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<\/p>\n\u201cIt started with a set of belt drive turntables that my mum saved up for when I was about 16 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jay got his first break a year later with Dublin\u2019s Kiss FM radio, established to promote Temple Theatre superclub, and hosting DJs such as Armin van Buuren and Mauro Picotto, in the same era as Gatecrasher and Turnmills. Within six months he was managing the radio station while simultaneously studying architecture, running a record label, DJing all over Ireland and voted in top five Irish DJs, became Temple Theatre resident, and introduced Judge Jules to the club \u2013 they\u2019re still good friends to this day. At 21 Jay met girlfriend and second biggest female DJ at the time Anne Savage, who after he suffered extreme exhaustion said; \u201cYou’re gonna have to make a decision, it\u2019s either the music industry, or it’s going to be architecture.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was soon working for London\u2019s Top Drawer music agency. Their artist Slipmatt claimed \u201cI am still the best agent he ever had.\u201d Two years later he moved to the agency Most Wanted, and discovered Dutch electro house DJ and producer Sander van Doorn. \u201cHe was this hot new producer, I wanted to take him to number one DJ in the world.\u201d Referring to strategy: \u201cThe more we said no to people, the more people were prepared to pay. The offers were doubling, and then quadrupling. We then did loads of add ons, press, interviews, marketing stunts.\u201d With Jay as both agent and manager he reached number 10 in the DJ Mag Top 100, but after nine years Sander moved on. A tough moment. \u201cYou have to be on your toes because the industry is full of sharks, and there\u2019s not a lot of loyalty.\u201d But as one door closed, another opened and Jay met US DJ Felix Da Housecat who he managed for many years. They also continue to share a close friendship.<\/p>\n
Recalling his mum\u2019s phrase, \u2018It’s not a sin to fall, it’s a sin to lie down\u2019 Jay says: \u201cEven to this day, 43 years of age, I’m still learning. The last 20 odd years for me in the music industry has been like a rehearsal to get to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jay chats candidly about Avicii\u2019s manager Arash Pournouri, describing him as \u201ca real visionary for what he saw in Tim, and his vision to take him from that bedroom music producer, to being one of the biggest brands in the world. As a manager he was doing the right thing, he was pushing his artist to be the biggest in the world.\u201d Sharing his thoughts on Avicii, Jay says frankly \u201cThere\u2019s only a handful of people that can actually have that IT factor. Tim had that. Nobody goes to the number one DJ in the world on this easy course. When he was up there playing, he loved it, but I think it was just the constant travelling. You’ve got to sleep, you have to be working out, you\u2019ve got to stay healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI travelled with Avicii as his tour manager. I think it was for David Guetta at Pacha, one of Tim’s first gigs in Ibiza, so I was with him on that night. I launched his residency at Ushua\u00efa on Mondays and it was a huge success! We were doing like 5,000 people. Avicii was all about big moments. The Queen’s Jubilee weekend, he put 10,000 people in London\u2019s O2.\u201d Two years later, cut-backs meant Jay (the only non-Swedish person on the team), was let go. \u201cAt that point I\u2019d taken Avicii to more money than Cristiano Ronaldo was getting on a weekly basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was another major blow. Nevertheless, in 2013 Jay created his first management company Volume Group. Claptone crossed his radar, but the artist didn\u2019t feel he needed management. \u201cI was like, if I can\u2019t increase your business by 20%, then you don\u2019t need a manager. I’m going to do a deal for six months, right? I’m going to take 10% \u2013 half of what I should be getting.\u201d In 2014 he went into management with Claptone \u2013 who remains with Jay\u2019s artist and music management company Purple Wall, created in 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just kind of caught that moment and were able to amplify the fees, volume and quality of shows, and then create all these different activations around the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c2018, I think it was I flew to Sao Paolo for a stadium event with Claptone and Vintage Culture. I’d actually been in Ibiza all week with Irish friends of mine who were partying hardcore. I remember just thinking, I’m done, I’ve really got to get out of here. I saw Vintage for the first time. It was at that moment I realised this kid’s going to be a star.\u201d Jay talks about wanting diversity on his roster, and signing his latest star artist Olga Korolova. \u201cWe just instantly clicked, she was just so full of energy, really passionate about what she’s done, a really good looking girl. Musically, she’s really talented.\u201d<\/p>\n
Discussing the challenges of COVID, he reveals there were days when they lost a million in turnover \u2013 in spite of endless ideas and effort, and used business reserves to keep his loyal, trusted team in work. \u201cWe were going from month to month to be able to survive, I was living on credit cards at one point to survive.\u201d \u2028Returning to his continued success with Claptone: \u201cIt\u2019s definitely one of my biggest achievements. 295 shows in 2019, number one House DJ in the world five years in a row, launching the residency at Pacha was kind of a huge moment. Creating The Masquerade and selling 18,000 tickets in Buenos Aires in a stadium.\u201d
\nSitting on his Ibiza terrace, Jay tells us he first visited the island aged 16 with his parents. 27 years on he muses: \u201cthe magic about Ibiza is being in the middle of the dance floor where people are coming from all over the world for that one moment, everyone\u2019s kind of connected. They’re here to let loose, be away from their stresses, let their hair down, and just kind of be free.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t