Larry Harris, co-author of the fascinating and definitive book on the on the story of the meteoric rise and fall of the legendary music company Casablanca Records, And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records, was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions about his remarkable and must read book.
As former Senior Vice-President of Casablanca Records,Larry Harris has an insider's perspective on the innovations, as well as the extravagant behavior of Casablanca's legendary founder and driving force Neil Bogart. Larry Harris also describes some of the artists and bands whose names became synonymous with that of Casablanca, and shares his experiences in the fast paced and ever changing music industry of the 1970s. Indeed, Larry Harris, along with Neil Bogart, and everyone involved with the famous Casablanca record label, had an integral part in the creation of what is now remembered as the 1970s lifestyle.
Thanks to Larry Harris for his time and his intriguing and informative answers.
What was the background to writing this book And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records?
Larry Harris: I still work with radio in securing exposure for people and products and I am always asked about Casablanca stories, as the label was very famous(infamous) in the music and radio industry. People kept telling me that I should write a book. About ten or so years ago I began to write, stream of consciousness, what I remembered. I would write a bit and put it away and then a year or so later write more. This went on for a number of years and then about 3 years ago I sent off a rough draft to a number of agents and they all turned me down.
A little over two years ago I got an email from my soon to be co-writers asking me to identify some people in a picture that Lydia Criss (Peter Criss’s ex-wife of KISS fame)was using in a book she was writing, we talked about my book and they jumped at the chance of working with me on polishing my draft. Again, we were turned down by about 20 publishers until Mike Edison from Backbeat Books said he loved the story and just keep in my voice.
Neil Bogart, head of Casablanca Records, is the focal point of the book. How was his force of personality instrumental in the formation and meteoric rise of Casablanca?
Larry Harris: Neil was everything to Casablanca. He was the creative and financial genius behind everything we did. His enthusiasm was contagious and he was always positive even in the most dire circumstances. His instincts, while not always on target, were usually correct and he had the knowledge of every aspect of the music biz to make this work. Neil was a big gambler, if he went to Vegas it was not Blackjack or Roulette he would play but Baccarat where bets were in the many thousands of dollars.
This gambling part of his personality was what keep the company going and thriving during most of its history, but also what eventually helped to bring it down. I have met numerous people who maybe had contact with him once or twice and felt they were close friends with him. He just had a demeanor that made people very comfortable with him immediately and a personality that left an very positive impression on those he met.
What was it like to be an entrepreneurial start up company in an industry dominated by giant corporations?
Larry Harris: We were always fighting against the giants, kind of like a David and Goliath mentality- This actually was the mindset at Buddah Records the forerunner of Casablanca. We always felt that we were the little guy who had to face up to the bullies. Even after we became very successful we kept the staff always on the defensive, constantly railing about how we had to beat Columbia, Capitol and Warner Bros. Not only did we have to fight the big guys at radio but once we left Warner Bros. to go independent we had to fight them at retail as well. Being the new guys on the block we had to make people believe in us and our artists and through, just plan force of will, our promotional backgrounds and damn the torpedo’s attitude we did.
How did the famous outrageous and over the top promotions of Casablanca artists like KISS, Parliament, and Donna Summer build the company reputation?
Larry Harris: From day one with KISS we began to get a reputation as fun outrageous and creative. The Casablanca coming out party at the Century Plaza Hotel was an example of over the top craziness, it was the most expensive party ever in the music biz just to launch a label with Camels, a ton of props from the original motion picture and celebrities everywhere. In 1974 it cost $100,000 and that was really big bucks. When no group would let KISS open for them we decided to bring them into markets we felt important, as headliners, and pay for everything ourselves or guarantee to cover any loss a promoter may have. This went far past normal tour support, we actually paid for all the advertising of the shows (normally record companies never do that). This was a band we believed in and we were going to make sure everyone knew that.
We did the same kind of marketing and promotional; thrusts with Parliament, although they were a self contained show in themselves so it was a bit easier and less expensive, but their show was just as outrageous as the KISS shows. Donna Summer was different, she was not so much a visual act as the others so we spent more on building her image through advertising and TV appearances and club exposure- Donna standup, numerous TV shots on all and any shows we could cajole to have her on. We also began massive trade publication advertising and publicity pushes that kept the company name ( not just the artists, marketing the company was as important as the artists) out in front of the industry. Having our sales and promotion people as stars, not just the artists, was part of the plan, and it worked.
Looking back, was the power of Casablanca as the driving force in disco music was both a blessing and a curse?
Larry Harris: Yes. Being the perceived leader in a genre of music, in this case disco, was great when it came to that area of the business, but it also hurt us in other areas. We tried very hard to sign Marshall Tucker Band but they just could not get passed our disco rep. This happened with a few artists like that. It also helped us with getting the best disco artists. The Village People came to us because we were the #1 disco label and so did others. Santa Esmeralda (they only had 2 hits but sold about 4 million records) also came to us due to our disco reputation. In hindsight relying so much on one genre of music eventually hurt the label.
