Mondo.NYC Speaker
John Telfer
Chairman, Rocking Gorillas
I am a music publisher based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
I began my independent life in London with my first publishing and management company, Basement Music. We managed Joe Jackson, Everything but the Girl, and Hal Willner. I moved to New York and continued managing with original successful artists like The Proclaimers, David Bowie, Television, Tom Verlaine and Sweet Honey in the Rock.
I took a sabbatical and backpacked through Africa for over six months.
When I returned, the innovative record label Rykodisc asked me to be Head of International with a brief of creating licensees and distributors around the world.
After 5 years, I followed my heart and moved to Sao Paulo and began Basement Brazil, another publishing company. We grew rapidly and after a few years BMG bought my company and I became Managing Director of BMG Brazil. I lasted a few months before realizing I am too independent a spirit. So I started Rocking Gorillas with two women as my partners.
In my career, I have worked in labels and publishing, promoted concerts, booked concerts, tour and production managed as well as managing.
As Rocking Gorillas we operate with a global network of independent publishers. We can collect in the rest of Latin America. We work with management companies, smaller publishers and labels to administer their catalogues. We believe that indies should help each other.
Be Present Everywhere: Intros & Connections
10/12/21, 8:30 PM
"BPE," inaugurated at Mondo 2020, is an offering of committed global speakers/experts networking and sharing their businesses and missions with each other and with the global music community. It was created to celebrate, educate and forward ongoing music business through the pandemic, while most of us are working remotely. It's what has kept many music conferences, "conferences," while operating virtually; the interactions, introductions, contacts shared, networking have shown the value and necessity of community in a uniquely isolated time. With many thousands of intros and personal (virtual) meetings between delegates and well over 250 speakers from many countries; speaker and delegate contacts distributed globally; communities connected, networked and shared; we'll never know all the "results" of these sessions. These can be lifetime, life and business changing relationships and they have been useful and enjoyable, with intensity, care and hilarity during a shared global and for most, very personal, crisis. Join the fun and participate.