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As End Overdose exponentially evolves, we continue to seek out guidance from friends across industries and in their areas of expertise. Their perspectives are essential to our growth, whether it’s enhancing the medical intricacies of our online trainings, the impact of our awareness campaigns in entertainment, or our broader outreach efforts nationwide.
Thus, we’re excited to welcome music industry veteran Will Tenney to our advisory board. Will has had a distinguished career to date, from cutting his teeth in bands as a teenager, to heading streaming for artists like Lorde and Green Day at Crush Music, to founding the prolific music company SunPop – a comprehensive home for management, label services, live production, and much more.
In celebration of Will joining the team, we spoke with him about his lifelong passion for music, the lessons he’s learned across over a decade in the business, and the inspiration behind becoming End Overdose’s new advisor.
Can you tell us about your background? How did you commence your career in the music industry?
I've been thinking about the music business in one way or another for as long as I can remember. I took an early interest in record creation, manufacturing, and distribution, started a band in high school, and spent ages 17 through 22 largely on the road. That took me all over the country a few times, and when that ran its course, the next logical step for me was to work on the business side of music.
Despite having spent years in a band, I was always equally drawn to the behind-the-scenes work. Whether I'm on stage or at my desk, I love envisioning the industry as a chess board and thinking about how to get my pieces to the other side.
So in short, my love for the music industry started at a young age, and I've been trying to become a subject matter expert ever since.
Can you talk about transitioning roles from Goldman Sachs to Big Beat Records? What lessons did you take from your work in finance and apply to the music business?
My Goldman detour was a great experience, but exactly that — a calculated detour. I was fortunate to have the opportunity after a last-minute internship in college, but I was eager to be in the music business full time. By the time I got to Big Beat/Atlantic I was 24, but I had a great handle on efficiency and business tools. I think those takeaways from Goldman helped me find opportunity spaces early in my career, and later as an entrepreneur.
What were some of your formative experiences in the early days at Big Beat and Crush Music?
There were plenty. At Big Beat/Atlantic, it was so cool to see the major label system work at the tail end of the "old music business." While I was there, I saw both Bruno Mars and Galantis release juggernaut records.
At Crush, learning first hand from the best in the business was invaluable.
You worked on a variety of key projects at Crush Music with artists ranging from Green Day to Lorde as Head of Streaming. What does the process of relationship building with DSPs look like for artists at that scale?
With artists like that, the conversation is much less about programming and more about how you're going to partner. It's not really a question of whether DSP rock fans want to hear new Green Day — it's more a question of how creative you can get. We got to do some really fun things in the streaming space as it was first finding its legs in North America. Some of my personal favorites were the viewfinders we made for Lorde's Solar Power album.
We also pushed the boundaries on what streaming meant early on. As music programming started to broaden, we found that everyone from grocery stores to spas were consolidating their playlists. We developed relationships with retail chains, movie theaters, hotels, and more — wanting our music to be everywhere that people were.
Can you take us through the process of founding SunPop and the work that goes into creating your own agency?
SunPop was sort of an accident. When my band broke up in 2013, I didn't skip a beat — the next morning I started reaching out to artists I liked and offering my years of experience. After a couple of years we started making money, so I needed to form a proper business. SunPop was the name of my ASCAP publishing company, so that's what I ended up calling it.
Truthfully, I wish I'd given the name more thought — but it's two things I like a lot: the sun for its heat, vibe, and energy, and pop music for the same reason.
At first it was very much a side hustle, but after about six years it got to a point where I was able to focus on it full time. It's extremely hard for a number of reasons, but even on the toughest days I'm inspired to get up and keep going.
You've released music with artists like Lizzy McAlpine and Ben Kessler, marketed artists like Remi Wolf, managed names like Grabbitz, and facilitated live production for Nettspend and Esdeekid. How do you balance providing so many essential offerings to artists?
We're just having fun doing what we love. When something works, we chase it. Right now it's these offerings, but there were plenty of failures over the last 10 years that led us here.
And it's no secret — we have an amazing team. Hannan Mumtaz, who helps manage our entire roster, is smarter than me by a long shot. Sam Richman, who runs the live production company we invested in, is a better player than I ever was — savvy in the studio and on stage.
When I fire off a 4 a.m. text with a crazy idea that will spread us too thin, they're always ready to rise to the occasion.
What are some of the major highlights from the past decade of running SunPop?
The list is never ending, but a few that come to mind:
- Dylan Rockoff opening for Bon Jovi at Madison Square Garden
- Quarters opening for the Jonas Brothers at MVP Arena
- Grabbitz playing The Sphere with Subtronics
- Quarters selling out Bowery Ballroom, then Irving Plaza, then Webster Hall — and now doing two nights at Irving Plaza this spring
- Opening our Manhattan office space in 2024
- All the festivals that have booked our artists: Lollapalooza, Summerfest, Gov Ball, Ocean's Calling, ACL, Shaky Knees, Beyond Wonderland, and Breakaway, to name a few
What inspired you to become an End Overdose advisor?
Like most people who've spent their life in this business, I've lost a handful of friends and acquaintances to the fentanyl, opioid, and mental health crises. Early on as a business, we started distributing Naloxone — and later fentanyl test strips — to everyone in our ecosystem.
When I heard about End Overdose, I knew I wanted to be involved. Our missions already naturally overlap, and I'm excited to help expand the organization's footprint throughout music.