She left Michigan at twenty with twenty dollars in her pocket. She knew she wanted to be in the music industry at age three. By the time she was in her thirties, she was running the Bob Marley estate's record label. None of that was the plan — and that's exactly the point. In Episode 5 of Tuned Out, Dave Audé and Deborah welcome Cristy Barber — Grammy-nominated producer, A&R veteran, label president, reggae industry legend, and now president of the Tuff Gong Collective under Universal. Cristy has worked at Capitol, Columbia, Island, Elektra, VP Records (where she was, yes, the VP of VP), and the Marley family's Ghetto Youths International label. She's broken records in countries most labels don't even think about, shot music videos for two grand before anyone else had to, and — on more than one occasion — quit her job on the spot for her artists. The conversation covers Cristy's full career arc: from writing for Word Up magazine in her early twenties, to her first label job at Capitol, to landing at the Marley estate after a call from Stephen Marley that changed everything. Along the way: launching the Welcome to Jamrock reggae cruise (sold out in thirty days, and still sailing), running one of the world's biggest reggae festivals, a brief but eventful stint in the army, a producer from Trinidad who showed up at VP Records at 9am with a gun demanding his royalty payments, and a George Michael pillow that lives on a bed in Nashville. There's also a frank conversation about what's broken in the music industry right now — why chasing viral moments is the music business equivalent of buying a lottery ticket, why loyalty and reputation are the only things you walk away with, and why, after thirty-plus years, Cristy has no intention of selling real estate. Topics covered: -Leaving Michigan at twenty with twenty dollars, like Madonna -Writing for Word Up magazine and working with Charisse the rapper -Capitol, Columbia, Island, Elektra, VP Records — the full label journey -Running Ghetto Youths International and the Bob Marley estate's record label -Stephen Marley's phone call that made Cristy president of Tuff Gong Collective -Welcome to Jamrock reggae cruise — sold out in thirty days, now in its eleventh year -Running Reggae Sumfest and working in catalog acquisition with Iconoclast -The producer who showed up at VP with a gun at 9am over royalty payments -Throwing a chair at Kevin Lyles (in good love, she insists) -Quitting jobs for artists — more than once -George Michael tattoos, Tom Jones vinyl, and the pillow on the bed in Nashville -Working radio across Japan, Canada, Jamaica, the UK and the Caribbean -Why going viral is the music industry's lottery ticket -Yungblud as proof that the biggest artists don't have to be the hardest to work with -The Off The Record segment: riders, Taylor Swift's sweaters, and three songs for the aliens Cristy Barber: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cristyofaragon Dave Audé: Website: https://daveaude.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daveaude/ VEVA Collect: Website: https://vevacollect.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vevacollect/ Hosts: Dave Audé & Deborah Deloach / Guest: Cristy Barber / Digital Editor & Mixer: Ines Lopez / Music: Dave Audé / Art & Design: Maddie Alley / Producer: Liam McMellon
