaming base, or grow an existing one (and it doesn’t rely on variables out of your control - like playlists). The growth will be small at first, but after 6-7 releases, I bet you start to see some real movement.
As far as being considered for influential playlists….my suggestion is obvious: don’t make music that could be supported, make music that needs to be supported. The world has a wild surplus of songs that could be on playlists, and no matter how established you are, there are countless people ahead of you. The developing artists that are most frequently supported are making cutting edge and avant garde music that is driving culture forward - not repeating the past. Spotify’s Fresh Finds collection does an excellent job of identifying these records - and most of them have as few as 15-20k monthly listeners.
LEG: Tell us about SunPop, how you decided to launch a record label, and some of the artists on your roster to watch out for.
WT: SunPop is the record label and management consulting business I started in 2015. At the time, I was finishing 4-5 years of studying and touring with various projects, so it just seemed like the next logical step. What started as a few friends messing around eventually turned into a full fledged label working with radio records, household names, etc. Because of my role at Crush, there are some folks now running SunPop in my place, but I'll always be proud of what the brand has accomplished.
In terms of who to look out for….there were a couple exciting signings this year. Ben Kessler & Lizzy McAlpine put out a beautifully honest single called “False Art” (SunPop), which went on to garner 6 million+ streams. There's a hyper-punk group from Long Island called poptropicaslutz! that did a single with SunPop and who have been getting a lot of major label attention. And of course, Dylan Rockoff has been a long-time staple of the roster - his project is a true testament to the power of the “long game.”
LEG: Crush Music is one of the most well-known and respected companies in the record industry and represents many talented artists, writers, and producers including Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Lorde, Panic! At the Disco, Sia, Train, and Weezer to name a few. How did you manage to land the job of Head of Streaming Strategy & Promotion at Crush? What have you learned from the way the Crush team rolls out and breaks major artists?
WT: Humbly speaking, I think I initially landed the role at Crush because I was one of the first to capitalize on the streaming boom. In 2014, most labels were still focusing on downloads (if you can believe it), but I was a little ahead of the game. Having just launched SunPop, I decided to offer “streaming promotion” as a service - which was a relatively new concept - and ended up working with almost all the major labels to legitimately break records. Back then, 3rd party playlists were so powerful, you could actually seed RIAA Gold or Platinum hits. Eventually what I was doing made its way to Crush, and I’ve been there ever since.
The Crush team is one of the best in the business (if not the best). I am eternally grateful for what they’ve taught me about this crazy game of chess.
LEG: From touring with bands, to breaking big hit records with the team at Crush, to developing your own successful label and company, you certainly have accomplished a lot at this early stage in your career. What have been some of the highlights that are most meaningful to you?
WT: I appreciate the kind words….I think my proudest moment was giving my parents my first platinum record. I had the plaque engraved with their names as a thank you for their lifetime of sacrifice and tolerance.
Dylan Rockoff opening for Bon Jovi at Madison Square Garden was pretty cool….
Recently achieving RIAA Gold Status with Lykke Li’s “Sex Money Feelings Die” after 4 years of pushing past nay-sayers, and breaking down walls….
There are too many to count. I’ve been very blessed.
LEG: With all of your success one always encounters obstacles along the way. What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome either personally or professionally in your life and how did you learn and grow from it?
WT: I know it sounds silly, but one of the biggest obstacles I've faced in my career (and that I talk about very openly) is that I’m not “cool.” Music is a “cool” business, and to be frank, I've just never been that. Early on, I’d lose deals to record men and women much better dressed (or with bigger wallets), and people would call me a “dad” or a “suit.” But nowadays I let my work speak for itself. As a lifelong fan of the music business, I started thinking of ways to sell cassette tapes to my neighbors when I was 9 years old. That passion shines through in my work, and has carried me a long way. At SunPop we used to say we were the unsuspecting Navy Seals…..tap us in when you need something DONE.
LEG: As an analyst how do you think the pandemic had an impact on streaming over the past year and what trends do you see moving forward?
WT: Initially, audio streaming dipped because we lost the commute and the gym time. Video streaming spiked because everyone was at home on their screens. Now that things are mostly back to normal, we’ve seen a reset. What I think will continue to happen as we move forward is that people will become desensitized to large streaming numbers. Because of the constant rise in premium streaming subscriptions, what benchmarks used to be deemed strong are now boring. Artists are no longer chasing 1 million streams, they’re chasing 10 million, or 100 million.
LEG: You’ve recently launched your own tik tok channel which is gaining significant followers and organic momentum. How did you manage to do that and what role do you see tik tok playing in breaking new artists today?
WT: If you want to be in commercial music today, you need to understand that TikTok is one of the most powerful needle-movers in the game. It has to be a part of the plan. If you’re ignoring that fact, you’re sprinting on a treadmill.
I’ve always liked the concept of TikTok, but it took me a year or two to find my footing on the platform. It’s a bit finicky, what works and what doesn’t. Ultimately, I just started writing down all my crazy thoughts (of which there are plenty) and putting them online. Turns out I wasn't as crazy as I thought, and lots of people related!
LEG: Have you had any mentors along the way? What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself knowing what you know now?
WT: I’ve had plenty of people take me under their wing, and I'm grateful for that. There are probably too many to name, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention YOU (Dan Pearson), and Erik Olesen (who ultimately brought me into Crush).
Advice for my younger self…..remember to manage laterally, as well as up. It’s important to have the respect and friendship of those senior to you, but your peers are ultimately the ones who will be with you when your time comes. The senior folks will be out of the business or dead by then….
LEG: What are a few of your professional and personal goals for the second half of 2021 and beyond?
WT: Personally - I’m making a conscious effort to be a little more present with my partner and family. Do whatever you can to make good on the time you’ve got.
Professionally - you’ll be hearing about it soon enough, I'm sure…..
Thanks for having me!