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Chris Taylor (businessman)

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Christopher Normand Taylor is a Canadian entertainment lawyer and record executive.

Chris Taylor
Born
Christopher Normand Taylor
Occupations
  • Attorney
  • record executive
Years active1980–present
LabelLast Gang Records

In 2004, Taylor co-founded Last Gang Records with concert promoter Donald K. Tarlton. The label was acquired by Entertainment One in 2016, with Taylor becoming the president of eOne's music operations. He was the president and CEO of eOne Music, which was renamed MNRK Music Group in 2021.[1] In 2024 he resigned from MNRK to found Hall of Fame Artists.[1]

Career

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After graduating from law school, Taylor founded the rock/reggae group One in 1990. The band toured North America, playing over a thousand shows, released four albums, and was nominated for a Juno Award.[2] In 1994, the band signed with Virgin Records and released their fourth album, Smokin' The Goats, which included two Canadian Top 40 singles, "Wide Load"[3][4] and "54–46"[citation needed].

In 1997, he began practising law with the law firm of Sanderson Taylor[5] representing Canadian artists Nelly Furtado, Avril Lavigne, and Tom Cochrane, among others.

In 1998, via his former manager, Chris Smith, Taylor discovered Nelly Furtado and assisted with introducing her talents to record companies in the United States.[2] Shortly following Furtado's rise, Taylor played a role in introducing Sum 41 to the music industry. More recently, he had been working for rap artist Drake.[6]

In 2003, he founded entertainment company Last Gang Entertainment with music industry promoter and impresario Donald Tarlton, discovering and signing alternative/dance artists Metric, Death From Above 1979, MSTRKRFT, and Crystal Castles.[7] The label has been nominated as Canadian Independent Record Label of the Year at the Canadian Music Awards eight times, with its latest nomination in 2014.[8] Last Gang Management manages Lights and Arkells and co-manages Ryan Hemsworth, BadBadNotGood, Holy Fuck, Tennyson, and chef Matty Matheson, in partnership with management company People's Champ.

In 2006, he cofounded his own law firm, Taylor Mitsopulos Klein Oballa,[9] representing additional acts such as Billy Talent, Three Days Grace, Justin Nozuka, Daniel Powter, Alexisonfire, Gogol Bordello, and Lights in addition to producers and songwriters such as Henry "Cirkut" Walter and Gordon Lightfoot. The law firm also provides legal advice to YTV's number-one-rated show, The Next Star, Canada's Walk of Fame, charitable organization Free The Children, and Slaight Music. Taylor was the long-time lawyer for Canadian media personalities George Stroumboulopoulos and Matte Babel, among others. In January 2012, the law firm changed its name to Taylor Klein Oballa LLP.

In March 2016, Taylor sold Last Gang to Entertainment One and took the position of President of Entertainment One's music division.[10] The management division at Entertainment One added management companies Hardlivings[11] and Nerve,[12] which handle clients including Riton, Tieks, Jax Jones, Tiga, The Black Madonna, and Daniel Avery. Entertainment One's music division was named the #2 Independent Label in the US in 2016,[13] and the artists associated with the company had a total of nine Grammy Award nominations for 2017.[14]

eOne publishing entered into joint venture with Grammy winning producer/writers, "Stereotypes" in August 2018.[15]

Taylor led the sale of Hasbro/eOne’s music business to Blackstone for USD $385 million in cash[16] with the deal closing on June 29, 2021.[17] The music business was renamed, MNRK Music Group on September 27, 2021 and Taylor was named President & CEO.[18] He left MNRK Music Group on July 1, 2024 to found, Hall of Fame Artists, a talent management firm with a plan to grow a recording and music publishing division.

Taylor is an executive producer of the "House of Strombo" concert series[19] along with George Stroumboulopoulos, Michael Sugar, and Bob Mackowycz. In April 2017, Apple Music announced its partnership with House of Strombo.[20] In 2019, Taylor served as executive producer of “Shoulder to Shoulder: A Centennial Tribute to Women's Suffrage” by The Karrin Allyson Sextet.[21] Taylor is on the advisory board for Ricky Martin’s, Martin Music Lab.[22] In December 2021 Taylor was a guest on the Trapital podcast with host Dan Runcie discussing MNRK, the music business and technology.[23]

