Deborah Klein, originally from Sydney, Australia brings over 30 years of experience in the music business to Primary Wave. Deborah graduated from Suffolk University Law School in Boston with a concentration in intellectual property and contracts. Prior to that she was a disc jockey at several major market stations and the program director for influential Boston radio station WERS. Deborah started her own law practice while simultaneously running the iconic punk label TAANG! Records, releasing over sixty albums in three years, from The Lemon Heads to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Deborah started her own management company in Boston in the early nineties, finding and developing indie icons Morphine, Sebadoh, Folk Implosion, Mia Doi Todd and others. During this time she worked with Interscope Records, Sub Pop, Matador, Domino Records, Rkyodisc, Sire Records, Sony/Legacy and Dreamworks.
Deborah moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to work for Spivak Sobol Entertainment where she was their in-house legal counsel as well as manager for Eve Six, Vanessa Carlton, Flyleaf, Yellowcard, Alexi Murdoch and Liam Finn. Spivak Sobol was acquired by the mega management company The Firm where Deborah worked with everyone from Smashing Pumpkins, Mandy Moore, Korn and Five Finger Death Punch. Deborah was also the general manager for the record label that eventually became Prospect Park and was responsible for breaking Five Finger Death Punch with multiple Gold and Platinum Albums and multiple top ten singles.
Seven years ago Deborah joined Primary Wave as a JV Partner and her current roster includes Cypress Hill, Melissa Etheridge, Plain White T’s, and Powerflo. Deborah’s expertise includes strategy, intellectual property, deal making, touring, merchandise, brand management, royalty statements, new technology, online social and retail strategy, recording, marketing and artist relations. She loves music of all kinds and when she is not working you will often find her in the kitchen or riding her bike.
Specialties: Live streaming, monetization, touring, technology, new platforms and brand marketing, deal making, brand management, digital marketing, communication, negotiation, touring, retail sales (physical and digital), merchandise and radio promotions.
