jason lee menard

Further establishing its role as the premier music-lifestyle brand in the hotel industry, Hard Rock International announces the debut of WAX: the latest component to the brand’s complimentary and signature The Sound of Your Stay® music amenity program. Partnering with Crosley, one of the world’s most notable turntable manufacturers, and Sony Music Entertainment, a global recorded music company, guests will be offered an all-encompassing opportunity to tune in to the resurgence of vinyl records. Exclusive at all 24 hotels, guests will be offered stylish turntables in the comfort of their own rooms and experience music as it was intended to be listened to.

WAX will serve as another experiential element to the brand’s unmatched music amenity program which includes picks., a guitar room service program allowing hotel guests to choose from 20 enticing Fender guitars, including Stratocasters, Telecasters and basses, to play during their stay. Available now, guests will have the ability to check out one of ten Crosley “Keepsake” Record Players and a Crosley Record Carrier Case during their stay from the front desk. Inside the carrier will be curated collection of quintessential vinyl records spanning from classic “must haves” to records that will bring back a sense of nostalgia and discovery, as well as today’s emerging artists.

During SXSW 2016 and 2017, I planned and executed a real-time vinyl cutting activation at the Urban Outfitter’s concept store: Space 24Twenty. A dressing room was outfitted with a microphone & instruments and we allowed festival goers three minutes to record whatever they wanted (song, poetry, message to a loved one, etc.) In real time, the recording was lathe cut to a 7” vinyl record to which we applied a custom label and slid into a custom Urban X Crosley jacket. After receiving this one-of-a-kind record, participants could listen to it at a Crosley turntable listening station that we set up in the store.

Check out the blog about this activation here!

Two American Classics Team Up to Create the Commonwealth Collection C10 Turntable, Bridging the Gap Between Convention and Innovation

Moore & Giles and Crosley Radio are pleased to announce the release of a limited edition, collaboratively designed record player titled the “Commonwealth Collection C10 Turntable,” which is set for release this November 2016. This first collaborative release between the two brands puts forth a thoughtfully designed turntable that sits at the intersection of convention and innovation, utility and luxury. Two versions of the C10 Turntable will be available to consumers nationwide for pre-order starting October 24, 2016, offering a concise showcase of leather color, texture, and behavior.

Seeking to underscore the tactile appeal of the record playing experience – the weight of the vinyl, the intricacy of the album art, the ceremony of dropping the needle – by adding extraordinary leather textures and laser-cut detailing to the player’s physical design, the Commonwealth Collection C10 Turntable is a record collector’s dream. The art and leather decisions were shaped by the deceptive simplicity and exceptional quality of the Crosley C10. Quietly imposing, the C10 features a low vibration synchronous motor and shock absorbent feet for reduced vibration and superb sound quality. The aluminum Pro-Ject tone arm is equipped with an adjustable counterweight, anti-skate adjustment and a pre-mounted Ortofon OM5e cartridge for superior audio reproduction. With a simple design and quality components, the C10 provides a high-performance experience for true vinyl lovers.

Utilizing the Crosley C10 as the base of the design, customers will have the option to choose between two choices of wood finish topped off with signature Moore & Giles leather to complement each, both laser etched with artwork that adds not only a unique aesthetic but also another layer of both texture and innovation. The artwork features the topography of the land between Lynchburg and Louisville, an abstract nod to the historical and geographic proximity shared by Crosley and Moore & Giles. These concentric lines of the topographical map echo the concentric lines engraved on a record.

Only forty units will be produced in total, divided equally between the two colorways created for the release. The mahogany wood finished turntable is inlaid with Moore & Giles calfskin in a sophisticated, smooth matte black. The birch wood finish is paired with pebbly, vegetable tanned leather called Modern Saddle (released just this year by Moore & Giles), which hails from a small producer just outside of Pisa, Italy. Modern Saddle hides are tanned for upwards of sixty days in a potent liquor of tannin-rich organic vegetable matter. Over time, you can expect Modern Saddle to evolve from its initial golden color, burnishing into a rich shade of dark caramel. The leather on each turntable has been individually numbered from one to twenty and features a subtle cobranding to celebrate the exclusivity of this collaboration.

The limited edition turntables designed for the Commonwealth Collection are the manifestation of the high quality product and innovative thinking that have enabled these two historic American companies to thrive for so long. The urge to work together was a natural fit as Moore & Giles and Crosley have treaded distinct but parallel paths for over eight decades. Although working with different materials and aiming at different markets, the companies are united by a respect for history, tradition, and a constant drive to update both. Crosley has a history that dates back to 1924 and Moore & Giles, only a few hundred miles east, to 1933.

Collaboration kicks off with a two-month, 29-city mobile record store tour in advance of the 10th annual Record Store Day on April 22

Crosley Radio, a leading audio brand since launching its first radio in the 1920s, today announces a year-long partnership with craft brewery, Dogfish Head. The cooperation between Louisville-based Crosley and Milton-based Dogfish Head includes a 29-city mobile record store tour leading up to the 10th annual Record Store Day on Saturday, April 22. The Dogfish Head x Crosley Cruiser journey begins in Louisville, KY, on Friday, March 3, and ends in Philadelphia, PA on April 22.

“The partnership between Crosley and Dogfish seems entirely organic. We’re both independently-owned companies with an affinity for all things local and a love for the two greatest things in the world: beer and music,” said director of marketing for Crosley Radio, Jason Menard. “We’re excited to begin working collaboratively with Dogfish Head to share our passions and our products with so many communities across the nation.”

In 2016, Crosley Radio launched its mobile record store, the Crosley Cruiser, housed inside a one-of-a-kind 20-foot box truck. This year, the truck will be re-wrapped in Dogfish Head x Crosley branding for the entirety of 2017. The rolling record store is equipped with mobile charging stations, multiple listening stations, comfortable seating and a hand-crafted Crosley Rocket Jukebox. It will immerse patrons in an unparalleled, interactive music, beer, and art experience.

Crosley and Dogfish Head will take the Cruiser on a two month city tour, stopping at an independent record store during the day and a beer bar at night. The tour will celebrate and spread appreciation for indie music, original artwork, Crosley record players and off-centered beers, ending with a Record Store Day celebration in the city of brotherly love. The Dogfish Head x Crosley Cruiser city lineup includes Louisville, KY, Nashville, TN, Indianapolis, IN, Chicago, IL, Madison, WI, Milwaukee, WI, Detroit, MI, Columbus, OH, Cincinnati, OH, Pittsburgh, PA, State College, PA, Buffalo, NY, Syracuse, NY, Wakefield, RI, Somerville, MA, Allston, MA, Boston, MA, New York, NY, Mamaroneck, NY, Long Island City, NY, Washington, D.C., Fairfax, VA, Baltimore, MD, Milton, DE, Newark, DE, Wilmington, DE, Westmont, NJ, Jersey City, NJ and Philadelphia, PA.

Worked with Sneak Attack Media in New York City to create a six-part music a Crosley Presents series with Canadian death pop band, Sc Mira. In tandem with the release of these videos, I set up a sweepstakes page to give followers a chance to win a turntable and signed vinyl prize package and created a blog post to drive traffic to on our ecommerce site. The sweepstakes resulted in 4.5k entries and the videos resulted in over 130K views on Facebook alone.

I constantly worked with labels, musicians, management and other lifestyle brands to develop giveaways and other digital content/strategies to help grow our social following and drive traffic to our ecommerce site.

List of just some of the companies I’ve built solid relationships with:

Artifact Concepts, Ben Sollee, BMG, Bourbon & Beyond/Louder Than Life Music Festivals, Copper & Kings Brandy Distillery, Creative Artist Agency (CAA Nashville), Discogs, Dogfish Head Brewery, Epic Records, Equal Vision Records, Federal Prism, Forecastle Music Festival, Hard Rock Hotels, Interscope Records, Mom + Pop Records, NBC Universal, Paper Garden Records, Pirates Press, Red Music, Sneak Attack Media, Sony Records, Sub Pop Records, Sumerian Records, Synergy Global Entertainment, The Sound of Vinyl, TKO Artist Management, Universal Music Group, Vector Management, Vinyl Me, Please, Vinyl Mnky, Warner Bros Music, Wind-up Records…

As luck would have it, we actually managed to snag the Brooklyn band on their tour through Louisville! We took the incredible opportunity to work together with them on our brand new YouTube Series: The Crosley Audio Files.

Audio Files strives to capture the intimacy of a small unplugged concert, just for you. We’ll settle in and get to know bands from all over, and uncover their acoustic soul. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel to see who we cover next!

