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Founder@ Interview
With Gerard Longo
“Just start. Launching your creative platform can feel daunting, and you may not know where to begin. That’s fine. Pick a point that makes sense to you, and keep moving forward. Also, don’t worry about what you don’t know. Every day presents us with an opportunity to learn. Even when you stumble – because it WILL happen – look for the lessons. Take new information, and use it to better inform your path forward. ” – Gerard Longo
Today we feature Gerard Longo, the founder at Underground Music Collective. We hear their story in their own words, their successes, their challenges and their insights.
Let’s start by getting to know you. Can you please tell us a little bit about you and what you do?
My name is Gerard Long and I am the Founder and CEO of Underground Music Collective, a digital music resource and multimedia services company based in Nashville, TN. We provide an ecosystem for independent musicians and creatives to thrive; we provide daily music reviews, features, and educational insights from around the industry, offer multimedia content services and coaching to the folks in our community, and produce live music experiences under our NashLive! brand. UMC is also the home of The Quinn Spinn, our Official Podcast which started this entire journey back in 2013.
A great introduction and start to this interview. Can you please tell us, how did you start, from what age, and what made you decide to change direction and start?
I was 26 in August 2013. I was living at my parents’ house in New Jersey, commuting back and forth to New York City and settling into a “normal” life. That summer, I couldn’t help but feel like I needed a creative outlet. One weekend, I found one. Rediscovered, actually. I had a quiet weekend at home to dive into some prior creative projects. One of those was my old college radio show, also called The Quinn Spinn, which I hosted at Moravian College (now Moravian University) in Bethlehem, PA up until graduation in May 2010. We had a small, but loyal following; every week, we’d have the same 10-15 people who would tune in and provide us content for the show. As I listened back to some of our most memorable episodes, I felt a fire rise up in me.
I realized that I wanted to have an impact on people – even if it was just the same 10-15 who would listen every week in college. The next day, I created a logo, purchased a USB mic from laptop, and registered our Facebook and Twitter handles. From there, I used social media to find and connect with musicians to feature them on the show. In the months ahead, I had friends join me as co-hosts, and the show would go on an initial two-year run.
During that time, we welcomed guests from five continents, hosted events and fundraisers, and released more than 100 episodes, with an emphasis on independent music and creativity. By mid-2015, life had taken all of us in different directions. I had found work and relocated to Bethlehem and, after a brief hiatus, I restarted a solo version of the show. I also had the benefit of living somewhere with a vibrant local music scene, and decided that it was time for The Quinn Spinn to be a part of something larger. That idea would launch in January 2016 as Lehigh Valley Underground (LVU), a music blog highlighting the artists of eastern Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. From then through most of 2018, LVU became ingrained in the local community; we established a number of community partnerships, won numerous regional awards, and produced dozens of events, most notably including our First Friday Concert Series in South Bethlehem. However, the winds of change had again begun to blow by mid-2018.
A number of life events – coupled with my own craving for growth – led me to consider relocating to a music industry market. At first, a return to New York was appealing, due to its close proximity to home. However, a couple of close friends who already lived in Nashville suggested that I give Music City a look. Over the next couple months, everything started lining up; I found a job, had a place to live, and rebranded LVU into the broader-focused Underground Music Collective. By the Monday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), my car was packed, and I embarked on a new chapter in my life and in business.
Thank you for that insight. So can you tell us…What does your business do and where is your company based?
As mentioned earlier, we provide daily multimedia content highlighting independent musicians and the industry in which they operate. We’re also in the process of expanding our multimedia content services in Q2, and details on that will be unveiled shortly. More than anything, we build community. Rebranding as Underground Music Collective in 2018 has given us the opportunity to connect with creatives across the country and world, while calling Nashville – the heart of the music industry – home.
What’s the story behind your success? What led to your aha moment? how did you get to where you are now?
