Bill Oakley of Shure on Artist Relations and Endorsements (Episode 147)

Everything you do is an audition.

Every working musician wants an endorsement deal. Few understand how the person on the other side of the table thinks. In Episode 147 of The Career Musician, Nomad sits down with longtime friend Bill Oakley, who has spent more than 22 years at Shure, designing products, running global sales and marketing, and serving as Industry and Artist Relations Manager at the company's office in Burbank.

Bill is also a classically trained violinist, a former DJ and rave promoter, and the production manager and front of house engineer Nomad brought onto the Babyface camp. This is the inside story of artist relations, gear endorsements for musicians, and why it takes a team.

From a Kleenex box violin to the Alps

Bill started violin at four with the Suzuki method. His first "violin" was a Kleenex box and a ruler. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, he wasn't being challenged, so a family friend found a school in the Swiss Alps where he spent two summers at 10 and 11 studying with hardcore classical teachers, no phones, limited electricity. It finally showed him there was more he could do.

Then a touring session violinist came to his high school with a violin and a MIDI box and made it sound like anything but a violin. The technology bug bit. He started DJing in sixth grade, spent a year in Germany in the Berlin rave scene, and came home to start his own production company in college, throwing events, booking talent and performing. He graduated in three and a half years, in the black.

Honest feedback can get you hired

Bill's road to Shure started at a DJ store. Shure reps showed up with a prototype drawing for a new phonograph cartridge aimed at house and techno DJs, because his name kept coming up. Five minutes turned into twenty, and Bill told them straight: this is not what DJs need, and here is what I would change.

"If you ask first, 'Hey, do you want my honest opinion?' and they say yes, the responsibility of what you're about to say is no longer on you. It's on them."

Bill Oakley, 30:24

They came back months later with a better drawing. Eventually they offered him a job to make the thing the way it should be. That is Objectivity from the ETHOS code, and it launched a career.

His philosophy of product management: be the customer. If Shure decided to make washing machines, he would buy every washing machine, abuse them all, and define exactly what Shure's had to do to compete. When he designed a portable wireless system for film sound, he wore the bag and held the boom pole himself. People tell you they do ABC, he says. Watch them, and they actually do something else.

How artist relations really works

The title said artist relations, but Bill says it was really industry relations: studios, film sets, theaters and the people behind the stars. His DJ years had already put him around legends like Grandmaster Flash, and taught him not to get star struck. The best people, he found, were often the ones around the artist.

Nomad's point: too many musicians fall into the trap of "what free gear can I get?" Bill confirms the budget was far smaller than people imagine, so he had to be selective. A brand like Shure didn't need to give gear to just anyone. He wanted people who respected the product and would use it anyway.

He shares an old NAMM joke. A player brings a press pack to the Shure booth, says how much they love the brand, then walks straight to the next microphone company and says the same thing. The reps can see it. His door at the office was always open instead: stop by, eat lunch, no agenda. None of his best relationships came from NAMM.

"What is it you really want? Do you really want free gear, or do you just want to have that relationship with a brand you believe in?"

Bill Oakley, 1:13:09

How to approach a brand

Bill's advice for anyone seeking gear endorsements:

• Only approach brands you genuinely use and believe in. A good relations person will notice.
• Bring your resume, not just a wish list. If you are an MD, what influence do you have on what gear gets used?
• Show what you do beyond the gig. Teaching kids at a local club means you are building future musicians and future customers.
• Research the company and what matters to it. Never send the same deck to everyone.
• Think long term. An endorsement is a relationship over years, not a one-time grab.

And even if a brand can't give you anything, the relationship matters. Bill couldn't always provide gear, but when a player's product broke, he could loan them something and help get it repaired. That builds trust. Work begets work on the business side too.

Pay people up front

Nomad and Bill remember a wild fly-in, fly-out gig: Fashion Week in Milan for actor and singer Kat Graham, put together in four weeks with an Italian band cast through Bill's contacts. Bill was production manager, tour manager, front of house and monitor engineer. Nomad was MD and guitarist. They flew in for one day, played 45 minutes, and then did the whole show again backstage for a dozen fans who had gone to the wrong venue. The answer on the road is always yes, Bill laughs, or at least "it depends."

What stuck with Bill most: the Italian players were shocked to be handed their pay in envelopes at soundcheck, before they played. He has always paid musicians up front. Nomad adds that A-level camps like Babyface's would deposit pay before the band even left for the airport. It sets the tone, builds trust and lets people focus on the work. That is low maintenance / no drama from the leader's side.

Know enough to be dangerous, and know your limits

Bill is a lifelong learner: scuba instructor, real estate investor, pilot in training. When someone asks if he knows how to use a new piece of gear and the risk is low, he says yes and figures it out. But he is clear about the other half: know your limits, call for help when you hit them, and under-promise and over-deliver.

His definition of success is simple and honest. Do something you enjoy, and find a way to stay happy, because that is its own kind of work.

The takeaway

Build relationships with brands you believe in, bring real value, give honest feedback, and treat your team the way you want to be treated. Everything you do is an audition, including the booth visit. For more on the career side, start with the free Get the Gig guide.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

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