Kates

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Mark Kates

President

Grand Royal Records Inc.

Even without his long history of helping alternative bands make it big, 37-year-old Mark Kates would be an important figure in L.A.’s music industry, simply based on his current position: president of Grand Royal Records Inc.

The Atwater Village-based record company is not only home to the Beastie Boys, whose members co-founded Grand Royal, but also such popular alternative artists as Ben Lee, Luscious Jackson and Sean Lennon.

Before joining Grand Royal in February, Kates was an artists-and-repertoire executive at Geffen Records. While there, he signed multi-platinum Silver Lake musician Beck, as well as gold-selling Elastica. He also did A & R; work for Nirvana, Hole, Sonic Youth and White Zombie.

Kates said he decided to leave the established Geffen for the upstart Grand Royal based on his friendship with Beastie Boys member Mike Diamond and his desire to have more control in a smaller company.

“I felt like I needed to be involved with a smaller pond,” Kates said. “I believe the future of the industry is going to be as much about smaller companies as larger ones as the playing field becomes more and more level, which I believe is what’s happening.”

In his short time with Grand Royal, the project with which Kates was most involved was the debut album by Lennon, the son of Yoko Ono and the late John Lennon. The album, which Kates helped market, has met with critical praise.

Aside from his record-company work, Kates also performs as a club disc jockey under the name DJ Carbo an homage to ’70s Boston Red Sox outfielder Bernie Carbo. He spins discs weekly at the Viper Room on the Sunset Strip.

“The DJ thing has gotten me listening to music more aggressively than I had been prior to that,” he said. “But I’m not a skilled guy. My skill is in finding good records, I think.”

Sal Jenco, managing general partner of the Viper Room, agreed that Kates has an ear for interesting music.

“I think (Kates) has proven the fact that he’s a man of great taste, and truly a visionary, and at times seminal in his tastes,” Jenco said. “By that, I mean he has helped develop styles and sounds and music that have gone on to become very popular forms of music for example, Beck, Sonic Youth and Elastica.”

Karen Teitelman and Daniel Taub

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