Labeled: "The Stories, Rumors, & Legends of Tooth & Nail Records": The Motivation of an Intern with the Responsibility of an Executive

The Motivation of an Intern with the Responsibility of an Executive

Feb 26, 2020

Chapter 27

Former Tooth & Nail employee, Derek Tenbusch, in many ways is a similar to Brandon Ebel. Both got their start as low level employees of a record label in southern California, because of their love for music, and thought it would be satisfying to help good art thrive. Eventually both became dissatisfied with the limited scope of those around them and sought to do more. Only Derek didn’t come from the indie-punk Christian scene, he worked for the corporate giant that controlled Tooth & Nail and with whom Brandon was having conflict.

So maybe it was fate that brought Derek to work directly for Tooth & Nail and push millions of records into mainstream outlets for the first time, or maybe it was that they were like-minded people like to work hard for big results by collaborating on a small and focused creative team of people who all believe in something far more important than just a paycheck or the status that comes with a title. This is the same thing that motivates musicians, fans, and people like the interns who work so hard at places like record labels. However, it becomes increasingly more rare to see the people at the higher levels of responsibility actually continue to posses this type of motivation. They often fall into one of two traps: trying to do less work for more money, or being concerned with their own power and not the furthering of there original aim. These patterns extend far beyond the music industry and can be applied everywhere, but in this particular case, we also get a really clear picture of just what the music industry was and maybe still is like at the larger scale and get to reflect on the time period when Tooth & Nail and its small team was having massive impact in a collapsing industry.

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SONGS YOU HEARD ON THIS EPISODE:

He Is Legend “The Seduction”

Starflyer 59 “All My Friends Who Play Guitar”

mewithoutYou Live at Cornerstone

Norma Jean “Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste”

Mae “We’re So far Away”

Underoath “Young and Aspiring”

Emery “Walls” Live

Beloved “Only Our Faces Hide”