Roman Suarez

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Roman Suarez has worked in music for 12 yrs. He started as a DJ then moved on to field and night club marketing for new releases at Sony’s Prestigio Records in NYC, later he worked for Universal Music Group as a Latin sales specialist in the North East. During his employment at Universal, Suarez was given the responsibility of informing the music retail community of the significance of Reggaeton music and he successfully encouraged their support in stocking the legitimate Reggaeton titles distributed by Universal. Music from artists such as Daddy Yankee, Hector & Tito, Magnate and Valentino and Don Omar legitimately made it to the shelves of traditional and independent music retailers across the North East.

During a round of lay offs at UMVD Roman moved on to promote a project for “or” music group handling their marketing needs in the top US Latin Designated Marketing Area’s for a Country Rock group called Los Lonely Boys. Their debut release was not one that Latin retailers embraced for they felt it was more Rock than Latin. Suarez was challenged with having to convince his retail base of the true identity of the group. During a plan to promote the album to Latin audiences across the North East the group was signed to EPIC and became a national priority for Sony top level executives, Suarez was asked to stop his efforts.

In the winter of 2004 he started a job at fledging independent Reggaeton imprint Urban Box Office INC in NYC where he took on the responsibilities given to him by Adam Kidron, CEO and Ron Colinear, VP of Sales of Urban Box Office. He was hired to assemble a network for the company to distribute its past and upcoming music releases. Under the supervision of his leaders Suarez traveled across America and in to bordering countries to help establish recognition for the music titles Urban Box Office had to offer.

He moved up the ranks from Regional Sales Manager to National Director of Latin Sales & Marketing and by his second year with the company he was appointed Senior Vice President of Latin. It was in January of 2006 he was featured in Billboard Magazine's annual recap "30 Under 30", an editorial dedicated to feature and expound on 30 of the music industry's most influential and distinguished members under the age of 30. The article accredited Suarez for making Urban Box Office a music retail force to be reckoned with and for being the brain behind UBO's brawn in the Latin Music world.

His most acclaimed work at UBO was preparing an aggressive sales plan which helped in making 2005 a record breaking year for Bachatero Andy Andy and his record "Ironia", as well as a national FREE GASOLINE promotion which launched in August of 2005 (during the gas price hike and Hurricane Katrina). He also routed a historic, 1st time ever, national tour of America's top Latin Music retailer, Ritmo Latino. The tour was scheduled to last 30 days. The tour was named ARI30D (Around Ritmo In 30 Days) by Suarez for it was launched during the middle of February in to the middle of March when the sign of ARIES aligns the stars. "As a new (zodiac) sign comes in to line in the sky, so shall our new stars (Voz a Voz) line up with their audience". His idea for the tour was supported by his retail partners, the group, his staff and his passion to create interests organically. Unfortunately, his efforts weren't supported by the radio promotion or marketing staff from his home office which unintentionally fumbled every attempt to engage audiences with mentions of the tour or its significance.

His bold move to visit retail with an unknown group called Voz a Voz (debut Album En "Presencia Del Futuro" In the Future's Presence) was strongly challenged by his leaders and his colleagues but Suarez stood his ground and felt the tour was necessary to break the group to the American audience. In a period when no record company releases a priority record Suarez strongly felt there would be zero resistance from retailers and he was right. Suarez had a vision with this tour and it was to bring the group to the people and have them sing their hearts out in front of them. “They will see them and hear them and will leave loving them”. The national tour cost nearly $12,000 dollars and sold 10,000 records. The entire Latin music community kept close eye of his feat which they also viewed as a terrible move. Today, many Major Music Distribution companies carry out the same tour with their more powerful and respected artists. Voz a Voz never made an impact on radio in the US but moved on to sell nearly 110,000 copies of their debut title. In 2007 Voz a Voz was nominated in 2 categories for a LATIN BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARD (Best New Latin Pop Artist and Best Latin Pop Album).

From distributing new music to DJs, spinning in various nightclubs across the country, plastering posters throughout music outlets, giving out flyers in colleges, organizing record release parties, detailing taste makers events, networking with a VIP clientele list, taking a Pizza shop hostage to have the customers listen to LIVE music or developing innovative marketing and sales plans, every step he’s made has been an investment in further embedding his name in the Latin music industry. Music is his life and dedicating to it is his passion. His motto remains "Breaking Records One Hit At A Time".