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The seeds of The Management Trust were sown through a chance meeting between Jake Gold and Allan Gregg in 1985. At the same time, a young east-coaster named RJ Guha was also working his way up in the music industry – and on a fortuitous path that would merge with Gold and Gregg’s some 20 years later.
At the time, Gold was a young and under-funded but energetic Manager who had just broken his first act, while Gregg was an established pollster with a passion for – but no real experience in – the music business. They were thrown together by fate while Gregg was trying to draw attention to a musician friend and Gold was recruited to put together a showcase event. The showcase was a failure, but the experience forged one of the most successful partnerships in the history of Canadian music.
The two struck an arrangement: Gold would run the day-to-day affairs of the company, while Gregg would be the “silent” partner who utilized his understanding of popular culture and business to assist Gold in marketing and legal affairs. Calling the new company Jacob J. Gold and Associates, the two set out to discover new talent.
Their serendipity continued when a friend sent Gregg a tape of basement recordings by a Kingston band with a whimsical name. Impressed by their raw passion, Gold arranged for the band to come to Toronto and play an opening slot for a Rolling Stones clone band. Within thirty seconds of their opening song, Gold and Gregg knew they were witnessing something special. They signed The Tragically Hip on the spot, and for the next 17 years forged perhaps the most successful musical career the country has witnessed.
While Gold and Gregg were building The Management Trust, RJ Guha was making his own way in the music industry. Having started in the music business at around the same time as The Management Trust, Guha founded The Matrix Entertainment Group Ltd. and worked with clients such as Lost Dakotas, Big Sugar, Alannah Miles, Great Big Sea, and The Specials. In a few short years, he built Matrix from humble beginnings into Canada's leading alternative and original rock music booking agency.
In 1996, Guha merged Matrix with Courage Artists and Touring, forming the 2nd-largest independently owned and operated booking agency in Canada, with annual revenues in the millions. Not satisfied to sit on his laurels, Guha then transformed Matrix Entertainment into a full service Artist Management, event production, and music consulting company.
At the time they signed The Hip, Gold and Gregg were working as more than just management: they were partnering with their artists as co-publishers and financial backers for their recordings. The pair wanted to be personally invested in the band's career and future, sticking with them when no one else shared their vision, and never sacrificing long term career advancement for short term opportunity. They had created an arrangement that would set them apart from most other management companies – and would set the stage for working with Guha.
Gold and Guha had crossed paths for years in the music industry, and had formed a close friendship based on a mutual philosophy of avoiding flash-in-the-pan acts, only working with career artists, and partnering to build a following and long-term success. In 2005, the two decided it was time to work together, and merged Matrix Entertainment with The Management Trust.
Everyone involved in the new Management Trust bring serious credentials to the table. Under Gold and Gregg, The Management Trust has been cited 3 times as Managers of the Year by the Canadian music industry, and has launched the careers of The Watchmen, David Gogo, and Big Wreck.
Guha is no slouch either: he’s been nominated as Agent of the Year, has worked with rising indie stars such as The Salads, and is one of the most active members of the Canadian music industry, serving as a mentor and a teacher at Harris Institute for the Arts, as well as working on multiple boards, including RADIO STARMAKER FUND and CIRPA.
Under the new structure, Gold and Guha share the day-to-day responsibilities of artist management, continuing in the same vein The Management Trust has always followed: discovering artists, working with them to develop their craft, funding their first recordings, and negotiating their label agreements, and helping them to develop their full potential.
They are still one of the only Artist Management companies to dedicate themselves to true artist development, working on bringing the next crop of stars to the public.
Find out more about our staff here.
We accept all genres of music. We do not accept unsolicited material via post. If you wish to submit material, please EMAIL the following material:
- Bio in text or Word format (which includes - Artists background, philosophy, aspirations and influences)
- One good-quality mp3 (maximum of 4mb) or link to mp3s on your site
- Photos (Promo and live) in .jpg format
- .jpgs of Press clippings
- List of dates played - past and upcoming
- Web site address and contact info
Unsolicited packages will be discarded.
*** DO NOT SEND ANY VIDEOS OR LARGE FILES***
Due to the volume of items received, we can only reply to specific submissions.
You can email us the above info to mail@mgmtrust.ca
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