Our Front of House feature this month is Alex Levy, our Senior Client Services Liaison. His role includes guiding new affiliates through the onboarding process, assisting clients with their inquiries, and ensuring publishers and songwriters receive their royalties. Outside of work, he is an avid vinyl collector with approximately 3,500 records. When he’s not spinning vinyl, Alex enjoys attending concerts, playing tennis, and catching up on the latest films, TV shows, and literature.
As our Senior Client Services Liaison, you interact closely with clients. Can you share more about your role and describe what a typical day entails?
The best way to describe my role is as a bridge between clients and CMRRA. I’m here to help our clients should they have any questions about their catalogue and to ensure a smooth, accessible experience. If you’re thinking about affiliating with CMRRA, I’m your guide through the pre and post process of becoming a client. Publishing administration can be quite an undertaking, particularly considering the whole ecosystem. Working with clients to make sure they understand the work we perform to ensure publishers and self-published songwriters are receiving their royalties is what makes my day.
Many of your coworkers know you to be a passionate vinyl collector. What got you interested in collecting?
After my days as an undergraduate, I had a new roommate who brought a turntable, and this was a sign to check out the neighbourhood record store. I can incessantly wax romantic about music on vinyl, record stores, and the happy safe space they are for obsessive music nerds like me. Since I started spinning vinyl in 2007, I have around 3500 pieces in my collection, and I won’t be stopping anytime soon. Most people recognize this obsession in and outside of work; on a trip to San Francisco, my colleague Brenda brought me back a coveted “What’s in my bag” tote from Amoeba Records! I encourage everyone (music fan or not) to show support and check out your local record stores, who in turn support the community. I’ve even dragged my colleague Cassandra to Hamilton multiple times to go record shopping. A special shout out to my friends at Dr. Disc Hamilton and Into The Abyss – I’ll be seeing you soon!
You’re quite passionate about children’s immersion in music and often gift musical toys and instruments to your friends’ new babies. What inspired this passion?
I love introducing music to people, especially to the new babies of all my friends. I’m unsure if getting gifts that add more noise to their homes is exactly what new parents want, but I can’t help myself. However, scientific research does show that musical experience and training affects brain development, language, cognitive, and social abilities in babies and young children.
I have a two-year old niece, so spoiling her is essential. In addition to getting her a xylophone, tons of noisemakers, a one string guitar, and my old 88 key piano, I’ve started building her a record collection with a record on her birthday. For her first, I got her Joni Mitchell’s Blue and followed that up with The Apples in Stereo’s The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone. With the Mozart effect debunked, there’s no limit to what babies and young kids can listen to, and I think my niece is off to a great start.
Outside of work, how do you spend your free time?
Besides being an ‘indoor art nerd’, I do like being active outside in the sun too. I’m a voracious consumer of music, film, tv, art, literature, anime, and manga. My reading, listening, and watchlists are out of control. When I need to get outside for some physical activity, I like walking around the neighbourhood and playing tennis. Fortunately, my colleague Alexa and I live near a few different courts, and we’ve started our own unofficial tennis club. To make sure I’m able to keep up on the walks and on the court, I also like going to the gym, which has become a real mindfulness activity for me. Combining art and getting out of the house, one perk of living in the city of Toronto and working in the music space is the opportunity to see live music. I’ve gone to a handful of cool local shows this year with my colleagues Noah and Nigel, and we’re always down to see something fun and interesting. With summer ending, I’ll certainly miss just sitting outside under the sun, but I’ll have plenty of things to read, watch, and listen to during the winter. Maybe I’ll see if my skis still fit.
Thinking about becoming a client of CMRRA? Already a client but have questions? Email us at [email protected] and we’ll get you the answers you need.
