Daily Inspiration: Meet Jeff Blue

Hi Jeff, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Thanks for having me. I’m best known for being a multi-platinum music producer, A&R executive, award winning song-writer, best-selling author and journalist, platinum selling music supervisor and music publisher, attorney, manager, and film/tv producer. Sounds like a lot, but my work has resulted in sales of over 170 million albums worldwide and I’m proud to have developed and Exec. produced the biggest selling band and debut album of the 21st Century, Hybrid Theory by the band Linkin Park.

My artists include Grammy winning icons such as Linkin Park, Macy Gray, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Daniel Powter, Hoobastank, Better Than Ezra, DJ Ashba of Guns N’ Roses, & I’m responsible for music supervising multi-platinum soundtracks such as Aaliyah’s Queen of the Damned.

I’ve held Sr. VP A&R/Staff Producer positions for Warner Bros. Records, Interscope Records, Virgin/Capitol Music Group, Sony/BMG/Jive Records, Atlantic Records, Lava-Universal Republic, and RCA/J Records.

In 2022, I partnered with Mark Wahlberg’s production company to create two music docuseries and I’m really excited about my best-selling book “One Step Closer”, (Simon & Schuster) which I released in 2020, being made into a major motion picture. I also wrote a social cause thriller/horror screenplay which hopefully starts production later this year.

I lecture at universities and music conferences worldwide and have taught at UCLA for many years. I also appear on TV shows such Music’s Greatest Mysteries on Mark Cuban’s AXS TV, and appear regularly on FOX, ABC, CBS, and NBC news. I’ve also been consulting for Fortune 500 companies as well as start-ups on brand integration for music, film, and tv.

I feel that the fear of failure is the only thing that holds us back. To quote Wayne Gretsky, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Every dream is a long road riddled with roadblocks. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be a dream. Success depends on someone’s drive and ability to navigate rocky terrain. Sometimes the longer road takes us on a journey of self discovery that allows us to grow in ways we would have never imagined. The key is realizing that the journey is a series of diversions, detours, and potholes. It is in these difficult moments that we need to be most present and aware, not just focusing on the destination!

Every artist I signed was initially deemed a failure! No one wanted to sign Linkin Park, Macy Gray, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Daniel Powter, the Last Goodnight…all of them were rejected endlessly. I just believed in my heart that they would resonate with the world. Same with my book, the films, my real estate development. It’s never a smooth road. If it were I’d be worried! But in these moments, stars thrive where others would give up.

One of the most triumphant stories I can tell is I developed my UCLA intern’s brand new band after their very first show. They were rejected by labels 44 times for 3 years straight, and when we finally found a home at Warner Bros., we were almost dropped there as well! Perseverance, tenacity, and authenticity is the key to any dream. Neither the band nor I would give up on our vision. Not everything is a success, but those failures lead to other opportunities. In this case the band was Linkin Park and they ended up with dozens of Grammys and having the biggest selling debut album of the 21st century!

Even the beginning of my career was a rocky road. It started when a music exec at a record label mistook me for a star drummer in a band and invited me for a meeting in his swanky Sunset Blvd office. When he discovered his mistake, (that I was a law student/part time musician/actor, and not the rock star who’s band every label exec was trying to sign in a bidding war), he proceeded to kick me out of his office. But I didn’t leave. It was in that moment that I saw two roads magically appear. #1: Leave his office and go back to my ordinary life, or #2; learn about this job he had called “A&R” while risking my butt being thrown out onto Sunset Blvd by buff security guards in front of Axl Rose who was chatting up a hot blonde in the lobby.

I chose option #2: I figured, “I’m here for a reason, mistaken or not, and I need to figure out why.” Shaking nervously as he pointed towards the door, I asked what the exec did for a living. He said he was an A&R exec. in charge of discovering new musical artists. As an unhappy law student, I realized immediately that I wanted HIS job!

The security guards proceeded to toss me out on Sunset Blvd. It was that moment that I understood wanted to do with my life, and it was different than what everyone, including myself, expected. I wanted to be: An “A&R guy”. My life had just begun. But how would I get there?

I immediately took internships at labels, started my own music magazine, ended up writing for some well known publications such as Billboard, and began managing my own band. After graduating law school and passing the California Bar Exam, I was

told I would never succeed in music after interviewing with every possible music company in the USA. But, I finally landed a job at a small music publishing company who took a chance on me. Within my first year there, I signed & helped develop 3 brand new artists, Macy Gray, Korn, and Limp Bizkit, who would go on to win multiple Grammy awards! I also guest lectured at UCLA where I met a 19 year old student who became my intern. I helped him develop his band which after 3 years of constant rejection became Linkin Park.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
A&R exec’s are responsible for discovering and nurturing talent. I’m best known for discovering and developing multiple Grammy winning artists, producing and writing multi-platinum songs and albums, authoring a best-selling book, producing tv and film, on-camera and behind the scenes work, real estate deals, fitness, and more.

I also help new artists by writing and producing their new music and help get them record deals and film and television placements. I love getting in on the early levels with artists and helping them realize their potential. It’s extremely rewarding!

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
It’s funny, I spent 4 years at UCLA and 3 years at Loyola Law, and studied a year to pass the California Bar. I am an attorney but no one knows it!

During high school and college I was a fitness instructor and I was starting UCLA as an honors Kinesiology major on my way to becoming an orthopedic surgeon. My love for fitness still exists and I am now on a tv show speaking about how the worlds of music and fitness intersect on many levels.

I have been lecturing in conjunction with MusiCares, the official charity of the Grammys, mentoring and consulting with artists about following your dreams and dealing with the roadblocks in the entertainment industry that can lead to depression and mental illness.

I also enjoy consulting for Fortune 500 corporations as well as start ups, using my extensive resources and talent on music branding and expanding global outreach. Oh, and my event and real estate company has been thriving. We do films, tv, music videos, weddings, and corporate events, as well as building iconic view homes in the Hollywood Hills and Los Angeles area.

I love LA and all the opportunities it offers and I enjoy giving back to the city whenever possible!