Ted Cohen
Encyclopedia
Ted Cohen is an American
digital entertainment industry executive. Having served in senior management positions at EMI Music
, Warner Bros. Records
and Philips Media
, Cohen is currently the Managing Partner of TAG Strategic.
A 40-year industry veteran, Cohen currently chairs Visionary Committee for MidemNet
, served on the NARAS
(Grammy) Los Angeles chapter Board of Governors as well as the National Trustee Board and currently co-chairs the Grammy Technology Committee. Cohen serves on the Board of Directors for the Neil Bogart
Memorial Fund, Lyricfind.com, and Music.com, and lends his time and talents to music and technology education and assistance efforts such as the Grammy In The Schools Program and MusiCares
. Cohen also served two terms as the Chairman of the Mobile Entertainment Forum Americas in 2006 and 2007.
in Cleveland, OH. At the time, only 14 years old, he met Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys
& The Byrds
through the television talk show. Inspired and motivated by these artists, Cohen soon started managing bands in high school and during this time managed Eric Carmen
who would later form Raspberries
.
In 1967, Ted moved to Ithaca, New York
to attend Ithaca College
and threw himself into the music scene. He promoted shows at school, worked at clubs booking bands & worked for college radio station WICB
for 2 years. As a result, his grades suffered and Ted was told to go home for a semester. He managed to literally talk his way into John Carroll University
in Cleveland and moved back to Ohio
in summer of 1969. Within two weeks at the school, Ted was calling the shots for WJCU
as Music Director for the college radio station. That very particular year, the momentous Woodstock took place in August & Ted was instrumental in promoting the festival in Ohio by giving out tickets through the then-influential radio station.
and moved to Cincinnati, OH. At Columbia Records, Cohen worked closely on releases by Chicago
, Blood, Sweat & Tears
and Boz Scaggs
.
In the Fall of 1971, Ted was recruited by Warner Bros. Records
under the same job profile of a local record promoter. Two years later, Ted got promoted to Director of East Coast
Artist Development and relocated to Boston, MA. Over the next 10 years, Ted worked closely with Alice Cooper
, The Doobie Brothers
, Fleetwood Mac
, The Who
, Van Halen
, Prince
, Talking Heads
, Robert Palmer, The Beach Boys
, The Sex Pistols, George Benson
, The Pretenders
, The Ramones, Roxy Music
, Asia
, Al Jarreau
and many others.
At the suggestion of the legendary audio/video inventor Henry Kloss
, Ted started attending the Consumer Electronics Show
(CES) in Chicago
in 1976 and discovered his love for technology, consumer experience, interface design and everything audio & video. CES was well attended by technology pioneers and Cohen met a bunch of such innovative cutting-edge companies. Attending the 1976 Chicago CES were a very scruffy Steve Jobs
& Steve Wozniak
, carrying with them the legendary Apple 1 computer in a brown canvas zippered case. They wandered into Kloss’s Advent suite at the Drake Hotel
and demonstrated the Apple 1’s unique color graphics capability. Another such company was Atari
that was acquired by Warner Communications
in 1976. In 1979, Atari gifted Ted with an Atari 800
computer and a 300 baud Hayes Smartmodem
. Ted was hooked!
In 1982, Warner Bros. Records
creative executive Stan Cornyn
asked Ted to join an innovative new media work group, a cross-division effort between Warner Bros. Records
and Atari
. The group was led by GUI
creator Alan Kay
and, along with Cohen, included Voyager/Criterion founder Robert Stein & audio expert Al McPherson. The purpose of the group was to look at the inevitable interaction between the nascent personal computer
& the imminent debut of the Compact Disc
and CD-ROM
, and their combined impact on the consumer music fan experience in the coming years.