Casablanca was a company with tremendous income and cash flow, yet never was really profitable. Are there lessons for start ups in cash management to be learned from the Casablanca experience?
Larry Harris: Once again you have to look at what Neil wanted to accomplish. Half the company was eventually bought by PolyGram with the stipulation the other half was to be purchased after 5 years at 5 times earnings. Neil felt that he now had PolyGram’s money to play with and build a label with tens of millions of dollars in profits and being the gambler he was he was willing to shoot the entire load on accomplishing that. If it failed so be it, he had 7+ million dollars from selling the first half and he was going to roll the dice to become really rich and famous. The company had to grow to accomplish this and it did.
We had various divisions including a Kids division, a book division, a film division and division devoted to making records for McDonalds and art division to name a few. We kept adding staff and not just anyone but the best proven talent around. Our press and promotion departments paid the highest salaries and gave the biggest perks in the industry. We never stopped spending on the labels image. Neil loved he saying paint the building, which meant that you had to show a successful front to the world constantly, so we kept painting and repainting the building. At one point we made ourselves believe the success was never going to end and we just kept pushing the envelope, it finally broke but it was a great ride while it lasted.
Larry Harris (photo left)
Casablanca experienced the classic problems associated with rapid growth. How were these problems resolved, or were they an important part of both the rise and fall of the company?
Larry Harris: Would we even be doing this interview if the label just sat back happy with the success of KISS, Parliament and Donna Summer. I think not. We were on a roll and considering Neil’s personality and drive he was not about to sit back and just take the success in and not move forward and capitalize on it. Yeah, it would have been smart to take it a bit slower and build up reserves for a rainy day, but that was not what this company was about. Maybe slower growth would have extended the life of the company, but it was the 70’s, the go for broke 70’s, and we were the poster child of the era.
Casablanca expanded into other ventures and industries. Did these offshoot ventures help or hurt the company as a whole?
Larry Harris: As I mentioned before we had various divisions some successful, some just never grew out of their infancy. The film division was very successful with academy awards and Grammy winning movies and scores. We were just about to launch the McDonalds line of products for happy meals when PolyGram stepped in and pushed Neil out (they would have been very successful as they were wonderful). The BookWorks and ArtWorks divisions never had the time to take hold so who knows what they may have produced. I believe the offshoots helped the company rather than hurt it. The only negative from them may have been the took some resources from the pure music side but I don’t think that really had an effect on the outcome.
What is the legacy of Casablanca as a company and its impact on the industry as a whole?
Larry Harris: The legacy- That a company, existed in the industry, that broke most of the rules and became successful in doing so. We created promotional and marketing tools and ideas that were envied and copied for decades. After writing the book I heard from a major label President that he uses the book in staff meeting to show what could be accomplished by thinking outside the box and taking some calculated chances. He probably also keeps in mind the pitfalls we ran into. Only two labels in history have had people going into record stores and asking what was new on that label, not mentioning an artist, and those were Motown and Casablanca. Motown took decades to accomplish this, Casablanca, only a few short years.
How has the music industry changed since the hey day of Casablanca Records?
Larry Harris: The industry is totally different, radio is different, the entire distribution system is different- DJs used to be able to choose what music they played, or at least the music director or program director was able to do so, no it is all corporate and done through focus groups- Record companies help to build artist careers and stick with an artist for numerous records. An artist selling 50,000 albums would not be dropped because it was not enough of a profit (we could make a profit on 20-30,000 units , not much but still a profit. Today that would not be acceptable to the major labels. The Internet and downloading has changed the playing field as has all the different ways to download music- MP3s, iTunes, Napster type sites, music on your cell phone and on and on it is a totally different industry.
Would Neil Bogart have been on the cutting edge of the industry as it evolved into MTV, different musical genres, new social media, and music downloading?
Larry Harris: As I mention in the book, Neil would have had a division of the company just for MTV, with offices on the adjoin floor. He would have probably bought Napster the day it reared its head and been a force in that arena. He was definitely fascinated by technology and would have embraced it quickly. He would have been an early believer in Rap music. Major labels are always slow to embrace new genres in music they come in with big money to buy artists after the genre has already proved itself, they did it with Rock, Disco, Rap, Grunge they are never the trailblazers, and if there was one thing Neil was he was a trailblazer. As for social media, who knows, but I like to believe that he would have found a way to promote and manipulate the Facebooks and My Space’s to help market his music and projects.
What is next for Larry Harris?
Larry Harris: I am still working with music and other products using radio to help secure exposure for them. I am working on a disability and aging radio show. I am working with Autism organizations in conjunction with Major League Baseball to help bring awareness to the problem. I am also considering writing a book about my experience in owning a major comedy club, the Seattle Improvisation, during the comedy club heyday in the 90’s. I always have my eye out looking for new and interesting projects to get involved with. Hopefully there will be a movie based on the book, I should know about that soon.
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My book review of And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records by Larry Harris, with Curt Gooch and Jeff Suhs.
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