In today's world of combining music and business you’d better have some knowledge and the wherewithall to be new media conscious and at least have your social media bases covered.

 This week I have the good fortune of featuring Hab Haddad who can expound on the topic and make it fun, and has worked with some of the biggest acts in the world in his role with the infamous, legendary and forward thinking Doc McGhee of McGhee Entertainment, not to mention being a sought after consultant, allowing many major companies to have reaped the benefits of his wisdom.

Thankfully, a guy this smart took the time to give me an education and I am glad to be able to share that with you!!!!  Hab is the coolest tech guru you will ever meet!

(TN) Q: You have developed into a tremendous resource in the world of social/new media, internet technology and helping apply that breadth of knowledge in the entertainment space.  Tell us you background and what brought you to where you are today?

(HH) A: When I was younger, I knew I wanted to combine my passion for music, electronics and computers together. I went to DePaul University in Chicago and in 1992 graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Music (Audio Engineering).  Right after school, I worked at Airwave Recording studios where I met the band MANOWAR.  I ended up going on tour with them for 5 years around the world and worked through the ranks from Bass Guitar Tech all the way up to being their Tour Manager and Studio Manager. 

The experience of traveling around the world and managing a rock band provided me with a profound education at an early age, but I knew I had to get into the tech world if I wanted to stay relevant. I then made the hard decision to leave the music industry for the technology industry and in 1997 got a job at Technology Solutions Company in Chicago as a computer consultant.  Once they found out I had entertainment industry experience, they asked me to move to San Jose California to join their new "Multi Media" division...which back then was a new buzz word. I embraced the situation and started a new career of marrying technology with graphics, audio and video. I started as an Associate Consultant and moved through the ranks until I became a Senior Principal in the company. I worked on Multi Media training projects for Baan, People Soft, SAP, Oracle and many more.

Along the way, all of my touring buddies would come to town, ask me to visit them back stage and have me fix their computers while the show was happening. This gave me the reputation as being a rock n roll computer consultant. Because I was trusted by the touring folk and I knew how to troubleshoot laptops and other gadgets that production guys and rock stars wouldn't trust with anyone else, I developed a niche business as a result.

One day, that led me to meet Doc McGhee and Paul Stanley of KISS (posted pictures are of my first meeting with them).

I fixed Doc's computer in 2 minutes and he started yelling at his production crew because the problem existed for 2 months and they couldn't fix it. Doc never stopped calling me after that moment. 

A few years later, my office in San Jose moved me to San Diego, which was 45 min from Doc's house. He would have me visit him there and up at his office in LA to maintain his computers and advise him regarding trends in technology.  Doc realized that the music industry was changing.  To maintain an edge as a manager, he wanted to embrace it, so 2001 he asked me to join McGhee Entertainment as the Director of New Media. He was one of the first and only managers to have a department like that, even before many labels, which showed he knew the industry was making a shift to digital and he wanted to be ahead of the pack.

Working at McGhee was like being a kid in a candy store. My touring experience and love of anything digital paid off well as I worked on digital initiatives for KISS, Ted Nugent, Night Ranger, Hootie and the Blowfish, Down and many more. With KISS, we would get a proposal a minute, so I had to develop a knack of quickly reviewing companies, their elevator pitches and decide whether we should do business with them. Developing this skill set is what led me to starting my own consulting company, Habco Media, where I help tech companies enter the entertainment space by connecting them to deal makers and helping them navigate through the rocky terrain.

(TN) Q: You have been an integral part of McGhee Entertainment working with legendary manager Doc McGhee and the amazing roster of artists they represent. Tell us about some of the campaigns that you have worked on there, and explain how that work has translated into success stories.  

(HH) A: Working at McGhee Ent. has been some of the most rewarding years of my life. It's a family style management company that cares about their clients and their careers.

 I'm proud to say we've always stayed on the cutting edge when it comes to moving things forward with technology and innovation. Part of the success of McGhee Entertainment comes from a simple acronym, KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid. 

We realize that a project must have the basics covered. Making sure the fundamentals are handled around a release, a tour, selling tickets and merchandise allows us to then become creative knowing we have a solid foundation to work from.  After that, a simple idea can be the glue to tie it all together and with technology we can engage it.  For example, on the last KISS tour, we gave 1$ of every ticket sold to the Wounded Warrior Project.  Every night we would have local military leaders come on stage and we would donate a large check to the organization. The next day the local press in that area would pick up the coverage and spread the news.

One of the simplest, but most brilliant things Doc ever did was allow fans under the age of 14 in for free to KISS shows. That gave us a sandbox environment to engage fans young and old. We had 3 generations of fans coming to our concerts. Through localized fan focused campaigns and strategic partnerships, we've built initiatives focused around enhancing the fan experience.  We've done some great things with live webcasts, live photo to screen sharing, multi language live chats, 3D concerts, fan face painting, instant live recordings, on demand merchandise and much more.  All of it revolves around making the fan experience more engaging and exciting.

(TN) Q: Recently you started consulting a new client, MashOn.  Tell us about the company and why the entertainment world should keep an eye on it.

(HH) A: Today, no industry is safe from disruption.  MashON is doing that to the merchandise industry.  MashON has developed a product-on-demand creation and personalization platform for any online store.  It allows any web store the ability to instantly start offering customized and personalized products and extend any merchandise line with over 400 customizable products.  I like to call it "Instant Inventory" or "Instant Merchandising".

Their software integrates into existing eCommerce systems and products are shipped white labeled on your behalf, which reduces inventory, reduces overhead and increases revenue margins - it's no risk merchandising.  It's all done within your existing shopping cart; your site, your traffic, your customer, your products, and your revenue. 

They currently work with MGM Studios, NBC Universal, American Apparel, Jim Henson and many more.

(TN) Q: For those of us not as savvy in the technological world we live in today, what are the most important things oldsters and newbies alike need to pay the most attention to if we are to continue to succeed.

(HH) A: The motto of my consulting company is people before business, because bad people always screw up good business. Good people have integrity and that is vital to doing good business.  An idea is not a business...it takes much more to get an idea to be more than just that.  People make good business. A good team can take you anywhere and can do anything.

I feel that the pace of innovation today is quickening with each year that goes by.  Technology has exponentially hurried the pace in which we do business.  Information becomes old in an instant.  With this frenzied pace, it's important to stick to the fundamentals.  Technology sometimes gets created for the sake of technology, not necessarily for the sake of doing business. It's important to know that when evaluating things.  If you just ask the simple question of: "where's the business in that idea?", it can tell you whether to get involved or not.

I became very good at evaluating companies because with the KISS brand everyone has an idea to pitch.  Anyone can come up with an idea, but we look for people who can execute from conception to delivery and who can market their product after it's been delivered.

(TN) Q: What are some of the best accomplishments to date that you would care to share and/or brag about, my friend?

(HH) A: I've been very fortunate in my career. I've tour managed rock stars, traveled the globe, managed millions of dollars of marketing funds, licensed millions of songs for world wide distribution, closed major recording contracts, helped book millions of dollars in live shows and have been involved in some of the most amazing music and videos in the world today.

If I was to brag about anything, it would be because I'm proud to work with some of the most amazing people in the entertainment industry.  When it comes down to it, it's all about good people because they will lead you to good business.