On April 23, 1984, Cohen resigned his position at Warner Bros. Records
after watching the seminal rock mockumentary
This is Spinal Tap
the previous night with Robert Fripp
& Tony Levin
from King Crimson
. Having spent 10 years working with Deep Purple
, Black Sabbath
, Uriah Heep
, Dio
and Slade
, This Is Spinal Tap
uniquely summarized Ted’s life on the road with bands; it was time for a change.
on June 1, 1984 as Head of Talent Acquisition and worked on projects for Elton John
, Stevie Nicks
, Foreigner
& Neil Young
. After a year, Ted left his job at Westwood One
and joined Sandy Gallin
, Morey & Associates, an artist management firm. During his tenure there, he worked with Dolly Parton
, The Pointer Sisters, Neil Diamond
, Donny Osmond
, Paul Shaffer
and America
.
In 1986, Ted co-founded Cypress Records
, where he was instrumental in the marketing and promotion of releases from Jesse Colin Young
, Kenny Rankin
, Southside Johnny
and the critically acclaimed Famous Blue Raincoat
album from Jennifer Warnes
. In 1987, he started consulting Philips Media
on Interactive Media
Projects for CD-i
. Ted left Cypress Records
in September, 1989 and joined Philips Media
full time as Producer of CD-i
Music titles. He went on to work on titles from The Cranberries
, Santana
, Dave Matthews
and Soundgarden
, among many others. Ted was promoted to VP of Music in 1994 and worked with Philips Media for 3 years till December 1996, when the company was slated to be phased out by the parent corporation, Philips
, the staff reduced from 200+ to only 10 caretakers.
Over the next 3 years, Ted Cohen worked as a digital music/media consultant for Liquid Audio
, Napster
, Microsoft
, Amplified, Universal Studios
, Rioport, Amazon
, Wherehouse Music, Dreamworks Records
and music.com, among others. During this period, he co-created the Webnoize Conference in Los Angeles
in 1998 and MidemNet in January 2000 in Cannes
, France
.
On May 8, 2000, Cohen joined EMI
as VP of New Media
and was subsequently promoted to SVP of Digital Development & Distribution. During his tenure with EMI, Ted combined his experiences in Artist Development from the early part of his career & his subsequent technology background to maximize EMI’s digital initiatives, focusing on establishing key consumer distribution partnerships, as well as asset management & the digital delivery processes. Ted was instrumental in negotiating the agreements for iTunes
, Napster
, Rhapsody
among 100+ digital licensing deals. He additionally worked on the digital marketing campaigns for Joss Stone
’s first two S-Curve
/Virgin
albums. In May 2006, Ted resigned to return to digital entertainment consulting.
, Muze
, EMI Music, Limewire
, EyeSpot and Participant Media. Since then, TAG Strategic has gone on to work with Coca-Cola
, Verizon Communications
, SanDisk
, Hello Music, Stream Jam, UK Trade & Investment
, Buymyplaylist.com and Emblaze Mobile, among many others.
TAG Strategic recently tied up with Rosenzweig & Company
, the international recruitment firm led by Jay Rosenzweig, and Blue Frog as key strategic partners.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
digital entertainment industry executive. Having served in senior management positions at EMI Music
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and Philips Media
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
, Cohen is currently the Managing Partner of TAG Strategic.
A 40-year industry veteran, Cohen currently chairs Visionary Committee for MidemNet
Midem
-MIDEM:Short for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at and around the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967...
, served on the NARAS
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...
(Grammy) Los Angeles chapter Board of Governors as well as the National Trustee Board and currently co-chairs the Grammy Technology Committee. Cohen serves on the Board of Directors for the Neil Bogart
Neil Bogart
Neil Bogart was an American record executive. He is perhaps best known as the founder of Casablanca Records, with Peter Guber....
Memorial Fund, Lyricfind.com, and Music.com, and lends his time and talents to music and technology education and assistance efforts such as the Grammy In The Schools Program and MusiCares
MusiCares
The MusiCares Foundation, Inc., was established in 1989 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn, in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, its primary purpose is to focus the resources and attention of the music industry on human...
. Cohen also served two terms as the Chairman of the Mobile Entertainment Forum Americas in 2006 and 2007.
