Conversations with Adam Mott

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Mott. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Adam Mott started his career as a guitar player/songwriter in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This lead him to his first management/label role with a company called Underground Operations/Universal Canada. Their first investor was the critically acclaimed producer Bob Ezrin who brought the label to the next level.

In 2008, Adam was asked to join The Syndicate in New York City. He took on a management role for four years and worked to expand their already established roster. Adam later transitioned to Vice President of Outerloop Management/Records. During this time, he coordinated the joint venture label between Fearless/Concord and Outerloop which aimed to develop new artists for the company.

In 2014 Adam relocated to Los Angeles where he joined the Rick Sales Entertainment Group for two years before moving on to his last role in music management at Satellite Management. During this time, Adam worked closely with the band TOOL. He was involved in marketing, bringing the band to DSP sites and the release of TOOL’s first record in 14 years. This record charted #1 in over 20 countries which lead to a worldwide arena tour and headlining for numerous festivals.

In 2019 Adam left music management and transitioned to becoming a consultant for Round Hill Music. CEO of Round Hill, Josh Gruss tasked Adam with finding a qualified President of a new record label he was starting called Black Hill Records.

Over time Adam started buying artists’ catalogues, leading him to be the number 1 purchaser for Round Hill.

Some of his deals he brought in include: Lyndsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac), The Killers, Barenaked Ladies, Bill Withers, Tommy Lee (Motely Crue), BB King, Alice in Chains, Daniel Lanios (U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan), Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne), Meatloaf and Daughtry.

In the last four years, Adam has closed over $60M worth of deals for Round Hill while also doing A&R for the front-line catalogue as a means of expanding the company’s rock division. He continues to look for new opportunities to diversify Round Hill’s portfolio.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
One hurdle I faced was moving countries from Canada to the U.S. because that poses its own challenges. I remember being in my early 30s and getting let go from the first band I worked for and dealing with that rejection was difficult. But in hindsight, these challenges have made me a stronger person and business executive.

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?
After transitioning from management to acquisitions/publishing, I’ve grown to see another side of the music business that I had not been familiar with before. I never planned on moving from management to publishing, it just kind of happened organically which has been a nice surprise in my career that I’ve learned a lot from. If you told 25-year-old Adam that he would be making 10-50 million dollar offers, he would have laughed at you. I’m most proud of how far I’ve come in my career- I started out playing guitar in a grungy 90’s rock band in Canada to now working with music executives and some of the top artists of all time. Getting to work with Jay Ruston, an incredible producer, has also been one of the highlights of my career as well as a true honor. I’m known for being an honest, dependable, and straightforward team member. I’m great at relationship building and have been known to keep and maintain long-lasting relationships with some really great people.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
It was difficult to see so many of my peers be affected by the Covid lockdowns – At the time, I wasn’t in management so it didn’t impact me as much, but I do think people began to realize how important music artists are and how relevant and integral they are to keeping our society happy, engaged and entertained.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motty666
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-mott-9b512564/

Image Credits
Liza Saffo