Juan Madrid is definitely pursuing his career path and passion. As Director, Urban A&R, for Sony/ATV, for the last two years, Juan’s move up the ladder has been quite accelerated—having worked as Creative Coordinator for BMG Songs [under its Senior VP, Derrick Thompson] and a mere 4 months as Writer-Publishers Relations, for BMI, before being approached by Sony ATV President Danny Strick to relocate back to New York to oversee the urban roster.

Juan, talk a bit about the Sony urban roster and some of the recent successes you have achieved.
We’ve had a great summer with artist Rick Ross, who I signed as a writer in April. His album was released in August and sales have been steady. We’re gearing up for single number three on him which should take us into the holiday season. We had a major release with Lyfe Jennings’ second album. He’s an amazing singer/songwriter. I’m excited about a new act coming out in 2007 through Interscope-Geffen: two sisters by the name of Brick & Lace. They are R&B singers from Florida and of Jamaican heritage. Their first single is called “Never Never,” produced by Akon. Jake One is a producer out of Seattle, and based in Oakland that I signed a few months ago. He produced the single, “Be Easy,” from G-Unit’s new artist, Hot Rod. Jake also has songs coming from Lloyd Banks and the forthcoming Young Buck and Lil’ Scrappy. We also publish one-half of Stargate (Ne-Yo, Beyonce, Lionel Richie).

Sony ATV is one of the largest major publishing companies. How hands-on are you with the roster, and are you pretty much a one-man show when it comes to the urban division?
Basically, I’ve pretty much filled the role as the go-to urban person for both coasts. I’ve been handling the bulk of the work. I’m very hands-on. I have a close relationship with all of the writers that I personally signed, and I have a close relationship with the majority of the roster that I inherited. Before I got here there was already a relatively large sized roster that included Trackmasterz, Chucky Thompson, Dame Grease, Troy Oliver, Corey Rooney, and Maxwell, just to name a few. We’ve looked to the past and obviously look to the future to bolster the roster and keep things growing.

What do your writers expect from you, and what is the general misconception about music publishing?
Writers are really looking for opportunities that they might not necessarily be able to create for themselves. It’s in the best interest of any music publisher to try and bring opportunities to the forefront whether it be through trying to exploit songs that have been written and released—working hand in hand with our film and TV departments, or trying to set-up collaborative situations that certain writers might not have access to. The biggest misconception is that people in general—like writers and managers—
think publishers are just banks. It’s up to the publisher to try and create opportunities and be involved as much as possible in the career of the songwriter. We do a lot more than just cut a check.

How do you know when it is time to do a deal?
It depends on where our roster is and the voids I need to fill. If I’m in the need of a lyric writer in Los Angeles, then that is something I’m going to try and get sooner than later. You may come across a songwriter or a producer they may not necessarily have a lot going on, but you recognize something that you’re drawn to and you can share in the credit and development of a new songwriter or a producer. I think there tends to be a greater level of satisfaction when you’re on to something early.

If you could change anything about the game of music, what would it be?
Politics, man. I know it goes on in all aspects of corporate America, but the music business is just as political as any other industry. I think the politics tend to stifle creativity.

What was the best advice anyone gave you, and who are your mentors?
I learned a lot from Derrick Thompson. He would tell me that “your reputation” is basically all that you have. He would share with me the importance of a strong work ethic and to be respectful of other people’s time—which means being on time, coming to work and giving 110%--just overall being driven to success. I’d also like to thank Danny Strick for giving me the opportunity to be in a position I longed desired to be in—to sign and develop artists under the Sony umbrella. I’m happy to say that over the last two to three years, things have been very good for me and hopefully will continue to get better.