Early life
In 1964, Ted started hanging out at The Mike Douglas ShowThe Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
in Cleveland, OH. At the time, only 14 years old, he met Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
& The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
through the television talk show. Inspired and motivated by these artists, Cohen soon started managing bands in high school and during this time managed Eric Carmen
Eric Carmen
Eric Howard Carmen is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist.He scored numerous hit songs across the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of the Raspberries , and then with his solo career, including hits such as "All By Myself", "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "She Did It",...
who would later form Raspberries
Raspberries (band)
Raspberries is an American power pop/pop rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. They had a run of success in the early 1970s music scene with their crisp pop sound, which Allmusic later described as featuring "exquisitely crafted melodies and achingly gorgeous harmonies." The members were known for their...
.
In 1967, Ted moved to Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
to attend Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
and threw himself into the music scene. He promoted shows at school, worked at clubs booking bands & worked for college radio station WICB
WICB
WICB is a radio station licensed to serve Ithaca, New York, USA. Established in 1947, the station is owned by Ithaca College.WICB broadcasts an alternative music format to the greater Ithaca area...
for 2 years. As a result, his grades suffered and Ted was told to go home for a semester. He managed to literally talk his way into John Carroll University
John Carroll University
John Carroll University is a private, co-educational Jesuit Catholic university in University Heights, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus as Saint Ignatius College.The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus, as...
in Cleveland and moved back to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in summer of 1969. Within two weeks at the school, Ted was calling the shots for WJCU
WJCU
WJCU is a non-commercial FM radio station at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, United States, broadcasting at 88.7 MHz. WJCU broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the Cleveland area and online...
as Music Director for the college radio station. That very particular year, the momentous Woodstock took place in August & Ted was instrumental in promoting the festival in Ohio by giving out tickets through the then-influential radio station.
Local Record Promoter to Director of Artist Development: 1970-1984
In June 1970, Ted bagged his first paid industry job as Assistant Buyer at Disc Records - a 34 store national music retail chain based in Cleveland. A year later, he got hired as local record promoter at Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and moved to Cincinnati, OH. At Columbia Records, Cohen worked closely on releases by Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
, Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
and Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
.
In the Fall of 1971, Ted was recruited by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
under the same job profile of a local record promoter. Two years later, Ted got promoted to Director of East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
Artist Development and relocated to Boston, MA. Over the next 10 years, Ted worked closely with Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
, Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
, Robert Palmer, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, The Sex Pistols, George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
, The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
, The Ramones, Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
, Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
, Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau
Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
and many others.
At the suggestion of the legendary audio/video inventor Henry Kloss
Henry Kloss
Henry Kloss was a prominent American audio engineer and businessman who helped advance high fidelity loudspeaker and radio receiver technology beginning in the 1950s. Kloss was an undergraduate student in physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology , but never received a degree...
, Ted started attending the Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer Electronics Show
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
(CES) in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1976 and discovered his love for technology, consumer experience, interface design and everything audio & video. CES was well attended by technology pioneers and Cohen met a bunch of such innovative cutting-edge companies. Attending the 1976 Chicago CES were a very scruffy Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
& Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
, carrying with them the legendary Apple 1 computer in a brown canvas zippered case. They wandered into Kloss’s Advent suite at the Drake Hotel
Drake Hotel (Chicago)
The Drake Hotel, 140 East Walton Place, Chicago, Illinois, is a luxury full-service hotel, located downtown on the lake side of Michigan Avenue two blocks north of the John Hancock Center and a block south of Oak Street Beach at the top of the Magnificent Mile.Overlooking Lake Michigan, it was...
and demonstrated the Apple 1’s unique color graphics capability. Another such company was Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
that was acquired by Warner Communications
Warner Communications
Warner Communications or Warner Communications, Inc. was established in 1971 when Kinney National Company spun off its non-entertainment assets, due to a financial scandal over its parking operations and changed its name....
in 1976. In 1979, Atari gifted Ted with an Atari 800
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
computer and a 300 baud Hayes Smartmodem
Hayes Microcomputer Products
Hayes Microcomputer Products was a U.S.-based manufacturer of modems. They are particularly well known for their Smartmodem, which is introduced the ability to control the modem through commands sent in the data stream itself. The "smart modem" approach dramatically simplified operation, making...
