Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeff Blue. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jeff, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I always strive to have meaning in everything I work on. Probably the most meaningful music project I’ve developed is Linkin Park. I get at least two emails a day thanking me for discovering and signing the band because the band’s music saved someone’s life.

The songs are powerful lyrical and musically, reaching into the soul, hopes, and fears of every age, ethnicity, demographic. No matter who we are, we’ve all faced rejection, roadblocks, and stress. Linkin Park’s message is universal, face your fears, have faith, and you will overcome.

It’s not just the songs, but the band’s and my journey that was meaningful. I signed and developed the band in 1997 after seeing my UCLA intern’s band, Xero, play their first show at the Whiskey A Go-Go in Hollywood. It took 3 years, 2 singers, 3 bass players, two name changes, and 44 label showcase rejections before I was able to sign them to Warner Bros. and then the label still wanted to drop the band. My manager told me it was “career suicide.” Even my other artists like Limp Bizkit and Korn didn’t like the band’s music.

We changed the band’s name to Linkin Park, and when we finished recording and mixing the album I knew in my heart that we had a work of art that could change the world, and it did. The album became the biggest selling debut album of the 21st century!

Through the years the band created music that touched millions and with the tragic loss of Chester’s life, the band’s music became even more poignant. I was inspired to write my memoir of how I developed Linkin Park and it became a best-selling novel which is being made into a movie. This lead to me doing lectures on mental health and fitness for the Grammy’s charity MusiCares foundation.

It further inspired me to write a thriller/horror film that focuses on social cause issues such as mental health, black lives matters, LGBTQ, me-too issues, and addiction. We all put out into the universe via social media how we want people to see us, but the reality is that it’s not our true selves. We can hide behind the facade of social media but in the end we have to face our own demons.

Jeff, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, I”m a multi-platinum music producer, A&R executive, award winning song-writer, best-selling author and journalist, platinum selling music supervisor and music publisher, attorney, manager, and film/tv producer. I’ve been fortunate to have my work resulting in sales of over 170 million albums worldwide and I developed and Exec. Produced the biggest selling debut album of the 21st Century, “Hybrid Theory”, by Linkin Park.
I have worked with Grammy winning icons such as Linkin Park, Macy Gray, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Daniel Powter, Hoobastank, Better Than Ezra, DJ Ashba of Guns N’ Roses, & I’m responsible for music supervising multi-platinum soundtracks such as Aaliyah’s Queen of the Damned.

I’ve held Sr. VP A&R/Staff Producer positions for Warner Bros. Records, Interscope Records, Virgin/Capitol Music Group, Sony/BMG/Jive Records, Atlantic Records, Lava-Universal Republic, and RCA/J Records. I’m responsible for over 45 signed artists to major labels and dozens of publishing deals. I’ve also personally won two BMI song-writing awards for my songs which have been heard in hundreds of films, tv, and commercials worldwide.

In 2022, I partnered with Mark Wahlberg’s production company to create two music docuseries and my best-selling book “One Step Closer”, (Simon & Schuster) is being made into a major motion picture.

I continue to lecture at universities and music conferences worldwide and have taught at UCLA for many years. I also appear on TV shows such Music’s Greatest Mysteries on Mark Cuban’s AXS TV, and appears regularly on FOX, ABC, CBS, and NBC news. I also consult for Fortune 500 companies as well as start up’s in branding, music, and film integration. In addition to music, I also own a real estate company where I develop homes in the Hollywood Hills for hosting major events and filming.

Education wise, I began at UCLA in Kinesiology and Business and graduated with a degree in Communication Studies. I graduated Loyola Law School and passed the California Bar with a focus on Entertainment Law. My work encompasses everything from totally creative to the deal making itself.

I’m most proud of the fact that whatever project I take on, I must feel passionate about it. I don’t really care what other’s think if it really resonates with me in my heart.

If you’re asking how I got into my industry…it was a case of mistaken identity combined with the inability to accept the word “no”!! It was the early 1991. A music exec at a record label mistook me for a star drummer in a band and invited me for a meeting in his swanky Sunset Blvd office. When he discovered his mistake, (that I was a law student/part time musician/actor, and not the rock star who’s band every label exec was trying to sign in a bidding war), he proceeded to kick me out of his office. But I didn’t leave. I didn’t budge. It was in that moment that I saw two roads magically appear. #1: Leave his office and go back to my ordinary life, or #2; learn about this job he had called “A&R” while risking my butt being thrown out onto Sunset Blvd by buff security guards in front of Axl Rose who was chatting up a hot blonde in the lobby.

