Faces
By Andrew King
JAMES GREENSPAN
Seeing a teenaged James Greenspan strutting down his
high school hallway , you would ’ ve bet he was destined for a life in the music business .
“ I had a jean jacket with patches of my favourite bands , a Walkman , and cassettes in every pocket ; I was always making mix tapes ,” the Toronto native recalls for Canadian Music Trade . That passion only grew into adulthood , and now serves him very well in his role as marketing and communications manager for Yorkville Sound . “ The people are the best thing about this business , and I have something in common with everyone I ’ ve met – a favourite album , a love for gear , or the experience of setting up a live gig ,” he tacks on .
In fact , Yorkville played a key role in his formative years as a musician . Greenspan recalls his father renting him a bass guitar and Traynor amp from Long & McQuade in his early teens . He joined his first band as a ninth-grader shortly thereafter .
He later took a job on the floor at Sam the Record Man while attending Toronto ’ s York University and also served as the arts and photography editor for the school paper , which found him front-row at a lot of shows .
He landed a coveted internship in Columbia Records ’ A & R department , working under industry icon and Bob Dylan producer Don DeVito in New York City – and even convinced the school it should count as a full credit . “ It was like winning a contest ,” he beams in hindsight .
His prowess for making mixtapes was put to good use when he joined Sony Music Canada ’ s Catalogue Marketing & Special Products division , where he would curate and market greatest hits collections , soundtracks , and other compilations .
He took a few other roles in and adjacent to the music business before finding a home as the manager of the Hard Rock Café at Yonge and Dundas in Toronto . “ I started the Vinyl Sessions events there and we had amazing days and nights of music until the Hard Rock closed down ,” he shares .
Shortly after , he caught up with a colleague from his Sam the Record Man years , Sheri Katz , who ’ s now an executive with Long & McQuade . “ Sheri had a hunch that Yorkville would be a good fit ,” Greenspan recalls . “ She passed on my resume and I felt an immediate kinship with the Yorkville team .”
He and his colleagues have certainly been productive throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic . Beyond some exciting music-focused initiatives like livestreaming educational seminars via Long & McQuade ’ s social platforms , creating plenty of high-quality promotional audiovisual content , and even launching the Yorkville Sound Podcast , the company also teamed up with StarFish Medical to help manufacture ventilators at its production facility in Pickering , ON . The effort is on track to produce thousands of the much-needed machines and earned recognition from the Premier of Ontario .
“ I ’ m always going to remember how we pivoted and worked together during the great pandemic ,” he says when asked about some professional highlights with Yorkville thus far . He also looks back fondly on enhancing Yorkville ’ s presence at some high-profile trade shows leading up to 2020 , and in particular , the 2019 Yorkville U
program for Long & McQuade staff , which included a coveted group hang at George Stroumboulopoulos ’ s House of Strombo with an exclusive performance by The Trews .
At home , Greenspan says he ’ s fortunate to be enjoying a lot of time with family despite the pandemic , as everyone is living together under a single roof . “ The last few months have also involved a lot of music ,” he says . “ I ’ ve been playing a lot , including backyard jams with some high school friends , and love record collecting , seeking out those hidden gems .” He ’ s also logging a lot of time outdoors with his wife , Mariana , and son , Noah – who has perfected the iconic drum fill in Phil Collins ’ “ In the Air Tonight .”
“ I can ’ t wait to travel again ,” he tacks on , saying he ’ s excited to finally bring his family to Atlantic Canada as soon as the opportunity to do so safely presents itself .
In the meantime , there ’ s always plenty underway at Yorkville to keep him on his toes . The company recently took on Canadian distribution for the Gold Tone , Samson , and Hartke brands , and they ’ ve got plenty of promotional content to share with fans .
Greenspan proudly offers a glimpse of the company culture that keeps him and his colleagues so excited about their work : “ There ’ s a turntable by my desk that ’ s hooked up to some ART RM5s , and we have Vinyl Fridays every week , where we have classic albums spinning all day for the whole team to enjoy ,” he says . “ It ’ s a great team to be a part of , and I ’ m looking forward to our continued learning and success as we push on trying new things .”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Music Trade .
20 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE