Open Mic
Dave Rose ’90 is sharing what he’s learned from a lifetime in the music industry.
By David Menconi
Three-plus decades ago, Dave Rose ’90 played in a band named for a mysterious number: 9811. That came from a very practical place, the Internal Revenue Service’s tax-code number for musicians. It was, Rose acknowledges, probably inevitable that his role in the music world wouldn’t be onstage but behind the scenes.
All these years later, the 57-year-old Rose is a major music-business player. As president/CEO of Raleigh-based Deep South Entertainment, he manages artists with a client list that has included everybody from pop-star pianist Bruce Hornsby to born-again hair-metal band Stryper. Deep South also produces and organizes local events including NC State’s Packapalooza and Final Four celebrations, plus the N.C. State Fair’s Homegrown Music Festival featuring all regional acts. This year’s fair will be the ninth that Deep South has booked.
Rose’s latest area of interest is his farthest-reaching yet, and it started in the most informal of places, the TikTok app. He regularly posts videos dispensing career advice, commentaries and the occasional forecast (one of his popular videos from late last year was “My predictions for ’24”). Through TikTok and online coaching sessions, Rose has become something of a wise-elder band whisperer for musicians trying to build a following.
“I’ve had artists cry when I talk to them. … They can’t get anybody on the phone. Giving advice is the most satisfying … part of my day.
“The music industry is a very gatekept industry and has been since the beginning,” Rose says. “This breaks the wall down, with direct access to knowledge. I’ve had artists cry when I talk to them. They’re in Topeka, Kan., and they’ve written a bunch of great songs, but they can’t get anybody on the phone. What do they do? Giving advice is the most satisfying, life-fulfilling part of my day.”
Rose also publishes self-help books, including this year’s Success in Today’s Music Business: 101 Strategic Steps To Advance Your Music Career. “Follow the steps,” he says, “and you’ll be better off at the end than you were before. It’s like my TikToks in book form, quick and geared to the short-form, quick-hit stuff that the music industry has been developing toward. So I’m sharing the knowledge.”