In the meantime, here’s our exclusive set with Sunflower Bean, “Come On” and “Space Exploration Disaster.”

Grew Crosley’s Instagram from 500 followers to over 37,000 followers in three years.

Crosley & Jam in the Van got together for a little recording session in Los Angeles with Heartless Bastards, Dylan Gardner, Leslie Stevens & The Lemon Trees, Slothrust, Water District, and Hand Drawn Maps.

Social media content collab with lifestyle ecommerce site Umbra.

Nothing goes better with music than drinks. That is why Crosley Radio and the authors of recently released book Booze and Vinyl are partnering up for a mobile record store tour in celebration of the 11th annual Record Store Day on April 21st.

The Crosley Cruiser, a rolling record store, is equipped with mobile charging stations, multiple listening stations, comfortable seating and a hand-crafted Crosley Rocket Jukebox. It will immerse patrons in an unparalleled, interactive music and art experience. The ultimate listening party guide, Booze and Vinyl by siblings André and Tenaya Darlington, explores the intersection of timeless music and mixed drinks with a spotlight on 70 great records from the 1950s through the 2000s.

From April 17 to May 3, the Crosley Cruiser will be stopping by local establishments in nine cities to celebrate Record Store Day, including: 

-Tuesday, April 17th in New York City, NY at Extra Fancy from 5 to 10pm

-Wednesday, April 18th in Philadelphia, PA at a WHYY Radio event at 7pm

-Thursday, April 19th in Philadelphia, PA at Art in the Age from 6 to 8pm

-Friday, April 20th in Philadelphia, PA at Main Street Music from 12 to 3pm

-Saturday, April 21 in Philadelphia, PA at Repo Records from 10am to 2 pm and at Martha from 4 to 7pm

-Sunday, April 22 in Baltimore, MA at Atomic Books from 3 to 5pm

-Tuesday, April 24 in Pittsburgh, PA at Amazing Books and Records from 6 to 8pm

-Wednesday, April 25 in Columbus, OH at The Book Loft of German Village from 7 to 8:30pm

-Thursday, April 26 in Cincinnati, OH at at Shake It Records from 12 to 3pm and at Second Place from 7 to 8:30pm

-Friday, April 27 in Indianapolis, IN at Indy CD & Vinyl from 12 to 3pm and Hotel Tango from 6 to 9pm

-Saturday, April 28 in Louisville, KY at Guestroom Records from 11am to 1pm

-Saturday, April 28 in Louisville, KY at Against the Grain from 4 to 7pm

-Wednesday, May 2 in Nashville, TN at Grimey’s from 12 to 6 pm

To keep up with my aggressive social media following growth goals, I constantly worked with a network of influencers and content creators to solidify Crosley as a legitimate music lifestyle brand.

Check out just a couple of the influencers Crosley has worked with:

Brianna Falcone

Haley Jones

Activated at Forecastle Festival with the Crosley Cruiser truck in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Worked with design agency, Mightily, to overhaul our ecomm presence and solidify Crosley as thought leaders in the music lifestyle space. I’m responsible for all content on CrosleyRadio.com

Pilot session of Going Underground in collaboration with Copper & Kings distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. Dave Moisan from NBC's The Voice performs three original songs in the aging cellar.

Since its inception in 2007ish, Record Store Day has been given credit for being the catalyst that sparked the modern day vinyl resurgence. I’ve developed a solid relationship with co-founders of RSD and work with them several times a year on various symbiotic projects.

If you're an avid online shopper, chances are you've seen my work. In early 2009, I relocated from the Zappos HQ in Las Vegas to the land of bourbon and horses to build an industry-leading product video initiative from scratch. In 2009 (April - December), my goal was to make 7,000 product videos, but we ended the year with 10K. Heck yeah! 2010’s goal got bumped up to 50,000 product videos, so I made a few hires, re-invented almost all of the old processes and finished the year with 57K videos. Ultimately, we created over 100,000 product videos a year with a team of 20 people and an operating budget of 1M+.

10 years later, this is the only creative team from Zappos' KY operations that survived the Amazon acquisition. Probably because these product videos ⬆️ conversion and ⬇️ returns by over 20%. You're welcome, Jeff Bezos. 

Check out what the Wall Street Journal had to say about Zappos product video initiative.