Ep105: Don Was, President of Blue Note Records
The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds
Nate Goyer
4.7 • 579 Ratings
🗓️ 18 December 2017
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Don Was has had an amazing career, making hits as a musician / producer, winning Grammys and industry accolades, and now leading Blue Note Records, the most legendary record label in music history. Don talks about how he got the gig, the turnaround of Blue Note, the legacy of the label, the cool stuff in the vault, his strategy on vinyl reissues and the new Blue Note Review.
If you like records, just starting a collection or are an uber-nerd with a house-full of vinyl, this is the podcast for you. Nate Goyer is The Vinyl Guide and discusses all things music and record-related.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, this is Don Was president of Blue Note Records, and you're listening to The Vinyl Guide with Nate Goyer. |
| 0:07.1 | Well, hey, everyone. Welcome to this week's episode of The Vinyl Guide, the podcast for fans and collectors of vinyl records. |
| 0:14.5 | And this week we have on the show, Don Was. |
| 0:18.4 | Musician, producer, Grammy winner, visionary, and most importantly for today's show, |
| 0:24.2 | President of Blue Note Records. Don took over the helm of the legendary jazz label in 2012, |
| 0:30.7 | at a time when the label's future was uncertain, and he continues to transform it, |
| 0:35.4 | leveraging its mighty catalog, as well as new names in the field of jazz music. |
| 0:39.9 | Today, Don and I are talking about that journey, how we went from artists to leading the label, his challenges, his victories, the records, the reissues, and what's next for Blue Note Records. |
| 0:50.3 | And this week, we are brought to you in part by our friends at groove washer.com. |
| 0:54.8 | You have records, you have dust. |
| 0:57.0 | The best way to separate them without spending a fortune is by using a groove washer record |
| 1:02.1 | cleaning system. |
| 1:02.9 | Groove washer's cleaning fluid gets into the vinyl grooves, lifts out the grime so you could |
| 1:07.7 | hear those beautiful Lexington label blue notes the way God and Rudy |
| 1:12.0 | Van Gelder intended. Plus, the groove washer stylus cleaning brush ensures your stylus is clean |
| 1:17.3 | and you could hear the best possible sound from those 47 West 63rd blue notes. Find out more |
| 1:22.9 | and order a groove washer today for you and a friend at Groovewasher.com. |
| 1:27.6 | And with that, let's talk to Don Was, president of Blue Note Records. |
| 1:33.3 | Do you listen to and collect vinyl records? |
| 1:35.8 | Well, you're in luck. |
| 1:37.4 | Welcome to the vinyl guide, the podcast made for record nerds like yourself. |
| 1:41.6 | Here's your host, the biggest record nerd of them all, Nate Goyer. |
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