(L-R) Global Head of Country Music at Spotify, John Marks and Lil Nas X visits the Spotify House during CMA Fest at Ole Red on June 06, 2019 in Nashville.
Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for SpotifyMonths after he ended a run as Spotify USA global head of country programming, John Marks has established a new consulting firm, JohnMarks.me, to assist artists and their associated teams as they develop streaming strategies.
Marks' five-year tenure at Spotify built atop his previous history as SiriusXM head of country programming and a lengthy programming background at radio stations in San Diego; Salt Lake City; Little Rock, Ark.; Beaumont, Texas; and Cincinnati.
That experience provides him an insider's perspective that mirrors the skills of the country industry at large: The collective business has established familiarity with promoting to the needs of broadcasters for decades, but it now focuses frequently on a newer streaming platform with its own set of data that's influenced by a different array of consumer uses and built-in functions. The language and the needs of the platform don't always overlap with the best practices at terrestrial radio.
"Even though there is no rhyme or reason to a lot of it, I've been able to look at the data on a lot of music, and I have what I feel is a reasonable approach to what is more likely to stream than others,"says Marks.
Marks' knowledge base includes insights on release strategies, social media and some A&R decisions.
"Even though there is no rhyme or reason to a lot of it, I've been able to look at the data on a lot of music, and I have what I feel is a reasonable approach to what is more likely to stream than others,"says Marks.
Marks' knowledge base includes insights on release strategies, social media and some A&R decisions.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
