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To list John Feldmann’s accomplishments would take too long, so let’s just say he’s held pretty much every position the music industry has to offer. Over two decades Feldmann has hit highs, lows and everything in between as a musician, producer, composer, A&R rep and the list goes on... And as he’ll be quick to tell you, he’s better off for it.

Feldmann was selling shoes in the 80s when he founded the seminal ska-punk group Goldfinger, a trailblazing effort that pushed ska into mainstream and introduced him to the wild world of the music industry. Cue the early failures: a terrible record contract left Feldmann no ownership of his songs and taught him an important lesson about the vicious and unfair world of music and money. He never forgot it.

Today, Feldmann is an industry guru himself, intent on passing his wealth of experience onto the generation of young musicians he now works with. There are quite a few. Beyond Goldfinger, Feldmann’s worked with a variety of acts across genres including The Used, Ashlee Simpson, Saosin, Plain White T’s, Good Charlotte and Panic At The Disco.

There’s a reason most folks don’t make it long in this business and it’s underlined by Feldmann’s distinct, almost maddening ambition that’s propelled him through his crazy 25 year career. (Feldmann & Goldfinger played 385 shows in 1996, the world record). The industry today might not resemble the same one Feldmann entered as a plucky punk in 1988. But some things don’t change. And it’s those intangibles that make John Feldmann such a rare, significant talent in an industry bent on rejecting rare, significant talents like him.

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