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EMERSON DRIVE’S BRAD MATES LAUNCHES NEW MUSIC BUSINESS
BAND & CREW FINANCIAL FOR THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
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NASHVILLE, TN (November 28, 2023) – As a 25-year member of the award-winning country music group Emerson Drive, Brad Mates understands the value of a great band of musicians and road crew. And the renowned vocalist is now using his voice in a totally different way, to bring information and help to a sector of the business that is often overlooked as a financial advisor through his brand new venture, the aptly named Band & Crew Financial.
Mates and the rest of Emerson Drive enjoyed a successful career as a touring act for over two decades, and realized the value of taking care of their own crew members through their business early on during a time when the practice was rare. Mates watched as many veteran road crew members struggled to make ends meet and were left at 60 with little or no savings or the means to retire comfortably or even at all, and took note as his career with Emerson began to wind down. After relocating to Maine with his family a decade ago, Mates began to develop an interest in the financial world and discovered a new passion for helping change people’s lives through investing and preparing for the future. Over the last seven years he worked to become knowledgeable as a financial planner, and then came upon the idea to cater to a specific part of the industry that is often overlooked and underestimated, and decided to form Band & Crew.
“In the beginnings of Emerson Drive, it was so busy in the first few years and there was so much going on, there was an opportunity where there could have been a better direction of money going to individuals in our group to help kickstart retirement planning in our early 20s,” recalls Brad. “And it didn’t happen until we were probably 25 or 26 where there was enough money coming through the company where we knew we had to start doing something. And in my position as an artist in the business, I’ve observed when you meet someone in the financial industry it’s often the big box company, someone in a suit and tie, who has never been deep in the industry like we have. So I think there’s a comfort level for a lot of people going forward to have someone who understands a little bit of their path and challenges in the music business.
“And now that I’ve come back in from the other side of the industry, I knew we had to be different than other financial companies,” he continues. “So I decided to offer financial services hyper-focused on supporting all stages that an individual goes through in their respected career path. Our difference at Band & Crew from everybody else is our background in the industry, hands and feet on the ground in this business for 25 years, that makes us stand out the most. And I truly believe it can help a lot of younger acts and even established acts and folks at the back end of their careers that are potentially retiring, just a place that feels like home for them to come and do business.”
The new company will offer a variety of services including investments, insurance, and business guidance for both families and individuals, including IRAs, mutual funds, annuities, life insurance, long term care, retirement plans, IRAs, 401Ks, and more. For Mates, helping people navigate the complicated world of finance and improve their lives offers as much satisfaction as playing to a packed arena full of eager fans, something he was pleasantly surprised to discover as he embarked on this exciting new career journey.
“This industry is what I grew up doing my entire adult life, so me finding my passion in this line of work is super important,” admits Mates. “Would I have ever thought all those years ago that we would have a 25-year career as a band? No. But it carried on for 25 years, and nothing would give me more happiness than to create something in the industry that has that kind of longevity in this business, because it hasn’t been done yet which I still find frustrating and exciting. I always thought, what the hell am I ever going to find that’s going to give me as much as I got from singing on stage, right? For some reason I think it’s because you connect with people in this business too, and now I’m finding I’m getting very similar feelings as I did as a performer, which is phenomenal because I’m 45 now, and through my 20s and early 30s I thought, how can you ever top this? How can you ever get something back like you get from a crowd? But you can sit across from a family or a single person and still feel like you are doing the right thing helping them, so I’ve always enjoyed that aspect of the business, just seeing what you can give back to people and make them feel like they are part of something important.”
Band & Crew Financial is headquartered in Lewiston, Maine, but Mates will be traveling all around the country working with clients in cities like Nashville, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and Detroit. More information on the new company can be found at bandandcrewfinancial.com.
Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC
Photo Courtesy Brad Mates
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