Phil Ramone leaves his time signature on musical innovation
Music producer Phil Ramone, far right, is shown with Moby,
left, and Lawrence Robbins at an art and music event in New York, in 2008.
Ramone died at age 79 over the weekend. Patrick
McMullan/Kipton Art via Bloomberg
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by Teresa Novellino ,
Upstart Business Journal Entrepreneurs & Enterprises Editor April 1, 2013 | 1:22pm
EDT Consider how some of the stars he worked with have described Ramone, who died at age 79 from complications related to pneumonia.
From CNN:
"Phil had impeccable musical taste, great ears and the most gentle way of bringing out the best in all the artists he worked with," said [Barbra] Streisand.Nowhere is it mentioned that Ramone was doing what some of the innovative forces impacting the music industry are doing today. He is not a marketing genius in a meat dress, a la Lady Gaga, nor has he turned music distribution on its head, as Steve Jobs did with Apple's iTunes.
Said Billy Joel: "I always thought of Phil Ramone as the most talented guy in my band. ... The music world lost a giant today."
Ramone was a man with a good ear for music, but he died at a time when the music industry is struggling, perhaps because it is now about more than ears alone. Great music may still rise to the top, but today—for better or for worse—it sometimes doesn’t get heard unless there is a hefty marketing machine behind it.
Consider: Justin Timberlake is among music’s best-known stars, but when his album sold nearly a million copies last week, observers were stunned at the achievement. Not because Timberlake isn’t talented, but because of how rarely that happens anymore, with notable exceptions including Gaga, Taylor Swift and Lil’ Wayne.
- Teresa Novellino
- Upstart Business Journal Entrepreneurs & Enterprises Editor
- Email
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