Record Store Day creator Chris Brown is leaving Bull Moose to start his own music venture
Photo / Associated Press, Courtesy of Bull Moose
Afer 31 years with Bull Moose, Chris Brown is leaving to start his own music venture.
After 31 years with Bull Moose where he organized hundreds of in-store artist performances and created the first Record Store Day, Chris Brown is leaving to launch a music venture of his own.
He is currently vice president of finance at the Portland-based music and entertainment retailer.
Through an online music marketing firm called Chris Brown 33, he aims to connect fans with music, help artists achieve their goals and work with artists and record labels nationwide. The name of the business is a nod to the 33-1/3 record size.
“Now that the word is starting to spread, a couple of people have reached out and want me to promote some movies as well,” Brown told Mainebiz in a phone interview. "It’s really exciting that the phone has already started ringing."
Brown says he plans to rebuild his “megaphone,” which will update what he built for Bull Moose over the years. He hopes to do more TV and radio programs, restart his YouTube channel and write blog reviews, including tips on how to better listen to music.
“The first step is going to be customer base,” said Brown. “I have always loved telling people about music I think they’re going to love. That’s a whole bunch of what a good record store is supposed to do in as many ways as possible, social media, at the counter and the overhead music, that's what we do.
“I love that part of the job, so I just wanted to do more of it,” he continued. “The flip side of that is that there are artists and record labels that need help connecting to the music fans that are going to appreciate what they do. I am good at that and I will keep them in the mix as well. That is a bit down the road, but I’ve got this amazing rolodex of people at every record company, so once I am ready, I will be calling them.”
While Brown's website is already up and running, he plans to take a week or two off before he dives into the company in March.
From Bonnie Raitt to Rihanna
Since he joined Bull Moose in 1989, Brown has held a variety of jobs and helped the company expand to 11 locations, add new product lines, adapt to entertainment industry changes and supported the 2022 transition to employee ownership.
Brown also organized hundreds of in-store performances from artists, including John Densmore, Wilco, Bonnie Raitt, Sharon Jones, Ani DiFranco, Regina Spektor, Imagine Dragons, Barenaked Ladies, Rihanna, Against Me! and Smashing Pumpkins. He oversaw more than $4 million dollars in payments directly to local artists and venues.
He also created Record Store Day. Brown suggested the idea at a conference in San Diego to help community record stores stay afloat. Record Store Day brings together fans, artists and thousands of independent record stores worldwide. Since its founding, it has helped create a $1 billion market for vinyl. This year Record Store Day will be April 12 (there's another on Black Friday).
“I started working at Bull Moose while I was in college, so I have seen it since the very beginning, which is very cool,” Brown told Mainebiz. “I left when I graduated from college when it started to take off in the early 1990s. The founder, Brett Wickard, asked me to come back in 1996.
“Through that time, I saw cassettes die. We started selling movies, first VHS, then DVDs, Blu-ray and video games,” he continued. “I saw the rise and fall of that and started selling books, which was amazing. I remember thinking once we started selling books that everything I liked when I was 12 years old you could get at Bull Moose.”
Brown told Mainebiz that his last day is Friday. He doesn’t know if he plans to stay on as a member of Bull Moose.
“I am leaving with happy memories,” said Brown.
In December, founder Brett Wickard returned to Bull Moose as interim CEO as the company seeks its next leader.
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