Foundations Forum was the first exclusively heavy metal music industry convention, held annually from 1988 to 1997 in Los Angeles. The convention was set up by Concrete Marketing who had in January 1988 created the first industry trade magazine for the heavy metal world – Foundations. Realizing there was little or no attention or focus on this growing market, and having seen the far reaching distribution of the trade magazine, they decided to put together an annual meeting, bringing together key industry personnel, vendors and artists (and in later forums fans as well) offering advice on surviving the industry, discussing the changing climate of the scene and business, and allowing people to network.
Executive Director Bob Chiappardi summed up the purpose of the Forum: "The way heavy metal is growing, we want to be careful not to have it blow out. By sitting down and talking about the genre, the good and the bad points, having the indies interacting with the majors, it makes for a healthy industry in general."
The forums usually invited a keynote speaker who would open the event and touch on important themes for the weekend ahead. There would be panels and workshops made up of industry personnel particular to the theme who would discuss contemporary issues and answer questions.
CD samplers of signed and unsigned artists were distributed to each forum attendee.
Foundations Forum '88
On September 30 – October 1 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles, Concrete Marketing, Metal Blade Records and RIP Magazine joined forces to create the first annual Foundations Forum convention.
The theme of FF88 was the credibility and respectability of metal within the music industry as a whole. Attendance, etc.
The Keynote speaker for the event was Sharon Osbourne and it incorporated parties in honor of RIP Magazine's second anniversary and Concrete's fourth.
Panels & Moderators
Panel Moderator(s) Metal Marketing Bob Chiappardi (Concrete Marketing) Press & Publicity Lonn Friend (RIP Magazine) Artist Development Diarmuid Quinn (Epic Records) Retail & Distribution Bill Berger (Island Records) Metal Video John Cannelli (MTV) Managers & Lawyers Walter O'Brien (Concrete Management) Metal Radio Derek Simon (Kiss Company) Record Producers Mike Bone (Chrysalis) Credibility & Respectability Jim Cardillo (Managing Director Foundations Forum '88) Record Company Forum Brian Slagel (Metal Blade Records) Clubs, Booking & Touring Haoui Montaug (New Music Seminar) Jennifer Perry (Avalon Attractions) A&R in Heavy Metal Ron Laffitte (Sanctuary Music) Selling Metal: Retail, Touring & Press Janie Hoffman (MCA Records) Andy Somers (Frontier Booking International) Artist Panel Penelope Spheeris (Dir. Decline of Western Civilization)
A two-disc compilation CD was available free of charge to those attending the event, showcasing bands that Concrete was working with.
Disc 1:
Artist Song Label Keith Richards Take It So Hard Virgin Winger Hungry Atlantic Helloween I Want Out RCA Bullet Boys Smooth Up Warner Bros. Records Anvil Blood On The Ice Metal Blade Queensrÿche Revolution Calling EMI-Manhattan Warrant 32 Pennies Columbia Drive Kamikaze Rampage/Rhino S.A.D.O. On The Races Noise Roughhouse Tonight Columbia Alien I've Been Waiting Virgin The Stand If You See Kay Pak'er/Carlyle
Disc 2
Artist Song Label House of Lords I Wanna Be Loved Simmons/RCA Majesty Fortune In Lies Mechanic Kix Cold Blood Atlantic Jetboy Feel The Shake MCA Suicidal Tendencies Surf & Slam Epic Dead End Junk Metal Blade Hexx Racial Slaughter – Devias Desperate – Wild Hot For Love Columbia Mallet-Head Fight Frontier Washed Alone –
Foundations Forum '89
Foundations Forum 89 took place from September 21–23 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles. This was a week when three metal albums (by Skid Row, Mötley Crüe and Warrant) dominated Billboard's Top Pop Albums chart.
The focus of this convention was shifted more towards the development of new artists within the metal scene, emphasizing the growth and nurturing of the style.
The convention's attendance more than doubled this year to accommodate more than 2500 people, around a quarter of which were musicians.
The Keynote speaker for the event was Kiss bassist Gene Simmons.
