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When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced that Rolling stone The founder, Jann Wenner, will be stepping down as long-time president as president next year. The big question was whether changes would be considered for this institution. John Sykes, The president of iHeartMedia's entertainment companies is committed to doing so. "It will continue to evolve," Sykes said Rolling stone. "Because if it does not, it will become useless."
Sykes will succeed Wenner – who founded Rolling stone in 1967 and co-founder of the Hall of Fame in 1983, before taking his head after the death of founding President Ahmet Ertegun in 2006 – January 1st. He spoke about his plans for the scope, ambitions and future legacy of the foundation.
What does it take to take the reins of Jann?
I have the impression of knowing Jann since the age of 15 years old. I'm incredibly honored to follow in his footsteps as it was an icon for me when I saw his name appear for the first time on Rolling stone when I was 15 years old. He is still there today. He was an iconic figure in my life because I lived only an allowance. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an incredible success: Jann and Ahmet overcame insurmountable difficulties in the 1980s with no money, just an idea, and they integrated it into a cultural institution. If you step back and look at it, the Hall of Fame became the Cooperstown of Rock & Roll – it took [a hundred years] for that to happen at baseball, and they've done it in three decades for rock music.
So where are we going from here? What is the relevance of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the modern music public and what is its future?
We are in the music business and music leads to a change in our culture. Nothing remains the same in music. So, really, the institution that honors it must evolve with all the music. Since hip-hop is now an integral part of the Hall of Fame, everything we do – the board members we have, the events we're building on – must reflect a changing culture without ever neglecting or turning its back on it. # 39; ideal. Rock Hall fundamentals.
How do you think the name of the brand is inextricably linked to rock and roll, at a time when the genre is not as present in pop culture?
I have always thought that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – which has been there for 25 years – no longer deals with one genre of music. This is a mind that connects with young people. Jon Landau, who heads our nominating committee, reminds us every year, at our introductory meetings, that Berry Gordy has put the words "the sound of young America" on each of his Motown recordings. I think that's what it's all about: young America's sound. It will continue to evolve. Because if it does not, it will become useless.
"We have to look like artists coming into our room. It's just the natural transition. "
Under Jann's tenure, the Hall of Fame has been criticized as an institution that favors or prohibits the entry of certain types of music. How do you plan to face this?
I think Jann, Ahmet and [Sire Records founder] Seymour [Stein] built an incredible Hall of Fame reflecting the state of music at the time of the creation of the institution. And Jann himself said it was time to evolve. His job was to make 1.0, and it's time to bring the Hall to 2.0. TWhich means a more diverse picture, which means more women, people of color, reflecting the type of music that is now being inducted. We must be like the artists who come to our room. It's just the natural transition. To Jann's merit, Sam Cooke, Jeff Barry, Ray Charles – the first year of enthronement – it may have been a bunch of rock bands. Jann believes that he has done his job and reached it at this level and that it is time for the next generation to assume and develop it. It was his idea to retire and pass the torch.
Are you thinking of the Pantheon engaging more in larger conversations in music?
What we have done so far is to focus on building a group of inductees that has made the project credible enough for all artists to want to be part of it. They understand that we really take the process very seriously and look at the artists who really have an impact on culture. Yes, we want to be part of a larger conversation, but only about the music that really shapes the lives of young people. Anything beyond that does not interest us because there is probably someone else who can do it.
What was the biggest reward of your time on the board and working with the founders? How does this affect the future?
What Jann taught us all is that you really lead with your passion. None of us are paid for it. I keep my schedule and run a division of iHeartRadio. Jann was financially secure from the day he'd thought of the Hall of Fame. It was not about money; it was about preserving this incredible music and culture. I remember when he and the others wanted Mr. Pei to do the museum. IIt's kind of so paradoxical that Rock & Roll – but it's also a way to tell the world that Rock & Roll is a serious business and what better way to engage the person who designed the addition to the Louvre ? Jann understood how to keep it pure, but to legitimize it in the eyes of culture.
To move forward, with respect to the goals of the foundation: The obvious goals are to continue to financially support the Cleveland Museum, which is a separate board of directors, and to work closely with the museum to create cutting-edge exhibitions, but also really. Take advantage of the technologies and social platforms available to integrate the Hall of Fame beyond Cleveland into all US homes, cars and iPhones. But the most important thing is to build the foundation's board of directors – members that truly reflect the diversity of music today. I hope this is what I will be able to bring over the next year of the Hall: a Hall of Fame reflecting the incredible change in music that is happening now.
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