. Ted was hooked!
In 1982, Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
creative executive Stan Cornyn
Stan Cornyn
Stan Cornyn is the author of Exploding: The Highs, Hits, Hype, Heroes, and Hustlers of the Warner Music Group . He also has written three privately-published family genealogy books .-Career:...
asked Ted to join an innovative new media work group, a cross-division effort between Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
. The group was led by GUI
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
creator Alan Kay
Alan Kay
Alan Curtis Kay is an American computer scientist, known for his early pioneering work on object-oriented programming and windowing graphical user interface design, and for coining the phrase, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."He is the president of the Viewpoints Research...
and, along with Cohen, included Voyager/Criterion founder Robert Stein & audio expert Al McPherson. The purpose of the group was to look at the inevitable interaction between the nascent personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
& the imminent debut of the Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, and their combined impact on the consumer music fan experience in the coming years.
On April 23, 1984, Cohen resigned his position at Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
after watching the seminal rock mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
This is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap...
the previous night with Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
& Tony Levin
Tony Levin
Tony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
from King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
. Having spent 10 years working with Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
, Dio
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
and Slade
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
, This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap...
uniquely summarized Ted’s life on the road with bands; it was time for a change.
Transition to Technology: 1984-2006
Ted joined Westwood OneWestwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
on June 1, 1984 as Head of Talent Acquisition and worked on projects for Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
& Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
. After a year, Ted left his job at Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
and joined Sandy Gallin
Sandy Gallin
-Career:Gallin was born in 1940 in New York, the son of middle class Jewish parents. He started in the mailroom of General Artists Corporation, eventually becoming a senior vice president and board member. During this time he played a role in booking The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.In 1969 he...
, Morey & Associates, an artist management firm. During his tenure there, he worked with Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, The Pointer Sisters, Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
, Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
and America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
.
In 1986, Ted co-founded Cypress Records
Cypress Records
Cypress Records is a record label which was distributed by A&M Records between 1988 and 1990.-External links:* Label history, artist roster, Billboard performance.*...
, where he was instrumental in the marketing and promotion of releases from Jesse Colin Young
Jesse Colin Young
Jesse Colin Young is an American singer / songwriter / folksinger and a founding member of the group The Youngbloods.-Early life:...
, Kenny Rankin
Kenny Rankin
Kenny Rankin was an American pop and jazz singer and songwriter, originally from the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City, New York.-Biography:...
, Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny is an American singer-songwriter, who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.-Early days:...
and the critically acclaimed Famous Blue Raincoat
Famous Blue Raincoat (album)
Famous Blue Raincoat is the sixth album by Jennifer Warnes. It debuted on the Billboard 200 on February 14, 1987 and peaked at No. 72. Originally released by Cypress Records, it was reissued by Private Music after Cypress went out of business....
album from Jennifer Warnes
Jennifer Warnes
Jennifer Jean Warnes is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. She is known for her interpretations of compositions written by herself and many others, as well as an extensive playlist as a vocalist on movie soundtracks.Between 1979 and 1987 Warnes surpassed Frank Sinatra as...
. In 1987, he started consulting Philips Media
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
on Interactive Media
Interactive media
Interactive media normally refers to products and services on digital computer-based systems which respond to the user’s actions by presenting content such as text, graphics, animation, video, audio, etc.-Terminology:...
Projects for CD-i
CD-i
CD-i, or Compact Disc Interactive, is the name of an interactive multimedia CD player developed and marketed by Royal Philips Electronics N.V. CD-i also refers to the multimedia Compact Disc standard used by the CD-i console, also known as Green Book, which was developed by Philips and Sony...