Panels & Moderators
Panel Moderator Metal Workshop Jim Cardillo (MCA) Understanding Music Publishing Andy Gould (Concrete Management) Pay To Play – Controversy In The Clubs Kenny Kerner (Music Connection Magazine) Retail Lou Mann (Capitol Records) Merchandising: Your Name Here (Or Not) Walter O'Brien (Concrete Management) Producers/A&R Terry Lippman (Lippman Kahane Management) Radio Ray Gmeiner (Elektra) Sponsorships – Is Metal Going To Madison Avenue? John Brodie (Westwood One) Road Management: Don't Leave Home Without It Ron Laffitte (Lippman Kahane Management) International: The World, She Shrinks Stephan Galfas (T.E. Savage Inc.) Video: $$$ Well Spent or Spend It Elsewhere? Rick Krim (MTV) Press: Exposing Yourself Ben Leimer (Circus Magazine) A Star Is Born: The Development Of a Career Cliff O'Sullivan (PolyGram) Touring: Getting From The Clubs To The Arenas Gary Bongiovanni (Pollstar) Geraldo Goes Metal: All Access, No B.S. Marko Babineau (Geffen) Equipment Endorsements Paul Sackman (Musician Magazine) Metal Corps: The Sultans of Speed Chris Williamson (Rock Hotel Presents) Marketing Bob Chiappardi (Concrete Marketing) Artist Management: Can't Live Without 'Em & Can't Shoot 'Em Mike Bone (Chrysalis) Artist Panel Lonn Friend (RIP Magazine)
The artist panel this year featured King Diamond, Robert Sweet (Stryper), Robin McAuley (MSG), Steve Jones, Lita Ford, Vicki Peterson (the Bangles), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Taime Downe (Faster Pussycat) and Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers).
A double cassette named 'The Shape of Things to Come' featuring unsigned artists was given out this year along with the double disc compilation 'CD From Hell'. In a special issue of Metal Hammer, interviews were run with all the unsigned bands featured on the compilation.
CD From Hell – Disc 1
Artist Song Label D.A.D. Rim of Hell Warner Bros. Records Cats In Boots Shot Gun Sally EMI Records Toy Roz Sexy Lil' Devil BG Records The Front Pain Columbia Records Lord Tracy She's a Bitch UNI/MCA Records Brighton Rock Can't Stop The Earth From Shakin' – Defcon Cold Hearted DKP Productions Alien Tears Don't Put Out The Fire Virgin Records Babylon A.D. Hammer Swings Down Arista Records Fates Warning Through Different Eyes Enigma Entertainment Savatage Gutter Ballet – Bad Brains With the Quickness Caroline Records Sleeze Beez Screwed, Blued 'N Tattooed Sanctuary Music Joy Thunder Hard Love – The Stand Love Is the Reason Pak'er Carlyle Records Potential Threat Rich Bitch –
CD From Hell – Disc 2
Artist Song Label Faith No More Falling to Pieces Slash Records/Warner Bros. Records Shotgun Messiah Shout it Out Relativity Records MSG Save Yourself Capitol Records King Diamond Sleepless Nights Roadracer Records Damn Cheetah Damn Cheetah Total Music Management Loudness You Shook Me Atco Records Suicidal Tendencies Master of No Mercy Epic Records Stage Dolls Wings of Steel Chrysalis Records Faster Pussycat Poison Ivy Elektra Records Rude Awakening Live Life Rude Awakening Metal Church Of Unsound Mind Elektra Records Mordred State of Mind Noise Records Powermad Nice Dreams Warner Bros. Records Dirty Blonde Passion Outpost Entertainment Cherri Rokkett Lonely Cherri Rokkett
Foundations Forum '90
Foundations Forum 90 took place at the Sheraton Plaza La Reina Hotel in Los Angeles from September 13–15, 1990. This was the first year the event was open to the public and there were over 4,000 registrants.