I chose option #2: I figured, “I’m here for a reason, mistaken or not, and I need to figure out why.” It’s an overwhelming feeling when we realize that every second of our lives is an opportunity to do something incredible. Shaking nervously as he pointed towards the door, I asked what the exec did for a living. He said he was an A&R exec. in charge of discovering new musical artists. I couldn’t believe that this type of job existed. I couldn’t fathom getting paid to see bands for a career! I wanted HIS job!

The security guards proceeded to toss me out on Sunset Blvd where I faced the harsh reality. I finally what I wanted to do with my life and it was different than what everyone, including myself, expected. I wanted to be: An “A&R guy”. My life had just begun. But how would I get there?

I immediately took internships at labels, started my own music magazine, ended up writing for some well known publications such as Billboard, and began managing my own band. I needed to get my name known and become a brand in a field I had no experience in. Fear was in my rearview because I had nothing to lose. I remembered the quote, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!”

After graduating and passing the California Bar Exam, I grinded away, writing for every publication I could, taking every meeting possible, but all I heard was “You don’t have any experience..no, no, no!” Finally landing a job at a small music publishing company. Within my first year there, I signed & helped develop 3 brand new artists, Macy Gray, Korn, and Limp Bizkit, who would all go on to win multiple Grammy awards! I also guest lectured at UCLA for my old professor and met a 19 year old student who became my intern. I believed in his passion when he told me he was starting a new band who had never played a gig yet.

I helped him develop this band and we proceeded to be rejected for 3 years, did 44 showcases, fired the lead singer, found a new singer, only to be rejected again. Why tell this story? Because we didn’t give up! I brought his band to Warner Bros. Records when I was offered a job at the label and despite my boss trying to drop the band, we ended up having the biggest selling debut album of the 21st Century! The band was LINKIN PARK.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The book is called “One Step Closer: From Xero to #1: Becoming Linkin Park” (Simon & Schuster 2020). It literally details all the characteristics one must have to overcome roadblocks, thrive in your authenticity, keep your vision through rejection, and succeed in creating the happiness and fulfillment we all should have in life. The book details the origin story of Linkin Park and how the band went from being one of the the most rejected bands in history to becoming the biggest selling band of the 21st Century. It’s truly inspiring and even tho I wrote it, whenever I feel I am at the breaking point, I remember my own words and my dedication to the vision I set for myself. It only takes ONE person to believe in you and share your vision. You can have 99 rejections but the 100th can be the one that carries you to your destiny. I highly recommend it to anyone with a dream.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Music is the soundtrack to our lives. I can’t believe how fortunate I’ve been to help and be a part of artists who’ve touched millions of lives. At least once a day I receive an email or someone tells me how one of the artists I’ve worked with, or my songs, have been a huge part of their childhood, or saved their lives during a hard time.

I also love being able to inspire others, working with new artists and seeing their dreams become a reality. Creating something from nothing whether it’s a building or a song or a movie is truly rewarding in every sense. It says you made your mark on the world. That’s all we really can dream for. It doesn’t matter if it’s a success, if we are doing what we love, then we are blessed.

I will have to say that one of the most rewarding moments was when I received a BMI award for a song that I wrote that went #1 in 9 countries including the USA. I have always been the person helping the artist achieve their vision, but when I am the actual artist receiving an award for something I produced, co-wrote, performed musically, A&R’d and published, that was truly affirming my believe that if you have a dream you can make it real. Hearing people sing my songs back to me or quote my lyrics always brings a smile to my face.

Being a creative is scary. We put ourselves out to be judged, but being fearless in the face of adversity builds character, and makes legends. Every single person in the world has that ability. Creativity knows no boundaries. Everyone can achieve their dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: jeffbluemedia.com
• Instagram: jeffbluemusic
• Facebook: jeffbluemusic
• Linkedin: jeffbluemusic
• Twitter: jeffbluemusic
• Youtube: jeffbluemusic

Image Credits
David Levinson