Tanvi Patel
On her way in college to a “serious” professional degree, Tanvi Patel traded biology for broadcasting and she’s never stopped listening since. Tanvi’s career spans two decades in the broadcasting, record label, and production library industries. She launched her career in Cincinnati, working in promotions and music programming at WLW-FM (News/Talk), WUBE-FM (Country), and WVXU (Jazz). She then moved to Nashville where she landed her first label gig in the media department at BNA Records (a division of RCA Label Group), working with gold-record country recording artists like Lorrie Morgan and John Anderson. Tanvi left BNA to manage publicity, radio promotion, and sales for Jim Long at Honest Entertainment/The Gold Label, a multi-genre independent label distributed by Valley Entertainment. Her achievements there included securing the #1 and #2 positions on the Gavin Jazz chart for Linn Records’ jazz guitarist Martin Taylor and jazz vocalist Claire Martin. She also scored media coverage in Billboard, NPR’s “All Things Considered”, and QVC placements for the label’s artists, as well as helping to secure a Grammy nomination for Jack Jones’ “Jack Jones Paints a Tribute to Tony Bennett”.
Upon the sale of Honest Entertainment/The Gold Label, Tanvi moved into the library business, managing production and securing placements in film and TV for Jim Long’s production library OneMusic Library (distributed by FirstCom). Her placement credits included "20/20", "Six Feet Under", "America's Most Wanted", "Boston Public", "Dark Angel", "White Chicks", "American Pie 3:American Wedding”, “Exorcist: The Beginning”, and others.
In 2005, Tanvi moved to Los Angeles to manage the Point Classics catalog of over 2500 classical compositions, securing ringtone deals, CD licenses, digital distribution, and film and TV placements that included Oscar-winner “Brokeback Mountain”, “Ocean’s 12”, “Land of the Dead”, “HBO’s Classical Baby”, “Wildfire”, “Judging Amy”, “Malcolm In the Middle”, “The Simpsons”, and more.
Tanvi is a 50% partner in Crucial Music Corporation along with serving as the company’s President and CEO. Her goal is to become the world’s number one supplier of independent artist music to the film, television, and advertising industries. Tanvi is known throughout the industry for her sharp mind, her energetic spirit, and her unfathomable productivity. Rumor has it that after years of practice in the meditative arts, she can now use one half of her brain to evaluate new music while simultaneously using the other half to find songs for supervisors she has on the phone. Either that or she never sleeps.
Jim Long
He built his first vacuum tube radio transmitter at 13, started his own radio station in the basement of his parent’s house, and produced his first record at 15. He was the first person to release production music on compact disc. He was first to deliver production music online.
Jim Long’s life is a litany of firsts like being the first to introduce a cappella and shotgun vocal formats for station IDs. We suspect he may have played first base for his high school baseball team and blown first trumpet in the band but his old teachers aren’t talking.
An innovative and multi-talented entrepreneur, Jim has a record of successful ventures that include investment, ownership, and operations of award-winning broadcast and entertainment companies including TM Productions and FirstCom (yes, another “first”).
Jim’s companies have secured thousands of music placements in films such as “A Beautiful Mind” and “Brokeback Mountain”, and television shows like “Love Monkey”, “American Idol”, “Las Vegas”, “Malcolm In the Middle”, “House”, and “Monk”. Every major film studio and television network—including ABC, A&E/History Channel, CBH, Cinemax, CNN, E! Entertainment, Fox & Fox Sports, HBO, Lifetime, MTV, NBC, Outdoor Life Network, and the Oxygen Network—has licensed music from Jim’s catalogs.
Artist royalties from Jim’s work have been significant and long-lasting. Over the last three decades, composers have earned millions of dollars in royalty payments through his efforts.
While continuing to own and operate Point Classics, one of the world’s largest classical music catalogs, with over 2500 compositions, Jim is a 50% partner in Crucial Music Corporation and serves as the company's Chairman. He’s also the first person you’d probably call if you wanted first-rate advice about the music business. Generous with both his time and wisdom, Jim is unfailingly supportive of others. Just as he was mentored by “the father of modern advertising”, David Ogilvy, he, too continues the tradition of sharing his expertise with students and music industry executives.
Al Risi and ARMM
ARMM was founded by long-time music industry executive, Al Risi. His goal was to integrate the many relationships and collaborations that influenced his extensive career. Al first set out to conquer the music business in the early 90s, getting his start at what is now known as Universal Music Group.
With discipline and clear intention, he chose a path that would give him an insider’s knowledge of as many aspects of the music business as possible. This musical career path ran through record labels, distribution, publishing, and advertising. He now brings all of his experience, expertise, and relationships to bear at ARMM.
ARMM is a representation and consultancy company dedicated to the creative utilization of music and sound in branding and communications. It specializes in music strategy, supervision, licensing, original composition, and sound design. It covers commercial, film, television, web, and industrial media—and does it all with its own unique brand of muscle. For Crucial Music, ARMM has secured placements in advertising campaigns for Toyota, Royal Caribbean, Ralph Lauren, Google, Tylenol and Nickelodeon/Pebbles.
We don’t know what “ARMM” stands for but we know that Al stands for getting the job done right—and he’s done right at just about every job there is in the business. He’s also a serious live music fan. In 2011, he co-produced a documentary which premiered at SXSW called “100 Bands in 100 Days” where, you guessed it, a guy sees a band every day for over three months straight. (Tickets? $887.45. Beer/food/etc.? $1420. Final show posters? $103. CDs? $80. Livin’ the dream? Priceless.)
Joy Stringer
Joy joined Crucial Music after five years at ABC Entertainment. While there, she mentored under ABC Studios’ Director of Creative Music, choosing songs from music libraries, attending showcases, and participating in listening sessions.
Fueled by a lifelong love of music and a growing interest in licensing, she honed her skills through Music Supervision classes at UCLA, and in 2010, took part in the ultimate music industry rite of passage by attending the SXSW Music Festival and Conference in Austin, TX.
Joy brings superior organizational skills, attention to detail, and passion for developing artists to her role as Crucial Music’s Manager of A&R and Operations. When she’s not hard at work finding leads for our roster, she enjoys spending time in the kitchen trying to replicate recipes from the Julia Child Cookbooks.
Dan Waldkirch
Dan moved to Los Angeles after earning his Bachelor of Music degree from Ball State University. A classically-trained percussionist and composer, Dan is also a skilled audio engineer and a lifelong music nerd.
When he’s not taking care of artists at Crucial, Dan spends his time eating popcorn at the movies, writing songs, designing board games and video games, writing, painting, and falling into tourist traps. Dan has dedicated himself at Crucial to helping talented, hardworking artists get the recognition they deserve.
Shari Allison
A true rock-’n’-roller from Motor City, USA, Shari moved to Los Angeles in the 80s and never looked back. An avid live music buff, she has seen many bands on the Sunset Strip such as Buckcherry, RATT, Motley Crue, Guns N’Roses, ACDC, Judas Priest, Megadeth, and Metallica. When most of us are at home in front of the tube, Shari's rockin’ it front and center.
Prior to joining Crucial Music, Shari managed a chiropractic office, keeping everyone in “shape”. Shari is an integral part of the Crucial crew. She handles accounting and the many other administrative tasks that keep us all rockin’-’n’-rollin’ here.