The theme of this year's event was based loosely around metal's emerging social consciousness and responsibility (As Bob Chiappardi notes in his message from the directors):
Responsibility on the part of the industry to nurture new talent, the responsibility of the metal community to cultivate our increasing credibility within the industry, and the responsibility of us all to react to charges that our music is potentially or intrinsically dangerous with something other than mere hostility.
Tying in with this theme, a big topic of conversation at the forum was censorship and the keynote speaker for the event was Judas Priest frontman, Rob Halford. At the time, Judas Priest had just been involved in a civil action whereby it was alleged they were responsible for the suicide of one youth from Nevada and the attempted suicide of his best friend via subliminal messages placed on one of the songs from their album, 'Stained Class'.
Although the case had eventually been thrown out of court, it was not the first of its kind and the metal world was having to defend itself against an ever-increasing number of censors.
Ozzy Osbourne, who had also been to court following the death of a teenager who listened to his music, joined his wife Sharon Osbourne and former California Governor Jerry Brown on one of the forum's panels to discuss the issue of censorship, which was a popular topic; a theme which spilled into several other panels over the weekend.
1990's forum was self-contained within the hotel and featured listening parties from Slayer, Motörhead, Scorpions, Iron Maiden and Deep Purple. Not only was there major news/press coverage of the forum, but there were broadcasts directly from the convention by MTV, KNAC, Z-Rock and others, with some being syndicated all across the country. Many will have come to cover the 18 signed bands which played at night including Judas Priest, Pantera, Exodus, Extreme, Alice In Chains and the London Quireboys. Also, during the day, there were 18 unsigned bands performing including Radar, a New York band featuring lead singer Pamela Moore who sang the part of Sister Mary on Queensrÿche's Operation: Mindcrime album.
Two commercial video cassettes of FF90 highlights were released through Strand/VCI, although these were never to be released domestically.
Panels & Moderators
Panel Moderator Metal Workshop Jim Pitulski (Columbia Records) International Panel Derek Oliver (ATCO Records) Music Contracts Panel Joseph Lloyd Serling (Serling Rooks & Ungar) Video Panel Juliana Roberts (The Foundry) Publishing Panel Jim Cardillo (Warner Chappell) Radio Panel Kid Leo (Columbia Records) A&R Panel Jim Lewis (PolyGram Records) Endorsement Panel Joe Bosso ( Guitar World Magazine) Music From The Underground Howie Abrams (In-Effect Records) Touring Panel Jim Guerinot (A&M Records) Marketing Panel Jay Krugman (Columbia Records) Merchandising Panel Steve Gertsman (Winterland Productions) Censorship Panel Chris Morris (Billboard Magazine) Biology of a Record Company Brian Slagel (Metal Blade Records) ASCAP Metal Songwriter Workshop Andy Gould (Concrete Management) Press Panel Hanna Bolte (Epic Records) Sexism/Racism Panel Mike Bone (Chrysalis) Retail Panel Fran Aliberte (WEA) Management Panel Bill Elson (ICM) Artist Panel Lonn Friend (RIP Magazine) Riki Rachtman (Rachtman Enterprises)
The Artist Panel included Jani Lane & Joey Allen (Warrant), KK Downing & Glen Tipton (Judas Priest), Vito Bratta (White Lion), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) and Joe Leste (Bang Tango).
As well as a cassette featuring unsigned bands, a 3CD sampler was given out at this Foundations Forum.
Foundations Forum '90 CD Sampler – Disc 1
Artist Song Label Extreme Get The Funk Out A&M Records Queensrÿche Empire EMI Warrant Uncle Tom's Cabin Columbia Vio-lence Officer Nice Megaforce/Atlantic Cry Wolf Face Down The Wishing Well Grand Slamm Every Mother's Nightmare Listen Up Arista House Of Lords Shoot Simmons/RCA Nevada Beach Waiting for an Angel Metal Blade Black Sabbath Anno Mundi IRS Records Two Bit Thief Hard Times Combat Ministry Thieves (Sire/Warner Bros. Records) Devious Carried Away – Washed Turn It Around –
Foundations Forum '90 CD Sampler – Disc 2