Throughout the course of his career, Greg Hammer has played a pivotal role in identifying culture-shifting artists and breaking emerging talent. Brought in to build the newly formed Red Bull Records in 2007, he has since served as the Managing Director and guiding force behind the label’s continued global influence. At the forefront of promoting diversity and innovation across the roster, Hammer has contributed to the success of acts like AWOLNATION, Albert Hammond Jr, Beartooth, Blxst, The Aces, Twin Atlantic, and others.
Tell us about what inspired you to work in the music industry, and how did it lead to the work you do today?
Before I entered the industry, I graduated from American University and was set on going to law school. Maybe this was a good thing in the long run, but I didn’t get into the schools I wanted to go to. My dad’s attorney suggested I take a year off and get a job in the music business, which in truth, is where I wanted to be. While I worked a few temp jobs, a friend of a friend recommended that I connect with Daniel Glass who had just left EMI and was starting a new company called Underdog Records. I interviewed with Daniel and luckily, that same day, he was speaking to an agent named Scott Clayton who I had interned for at Cellar Door Productions while I was going to school in DC. When he asked Scott about his experience with me, he (graciously) said nothing but nice things and that next week, I had my first real job in the music business working for Daniel.
I started out as Daniel’s assistant and I wore a lot of hats – between odd jobs I would tour with Bloodhound Gang or go to the Columbia offices and learn from the Jerry Blair’s and Jon Cohen’s of the world. One day, Daniel got a call from Doug Morris who wanted to start a new record company called Rising Tide Entertainment. Doug had just left Warners and Edgar Bronfman engaged him to launch a new indie label. Doug wanted Daniel to run it and he went for it, bringing me along. A few months later, Al Teller was removed as the head of MCA Music Group and Doug replaced him as the head of the newly formed Universal Music Group. Rising Tide Entertainment was renamed Universal Records and we went from a staff of seven working out of Hit Factory, to a staff of over 100 on 6th Avenue in New York – all within a few months.
We’d just become a new major label.
I started out in the A&R Research department. I had a friend who managed a band called Sister Hazel and they had just released a record that sold 10,000 units in the first month. I brought it to Daniel who showed them to Doug and within a week, we signed the band. Sister Hazel went on to have one of the biggest songs ever at Hot AC Radio (“All For You”) and I got to A&R that project. I signed a few other projects over the years – Tonic, Shades Apart, the American Pie soundtrack – and in 2001, I left Universal to manage and produce. I had a band that signed to RCA, and after 18 months of hard work developing them, the band got dropped the day before their single was shipping to radio. So, there I was in 2004 with slim prospects, about to start a family, and trying to figure out my next move.
That’s when I got connected to Red Bull on the agency side through a friend. Initially, my role was to be a conduit to the music industry working with the brand. After about a year and a half, I met with Dietrich Mateshitz (co-founder of Red Bull Energy Drink), who was a passionate music fan looking to create a platform that would help rising musicians gain exposure for their art. That was where the idea of Red Bull Records was first introduced and ultimately...
I went on to help launch the label that I’ve called home for 18 years now.
There are a few, all for different reasons. The first is fittingly one of our first artists on the roster – AWOLNATION. It was early in our evolution as a company and though we were a small indie competing with far more established labels at the time, we were able to achieve cultural and commercial success. The band’s single “Sail” was the 3rd indie single (ever) to be Diamond certified, and the song and its influence still radiate today. I’m also very proud of everything we’ve accomplished with Beartooth. Over 10 years we’ve supported their growth and partnered with them to develop their biggest, most successful record to date. Showing that slow and steady can win the race, we played a part in them becoming the voice of a rock generation. On the hip-hop and R&B side, working with our Grammy-nominated artist Blxst and his team to break into the genre commercially and culturally has also been immensely gratifying.
I’m very excited about some new artists we’ve signed in the last year. House of Protection is a band that we launched back in April, and they came out of the gates swinging (literally). They’re a punk, hardcore, and electronic duo formed by Aric Improta and Stephen Harrison (formerly of Fever 333) with production from Jordan Fish (formally of Bring Me The Horizon). We released their debut EP ‘GALORE’ in September, and it immediately earned praise from leading tastemakers like The Guardian, NME, and Revolver. They sold out their first two shows in LA and the UK, and we’ve got new music and tour dates to come this year – definitely keep an eye on these guys.
We're also working on broadening our focus to bring in multiple acts from the UK and beyond, with a reprioritization of having more of a global roster. We're not just signing artists to sign artists – these are truly influential voices that we believe in. James Vickery for example, has one of the most amazing voices I’ve ever heard. He’s a master in R&B ballads and his new music is just incredible. Morgan is another vocal powerhouse and one to watch in 2025. She just dropped her EP ‘Emotional Gangster’ with us in October, and is making waves in the UK that we’re working on bridging to the US.
I fish and I suck at video games. I’m passionate about both and I’m only good at one. Fishing to me is the closest thing to meditation, it truly zens me out and it’s something I’ve done since I was a child. Being out in nature is really special. I always say, “A bad day of fishing’s better than a good day at work.” And for me, it’s true.
I've always believed that hard work will lead to success. Music is my passion – it’s something I’ve dedicated my whole professional career to, but I’ve never taken anything for granted and you have to be that way.
If someone told me when I was first starting out that by my 30’s I’d be running a record company, I’d say they were crazy. The fact that I’ve been able to do this over the last 18 years has made me the luckiest guy that I know.
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn and keep up with Red Bull Records!
