Joseph Janus, who captured the youth zeitgeist of the fashion world with his innovative marketing skills, has set his sights on the music and entertainment industries.  By combing the streets, clubs, skate parks and malls, and actually listening to what kids have to say, Janus has developed a first-hand understanding of youth culture. That knowledge is what now powers his new company, Fearless Management.  Using the same market savvy he honed in the fashion industry, Janus created Fearless to manage music artists, assemble groups and produce music.  In a short time, Janus has amassed some impressive achievements: Fearless Management handles the number one boy band in Germany and in just two days, Janus signed two new acts to Maverick Records.  The music industry has taken notice.

Fearless Management strays from the traditional management model in that it is run like an ad hoc agency, with a strategy Janus describes as more marketing than management.  He explains, “The one thing that was missing in the music business was people didn’t really know how to market artists.  Instead of managing them, they should market them.  I see that the branding of an artist should be no different from any other product.”  Fearless’ branding process will ultimately include grooming acts and then pairing them with endorsements and other companies on projects where they can share in each other’s marketing equity.  The foundation of Fearless’ philosophy, however, is Janus’ desire and ability to keep an ear to the ground and listen to what young people want.  In keeping with this philosophy, he assembled a small team of tapped-in young people– all between the ages of 18 and 25– to help him manage, develop and produce Fearless clients.  Janus adds, “If you don’t have youth culture on your side, you won’t be anywhere in 20 years.  Young America will support anyone who doesn’t take them for idiots.”

This revolutionary approach to music management is reflected in Fearless’ eclectic stable of artists.  “The whole point is being very diverse,” Janus explains, “I want to work with everything from big global bands to niche bands.”  At the top of Fearless’ client list is B3, the number one boy band in Germany.  The trio charted gold with their number three German hit, “I.O.I.O.,” and their debut album, “First,” has spent fifteen weeks on the European pop charts.  Ben Jelen, whom Janus discovered on a New York City street, is a piano-based 25-year-old singer/song-writer.  He was the subject of a bidding war won by Maverick Records, who released his album in 2004 and which immediately entered #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart.  In addition, Jelen has taken part in dozens of events put on by organizations such as Rock the Vote and has already found himself the recipient of a trophy at the Young Hollywood Awards.  The Deuce Project, also signed with Maverick, is a singer/song-writer duo from San Antonio consisting of Josh McMillan and Noah Pierce.  Their record hit store shelves in January of 2003.

Among other acts on the Fearless roster, Janus is currently developing the work of Lourds, a violin prodigy who gave up the spotlights of Carnegie Hall for the floodlights of grungy NYC clubs.  Over the past few years she’s amassed a huge fan following and is now ready to break out completely.  In direct contrast to Lourds’s wild antics and pulsing beats is the toned-down honesty of Edison Arthur.  A young singer-songwriter with earnest lyrics and a haunting voice, Edison is the prime contender to pick up the mantle from Fearless artist Ben Jelen.  The craziest entry offered by Janus would have to be OMI, a hardcore punk band consisting of three major models that have appeared in countless campaigns.  Their extreme enthusiasm onstage and off has already made them a much buzzed about project.  Rounding out the roll call are the indie rockers of Misuniverse.  Made up of only two members, they manage to cover everything from piano to percussion with their unique talents and deftly maintain a cool vibe throughout.

Joseph Janus cut his teeth in the fashion industry.  He helmed the marketing and advertising divisions of such high profile clothiers as Guess?, where he served as VP of Advertising, JNCO, a youth brand he developed and launched and, most recently, Calvin Klein.  During his five-year tenure as VP of Marketing, Janus oversaw the marketing efforts of all of the Calvin Klein brands.  This included underwear, jeans and fragrances, all products Janus says had been around long enough to grow stale among young consumers. To generate excitement, he “staged a revision and re-launch to get the Calvin Klein name back into youth consciousness.”  He did so by melding the company’s image with pop culture elements relevant to youth, which included music. “Music hits everybody and music is international,” which is why, Janus explains, he has always had so much success with marketing strategies using music as a platform.  His Calvin Klein program included a musician ad campaign featuring Macy Gray, Moby and Shakira and the hiring of the sultry new male model, Travis.  Janus also called in youth experts Look-Look, Inc., a cutting edge youth marketing and research company, and Blue Flame, P. Diddy’s marketing firm, to help him build the strategy for Calvin Klein’s new men’s fragrance, Crave.  Part of the execution included the use of street team marketing much in the same way street teams are utilized in the release of a hip-hop album.

Janus has designed Fearless Management to operate on similarly unconventional ideals. “It’s not enough to just be in touch with youth culture, you have to be a part of it,” says Janus, who realizes he and his young team possess knowledge of the market that is more valuable than any MBA.  Already poised to be a major player in the music industry, Fearless’ future plans include forays into film and television.  With a “slow but steady” approach, Joseph Janus is building a company that promises to be a major force in the entertainment world.