. Ted left Cypress Records
Cypress Records
Cypress Records is a record label which was distributed by A&M Records between 1988 and 1990.-External links:* Label history, artist roster, Billboard performance.*...
in September, 1989 and joined Philips Media
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
full time as Producer of CD-i
CD-i
CD-i, or Compact Disc Interactive, is the name of an interactive multimedia CD player developed and marketed by Royal Philips Electronics N.V. CD-i also refers to the multimedia Compact Disc standard used by the CD-i console, also known as Green Book, which was developed by Philips and Sony...
Music titles. He went on to work on titles from The Cranberries
The Cranberries
The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...
, Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
, Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
and Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, among many others. Ted was promoted to VP of Music in 1994 and worked with Philips Media for 3 years till December 1996, when the company was slated to be phased out by the parent corporation, Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
, the staff reduced from 200+ to only 10 caretakers.
Over the next 3 years, Ted Cohen worked as a digital music/media consultant for Liquid Audio
Liquid Audio
Liquid Audio Inc was a US software company based in Redwood City, California.Formed in 1996, Liquid Audio developed a major standard, multiple software clients, and a client/server media distribution system for streaming and downloading audio on the Internet...
, Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Amplified, Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, Rioport, Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, Wherehouse Music, Dreamworks Records
DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
and music.com, among others. During this period, he co-created the Webnoize Conference in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1998 and MidemNet in January 2000 in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
On May 8, 2000, Cohen joined EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
as VP of New Media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
and was subsequently promoted to SVP of Digital Development & Distribution. During his tenure with EMI, Ted combined his experiences in Artist Development from the early part of his career & his subsequent technology background to maximize EMI’s digital initiatives, focusing on establishing key consumer distribution partnerships, as well as asset management & the digital delivery processes. Ted was instrumental in negotiating the agreements for iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
, Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
among 100+ digital licensing deals. He additionally worked on the digital marketing campaigns for Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
’s first two S-Curve
S-Curve Records
S-Curve Records was founded in 2000 by former Mercury Records executive Steve Greenberg. It is based in New York City. In 2001 the label established a distribution and licensing agreement with EMI Records. In 2007 Greenberg relaunched the label after a two year hiatus, during which he served as...
/Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
albums. In May 2006, Ted resigned to return to digital entertainment consulting.
TAG Strategic: 2006-Current
Ted launched TAG Strategic on July 5, 2006. TAG's initial few clients included Gibson Guitar CorporationGibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
, Muze
Muze
Founded in 1991, Muze, Inc. is a business-to-business provider of media information, metadata, and digital preview samples that enable search, discovery, and purchase of digital entertainment content...
, EMI Music, Limewire
LimeWire
LimeWire is a free peer-to-peer file sharing client program that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other operating systems supported by the Java software platform. LimeWire uses the gnutella network as well as the BitTorrent protocol. A free software version and a purchasable "enhanced"...
, EyeSpot and Participant Media. Since then, TAG Strategic has gone on to work with Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
, SanDisk
SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation is an American multinational corporation that designs, develops and manufactures data storage solutions in a range of form factors using the flash memory, controller and firmware technologies. It was founded in 1988 by Dr. Eli Harari and Sanjay Mehrotra, non-volatile memory...
, Hello Music, Stream Jam, UK Trade & Investment
UK Trade & Investment
UK Trade & Investment is a UK Government department working with businesses based in the United Kingdom to ensure their success in international markets, and encourage the best overseas companies to look to the UK as their global partner of choice ....
, Buymyplaylist.com and Emblaze Mobile, among many others.
TAG Strategic recently tied up with Rosenzweig & Company
Rosenzweig & Company
Rosenzweig & Company is an executive recruitment firm known for its attention to corporate workforce diversity. The firm, founded August 1, 2004, by Jay Rosenzweig, now has international partners in Toronto, New York, Calgary, Los Angeles and Mumbai....
, the international recruitment firm led by Jay Rosenzweig, and Blue Frog as key strategic partners.