Today we’d like to introduce you to Stone Stafford.
Hi Stone, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
After graduating from high school in 1989, I attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. While at Morehouse, I and four other classmates formed a singing group and were discovered by MC Lyte and signed to First Priority/Atlantic Records. While the recording career of the group was short-lived, I went on to write with such producers as Dallas Austin, Shek’spere and some of Bad Boy’s hitmen.
In January 2000, I was hired to open and co-spearhead Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s new Atlanta office with writers placing songs on artists ranging from B2K and Mandy Moore to Monica and Whitney Houston, as well as Television, Film and international recording artists.
After company-wide layoffs at Sony, in September 2004, I was hired as Sr. Creative Director for Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Productions and Dieniahmar/EMI Music Publishing where I was responsible for overseeing JD’s roster of writers and producers. While at Dieniahmar, I signed hit songwriter, Cristyle (Mariah Carey’s – “Touch My Body”, Rihanna’s – “Only Girl In The World”, Janet Jackson, Beyonce, etc.)
In 2008, Stone moved on to explore other ventures including A&R consultant for such labels as Atlantic Records and Justin Timberlake’s Tennman/Interscope Records while concurrently co-founding Atlanta’s premiere recording studio, ICON Studios, a 10,000 s.f. facility that has quickly become a favorite for several of the entertainment industry’s biggest names such as Akon, Justin Bieber, Ludacris, Glady Knight, Empire, MTV, Atlantic Records, Universal Records, and many others. Television shows such as Oprah Winfrey’s “Greenleaf” and Fox’s “STAR” have also made Icon Studio a home base on several occasions.
I consistently invest a significant amount of time and energy speaking at various seminars, events and conferences both as an industry executive and an empowerment/motivational speaker.
In 2016, I created “The Lock-In”, a 24hr flash music business intensive, and the “Next Exec Music Business Program” – a high-school after school music business program).
In 2020, I launched L.I.F.E. on Podcast (Listening & Inspiring Friends Everywhere with co-host and on-air radio personality Jony Van. (available on youtube and all major podcast platforms).
With a career that has spanned almost every major area in music, my passion is to foster a spirit of wisdom, integrity, and a degree of altruism in the entertainment industry while somehow preserving or even raising the bar of creativity.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing great comes easy, as we all know. One of the biggest lessons I learned growing in this business is that relationships trump talent and almost everything else. Without the relationships, it was very hard getting my peers to trust my ears and decisions as a newbie. While at Sony, I tried to sign Avril Lavigne, Sean Garrett, The Dream and others but was denied at every step of the way by my bosses.
I didn’t take hold of that wisdom of the importance of relationships until late in my career and wished I had acted on creating and nurturing relationships earlier. That knowledge is paying off in spades now though!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve become what is known as a multi-preneur. I have several business ventures that I’ve created and are involved in. However, ever since a friend of mine once told me, “you don’t own a business, you own a job.” , I’m very intentional about establishing passive income.
The studio and music publishing provides the bulk of my income, but I’m having fun growing my podcast (LIFE on Podcast) and speaking either through invitation or via The Lock-In or Next Exec. My other “side-hustles” include real estate, a restaurant, acting (credited) and my the two books I’m currently writing.
If you look at the core of most of my endeavors, you will notice a common theme of service and education. That’s what I specialize in… empowering others. I think that’s what I’ve become most known for over the years and what I’m most proud of.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk taking sounds scary in and of itself, but if you think about it, we take serious risks, voluntarily or involuntarily, every day. The moment you walk out your front door, you start taking an endless series of risks.
I think a person should focus on taking those risks in as calculated and educated ways as possible instead of trying to avoid them. Building Icon Studios was (and still is) a continuous walk of faith, hard work and risk tasking. From expansions to buildouts, for example, we run the risk of ROI uncertainties – which can be very scary.
I’ve signed writers and artists only to learn down the road that after spending thousands of both dollars and man-hours, they weren’t as consistent, productive or proficient as originally thought or promised.
But all risk is venturing into unfamiliar territory with the threat of some degree of loss if things don’t work out. But you can’t level up or achieve new growth without it. So, unless you’re content with where you are in life and have no desire to grow, you have to take risks. The key, again, is just to be as smart as you can about it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stonestafford.com
- Instagram: @stoneoo7
- Twitter: @stone007
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IconStudiosATL
- Other: www.lifeonpodcast.com
Image Credits
2) Akon. 3) Ludacris. 5) Jony Von and Leslie Brathwaite
