Howard Bloom 4

EPISODE 92: Says former chairman and CEO of Mercury Records, Danny Goldberg in his book Bumping into Geniuses, Bloom’s “interest in rock and roll had more to do with the study of mass psychology in action than furthering the aggrandizement of spoiled rock stars. He approached PR as an applied science.” In fact, Bloom used his science to invent simple correlational techniques and no-cost market research tools.  He joined the resulting data to what he calls “tuned empathy” and “saturated intuition” to help build or sustain the careers of figures like Michael Jackson, Prince, Bob Marley, Bette Midler, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Billy Idol, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne, John Mellencamp, Joan Jett, Queen, Kiss, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Kool and the Gang, Chaka Khan, Run DMC, and roughly 100 others.  He contributed to the success of films like The Great Gatsby, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Outrageous Fortune, and Purple Rain.   In the process, he helped generate $28 billion in revenues (more than the gross domestic product of Oman or Luxembourg) for companies like Sony, Disney, Pepsi Cola, Coca Cola, and Warner Brothers.  And he did it by focusing not on profits but on soul.  The result?  Sterling Whitaker, author of The Grand Delusion: The Unauthorized True Story of Styx, calls Bloom, “probably the greatest press agent that rock and roll has ever known.” howardbloom.net/about-howard-bloom/Contact us: makingsoundpodcast.comFollow on Instagram: @makingsoundpodcastFollow on Threads: @jannkloseJoin our Facebook GroupPlease support the show with a donation, thank you for listening!