Awards

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In 2013, Taylor was honored by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association for Excellence in Advocacy alongside former Supreme Court Justice The Honourable Ian Binnie, and filmmaker David Cronenberg.[24] In 2017,[25] 2018,[26] 2019,[27] 2020,[28] 2021,[29] 2022,[30] 2023,[31] and 2024.[4] Billboard magazine included Taylor in their "Indie Music Business Power List" and in June 2018 Variety Magazine named Taylor as one of its "International Music Industry Leaders".[32] In 2018, the Canadian Independent Music Association awarded him the Entrepreneur of the Year Award.[33] In 2021, Taylor was included alongside, Beyonce, The Weeknd, Jay Z, and Shakira in Billboard Magazine’s first “Change Agents” list, honoring leaders across the music industry who stepped up over the past year to help the industry survive the pandemic and respond to calls for social and racial justice.[34] In 2023 Taylor won a Grammy Award as executive producer on the Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year, “Fandango at the Wall in New York (2022)” from the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra directed by Arturo O’Farrill.[35] - Acceptance Speech

References

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  1. ^ a b "'eOne Music Is Now MNRK Music Group; Chris Taylor Remains President/CEO'". Billboard. 27 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Spin Doctor - Toronto Star Aug 2, 2009". Toronto Star. 2 August 2009.
  3. ^ "Billboard" (PDF). www.americanradiohistory.com. October 27, 1994. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  4. ^ a b Inc, Nielsen Business Media (29 October 1994). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (11 March 2000). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "Toronto Star: Ex-rocker Chris Taylor now a player of a different kind, as a force behind Toronto's biggest music stars". Toronto Star. 2 August 2009.
  7. ^ "About Last Gang - Last Gang Records".
  8. ^ "Canadian Music Week Announces Nominees For The Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  9. ^ "Our Lawyers - Taylor Oballa Murray Leyland LLP Entertainment and Media Lawyers".
  10. ^ "Billboard: Chris Taylor Appointed President Of Entertainment One Music". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Entertainment One Music adds Hardlivings management to roster". Music Business Worldwide. 8 September 2016.
  12. ^ "eOne Welcomes Nerve Artist Management". 4 November 2016.
  13. ^ "Chris Taylor's Global Ambition For eOne Music". 11 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Entertainment One Celebrates 9 Nominations for The 2017 GRAMMY AWARDS".
  15. ^ "Grammy-Winning Producers The Stereotypes Launch Joint Publishing Venture With eOne". 28 August 2018.
  16. ^ "Blackstone To Acquire eOne Music From Hasbro In 385m Cash Deal". 26 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Hasbro Closes eOne Music Business Sale For 385 Million". The Hollywood Reporter. 29 June 2021.
  18. ^ "eOne Music Is Now MNRK Music Group; Chris Taylor Remains President/CEO". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Apple Music presents intimate concert series, House Of Strombo". YouTube. 13 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  20. ^ "Apple Music Picks Up Toronto's 'House of Strombo' Concert Series". Billboard.
  21. ^ Newman, Melinda. "Harry Belafonte, Rosanne Cash, Karrin Allyson Celebrate 'Centennial Tribute to Women's Suffrage'". Billboard.
  22. ^ "'Ricky Martin Launches Martin Music Lab, With Focus On 'Elevating' Audio Entertainment Experiences'". Billboard.
  23. ^ "'Chris Taylor on MNRK's Rebrand and Managing Death Row Records Catalog and Music's M&A Market". Trapital. 17 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Canadian Civil Liberties Association for Excellence in Advocacy". Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  25. ^ "Billboard - Indie Music Business Power List 2017". Billboard.
  26. ^ "Billboard - Indie Music Business Power List 2018". Billboard.
  27. ^ "Billboard - Indie Music Business Power List 2019". Billboard.
  28. ^ "Billboard - Indie Music Business Power List 2020". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Billboard - Indie Music Business Power List 2021". Billboard.
  30. ^ "Billboard - Indie Music Business Power List 2022". Billboard.
  31. ^ "Billboard - Indie Music Business Power List 2023". Billboard.
  32. ^ "Variety - International Music Industry Leaders". 4 June 2018.
  33. ^ "CIMA - Gala Spotlight: Entrepreneur of the year Award, Chris Taylor".
  34. ^ "Billboard Change Agents: Leaders Stepping Up In A Year of Turmoil". Billboard.
  35. ^ "Fandango at the Wall in New York (2022)".
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