Professional Song Critique from Chris Montgomery

Over the past 25 years, Chris has enjoyed nearly every part of the music industry.

Over the past 25 years, I've enjoyed nearly every part of the music industry. 
I've been involved in traditional marketing and promotion with BMG as well as leading the digital music movement with such companies as MP3.com, Diamond Multimedia and Vivendi Universal. I'm also a professional guitarist, composer, arranger, producer and educator who has earned degrees in music as well as performed on some of the biggest jazz festival stages, including the Montreal Jazz Festival.

I've worked with a number of very high profile international acts in many different capacities while at BMG and MP3.com as well as performed with jazz luminaries Eric Marienthal, Wayne Bergeron, Oscar Peterson and Sammy Nestico. I've worked as a producer, musician (side man and featured artist), distributor and marketeer.

On the digital side of the music industry, I was involved with the launch of the RIO portable mp3 player and www.rioport.com. I was also an executive with MP3.com and developed and launched the first on-demand music subscription service back in 2000. I later became CEO, MP3.com Europe and worked extensively with major brands, agencies and artists - established and developing.

More recently, I was CEO, Carbon Music N.A. a music promotion company who works with the newspaper industry to create value-add promotions via CD compilations. The company averaged 100 million units per year.

I have advised numerous companies, Including Target Corp., on all matters related to digital music and entertainment. I also worked with Yangaroo, a revolutionary distribution technology that provides Indie artists access to radio stations across the US and Canada.

First and foremost, from my core I am a musician. Before all of the marketing and the distribution begins, there must be a song. I'm just as comfortable with country, pop, jazz or urban. The elements are the same and I know what works and what doesn't.