I don’t believe there has been one particular moment where the switch flipped, per se. It’s been 10 years of moments, since 2013, helping to better inform the process. Building a platform from zero is a challenging task; you’re going to make a lot of mistakes, and there will definitely be times where you grapple with doubt. Sometimes, that doubt feels overwhelming, and can cloud your vision for the future. In those moments, it’s important to look back on your progress, and remember that challenges, just like triumphs, are only temporary. The key to lasting success is steady, consistent action over time – no matter what life or business throws your way.
Thank you for sharing that. What’s been your life’s biggest lesson so far?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that there is no such thing as overnight success. When we first started The Quinn Spinn, none of us had any idea what it took to create an impactful platform from scratch. We were naive, and thought that SiriusXM would come along and discover us, and we’d live happily ever after. It’s taken 10 years — and countless detours — to arrive to the place that we have. I’m proud to be here, and it serves as proof that we can go even further. Another lesson is that, as a creative, there is always that next mountain to climb. So many of us look for a point of arrival, or a moment to signify that we’ve “made it.” “Making it” is an abstract idea; it’s not a singular destination, but the continued ability to wake up and create what you love every day. To me, “making it” means learning to embrace and enjoy the process.
I’d like to think that, at each point on the journey, I did the best with the tools I had. There have been countless valuable lessons learned along the way – and some have been learned the hard way. However, UMC would not be where it is without the opportunities to learn. It’s all part of the process.
If you were to go back in time, what piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
Protect your energy. Not everyone or everything you encounter is aligned with your vision, and anything that is not adding to your vision is distracting you from bringing it to fruition. Make sure you’re using your time on fulfilling relationships and activities. Those will light the way.
We’re nearly halfway through our interview so it’s a great time to ask how does your business run. What three tools make your business run better?
The entire UMC ecosystem runs through WordPress. Of every hosting service I’ve used, WordPress allows us to do the most from a customization standpoint. It’s complex, but learning how to use WordPress has significantly bolstered the presentation of everything you see on our website. As far as creation tools, I’ve had the entire Adobe Creative Suite since before The Quinn Spinn launched. To this day, I edit our videos in Premiere, use Audition for our audio, and Photoshop and Illustrator for various photography and graphics needs. As our team grows, we’ll need tools to keep us organized. I’ve had the opportunity to use Monday to manage projects, and I’m looking forward to diving in further.
What do you know now that you wished you had known before?
I’d like to think that, at each point on the journey, I did the best with the tools I had. There have been countless valuable lessons learned along the way – and some have been learned the hard way. However, UMC would not be where it is without the opportunities to learn. It’s all part of the process.
What has been your greatest or proudest achievement or moment?
I continue to find myself blown away by the fact that The Quinn Spinn is in its 10th year. A lot of life has taken place within the past decade, and there have even been a couple of points where it may have made more sense to stop, rather than keep going. However, the show has endured all of those events and a number of format changes, and I believe it’s the best it has ever been in Year 10.
What future life goals do you want to achieve and why?
As I alluded before, there are some things in the works that we’ll be announcing shortly. These developments are the next evolution of UMC, and I believe that they’ll be significant game changers for us. Right now, it’s all about scaling up, and creating more opportunities for musicians and independent creatives of all disciplines. The plan is laid out – now, it’s all about taking action!
To finish our inspire questions…”We believe that sharing inspiring words can inspire others.” If there was one positive thing you would say to someone to inspire and empower them what would it be and why?
Just start. Launching your creative platform can feel daunting, and you may not know where to begin. That’s fine. Pick a point that makes sense to you, and keep moving forward. Also, don’t worry about what you don’t know. Every day presents us with an opportunity to learn. Even when you stumble – because it WILL happen – look for the lessons. Take new information, and use it to better inform your path forward.
“Thank you it has been great learning more about your founder story and Underground Music Collective”
To learn more about Underground Music Collective Visit https://umusiccollective.com
Find on social media @
https://twitter.com/GerardLongo12
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerardlongo12/
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