What I do at Glassnote: I do radio promotion, based in Austin, TX..."PLAY MY RECORD!"  

Why I’m so important at Glassnote: It's my job to get our artists' singles played on your favorite radio station. 

Where did you grow up: Born in Illinois....lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming until I was 14....I've been a proud Texan ever since.

Embarrassing childhood fact: I could recite lines from Cheech & Chong albums before I really knew what they were talking about...and well before I should've been allowed to listen to them.

Hidden talent: I prepare vegetarian meals with a meat-eaters philosophy!

Embarrassing album in your collection: W.A.S.P. "Double Live Assassins"    (was it really necessary?  Especially a DOUBLE album?)

If I were stuck on an island I would want this album with me: ... JEFF BUCKLEY "Grace" or JELLYFISH "Bellybutton" or BOB MARLEY "Legend"

 
Random item you’ll find on my desk: Not one, but TWO drink coasters...one is a cover of Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks"...the other is a picture of a Dalmatian.  You know..in case I need TWO drinks while working!  (matching coasters were apparently not an option)

 
Top five favorite artists go! In no particular order....Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Pixies, Nirvana...I also love Bowie, Superdrag, Spoon, Metallica...and oh, I could go on forever!

If I didn’t work in music I would: Be lost!   But if I had to find something outside of music...I'd probably open up a hotel for dogs!

Top 3 shows I ever attended: WAY too many to mention but the first three that stand out are:  Ozzy Osbourne/Metallica(1986, "Master Of Puppets" album), Pixies first reunion tour,  and Radiohead on the "In Rainbows" tour.   I also got to catch two of the then-famous TEXAS JAMS at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas in the 80s while in high school.



 Favorite Glassnote Office Snack: Salted cashews from Costco rock!   I also really, really love those little 5 calorie flavored drink mixes that you can add to your water.



MICHAEL STARR

National Director of Promotion

Michael has lived & breathed music since he was a young kid.  Influenced by older step-brothers that were musicians, he started playing drums in the 3rd grade...learning surf tunes like "Wipeout" and "Pipeline" and delving into their record collections to discover the magic of The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Led Zep, and more.  He was the typical all-American boy that loved football and rock & roll.

When he turned 18, Michael gave up playing music, and started off in college at Texas A&M University.....as an accounting major!  To pay his way through school, he got a job at HASTINGS ENTERTAINMENT, a regional chain that specialized in books, music, and video.  He quickly made a name for himself as the music manager there, and made the happy discovery that, "hey, I don't have to strictly be a musician in order to stay close to music....there's a whole industry here!" 

And the rest is history...he began networking with the major distribution companies, and soon found a job right before he got his degree as a merchandiser for WEA Distribution in Houston.  He quickly rose up the distribution ladder in the late 90s, and got to help market music from artists like Superdrag, Nada Surf, The Verve, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Everclear, Lit, Vertical Horizon, Eve 6, Foo Fighters, Robert Earl Keen, Storyville, Bowling for Soup, and more....and by 1998, had ended up as the Alternative Product Development Coordinator for BMG Distribution.

Michael began his radio promotion career in 2001 at Wind-up Records, where he spent a decade contributing to the careers of Seether, Evanescence, Drowning Pool, Civil Twilight, Finger Eleven, and others.......and now, in the late summer of 2011, he's thrilled to be a part of the Glassnote team as they continue to blossom the careers of Mumford & Sons, The Temper Trap, Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club, GIVERS, and more!   

When he's not busy working or on the road, Michael is happy at home with his wife, Darlene, and all their rescued "critters" (currently 3 Dalmatians & 2 cats...not to mention, his father, who he built a guesthouse for behind his house.).....there's always some sort of project happening at Casa de Starr, and there's always good music playing in the background.