Chief Entertainment Officer
TLG Entertainment LLC
Years with Company:10+
Address:800 Enterprise Dr., Ste. 204, Oak Brook, IL 60523
Web: tlgzoid.com, tlgent.com
E-mail:zoident@aol.com, info@tlgent.com
Clients: TLG|ZOID: Billy Morrison, Aftermath, 40 Cycle Hum, Stripping the Pistol, Smile Empty Soul, Fight From Within; TLG|ROCK: Close Enemies, Franky Perez, Close Enemies, Hillbilly Vegas, The Calling
BACKGROUND
Even though he has more than four decades of music industry experience under his belt, Dennis Sanders still gets a thrill out of working with artists. As a manager, promoter, and business developer, he’s left an indelible mark on modern music. A key player at The Label Group, he heads up subsidiary ZOID, which focuses on heavy metal and hard rock.
From Drum Tech To Manager
My brother, Troy Luccketta, was the original drummer for Tesla. I started out as his drum tech 40 years ago. From that, I went on to being a tour manager for various acts including Papa Roach, until they wanted to make me a full manager.
The Label Path
When Jada Pinkett Smith did Wicked Wisdom, her metal band, I managed that. Jada wanted her own label, because she didn’t want any man telling her what to do. So, she started 100% Womon Records. I set that up through Suburban Noize Records. I also helped run her label.
Can’t Avoid ZOID
We have a metalcore band called Fight From Within that has really taken off. We’ve got two songs on Liquid Metal right now. We’ve got Aftermath, which is an iconic metal band from Chicago. I don’t listen to metal much, but people consider me a metal guy, which is kind of funny when my favorite thing is standards. I listen to Perry Como and Frank Sinatra. And I listen to the stuff I grew up working with—Poison and Bon Jovi, all that. I’m a sucker for old school rock.
Rock ‘N Sold
TLG | ROCK is another sub label. We have Close Enemies, which is Tom Hamilton from Aerosmith and Tony Brock from The Babys. I don’t think rock has ever been dead. It’s a regular seller when it comes to physical product. Rock radio? There’s a return on that. We just had a No. 1 song with “Crack Cocaine” [by Billy Morrison featuring Ozzy Osbourne].
Discovering Artists
People come to me. I’ve been doing this a long time. [ZOID distributor] Virgin sends artists my way. People know what I do. Brett Scallions from Fuel introduced me to Billy Morrison. Billy had a record done and didn’t know what to do with it. I’d worked with Brett on a couple of his side projects. A lot of that goes on.
What’s Good?
I like stuff that’s different. I distribute a lot of music that I’m only involved with on that level. But even with that, I try to keep my finger on the pulse. I don’t just put out anything. I like to think that anything we put out is really good. I’m really into outlaw country right now. And I’m looking for the right mix of country and reggae. Nobody’s done that yet.
Latin Flavor
I’m working with an artist, the former singer from Apocalyptica. He has a Latin project that I’m really excited about, Franky and the All Nighters. Our first single features Sen Dog from Cypress Hill. It’s my first venture into the Latin market.
Build a Plan
There are a lot of best practice guides online. I have one that I send to artists that distribute through us. And when the artist buckles down and puts in the work, they do better. But the artist has to do a lot of work. Even if you get a major record deal, you still have to be the one creating the assets. You’ve got to keep working. It takes time. There’s a process to putting out music on a regular schedule. Every eight weeks seems to be the sweet spot for a new song. But have a plan. You can’t just throw music out and hope somebody finds it.
Staying Outside the Spotlight
I don’t play anything. I don’t sing. I have no musical capabilities. When I was a road guy, I didn’t even like getting on the mic and going, “Check, check.” I like being the guy behind the scenes. I’ve always been that way. But I love the business.
Metrics as an Indicator of Work Ethic
If an artist comes to me and I see they’ve got a Spotify or Facebook page that’s been up for a couple years and there’s only a couple hundred people on it, it tells me they’re not working hard. No numbers is far better than bad numbers.
Money Matters
A lot of times, I look at music as a promotional tool to sell tickets. Ten million streams [equals around] $36,000, if you’re lucky. And it gets split up. That’s what it costs to make most records, so it’s not a lot of money. It’s all about auxiliary incomes. If you have 1,000 fans that buy everything you put out, you can make money. The term super fan, that’s nothing new, especially in the independent world. We’ve always been looking at those fans as the real meat and potatoes to make money with an artist.
Friends Only
I’m probably closer to my artists than most other managers. Most of my artists I consider friends, which is kind of a no-no. But I only want to work with people I’d have at my house for a barbecue. If you don’t get along, eventually it’s not going to work out.
Ozzy’s Final Bow
When Billy Morrison sent me that record [off The Morrison Project], I didn’t have any intention of spending the money it takes to go to radio. Then I heard the song and I’m like, “Oh, my God. It’s Ozzy and it sounds like a hit.” That’s what really launched ZOID.
Ozzy was amazing to work with. We gave him a number one song in his last year. “Gods of Rock N Roll” is amazing. Ozzy wanted an orchestra, so we put together a 52-piece orchestra. From a business standpoint, it might not be the smartest, but we did it anyway. We had a billboard on Sunset. We go the extra mile at ZOID.
Just Have Fun
I’m a big believer that music should be an escape from people’s everyday lives. So, I ingrain in my artists—leave your politics out. Just have a good time so everybody watching you will have a great time. Love everybody, man.
No Quit
We work hard and don’t give up. We do what we say we’re going to do. If you talk to Billy Morrison, he’ll tell you we do what we say we’re going to do. When we believe in something, we believe it.
Stay or Go
I do a lot of handshake deals. If you’re not happy, you can leave. I don’t lock anybody in. I want whatever’s going to be best for the artist, so if a major label comes along and wants you, it’s fine. If you don’t like what we’re doing or the way it’s going, then you can move on and hopefully we’ll remain friends.
Bigger Contracts Aren’t Better
Our contracts are three to four pages long. When you have a contract that looks like a small book, after the first couple pages none of that’s really to the benefit of the artist. Always have a lawyer look at it.
Authenticity
When people see a video, they can tell if it’s done through A.I. I can read somebody’s bio and right away say, “That’s A.I.” Being authentic is more important than ever because there’s so much out there that isn’t real. I really push these kids to be authentic. Don’t try to write a hit. Just write what comes naturally. If you’re always chasing it, you’re never going to catch it.
