Firebird Scale

Below are what we consider our core values aka our North Star that helps guide each of us here at Firebird Music.

Do) Artists Above All. Doing what’s best for the artist is what’s best for all our stakeholders.

This is a guiding principle for our decision making as we get pulled in multiple directions. We have a host of stakeholders – ourselves, our investors, our team, our portfolio companies, fans, and artists. Firebird is really a bet on the future value of artists. So, we want to use the artist’s interests as a prism for how we make choices. This should be our North Star in the fog of war. When things are complicated or unclear, it is a home base we can return to and gut check our decisions.

Re) We Are a Band. We work as a team, we integrate diverse voices, we listen to one another, and we communicate fearlessly to build trust.

This is a foundational principle of how we work (and a litmus test for the things we value in new teammates). We speak the truth, everyone has an important role to play, everyone’s voice is expressed and heard (though not equally, bands have leaders too). Feedback and listening are a gift. This value is also extremely important as founders porting our personal relationships over to a business setting. We need to be able to challenge each other in a constructive way, but also be both good listeners and partners. It intentionally filters out the individual – this is not a solo performance for anyone, we are about team first. Note: there are almost always disagreements in a band. The key to the long-term health of a band is how you surface those disagreements, make sure voices are heard, decisions are made, and the entire band commits to the direction, even when an individual did not get their way.

Mi) Harmony Has Many Different Notes. We are a meritocracy of ideas, and the best ideas come from a diversity of experiences and perspectives.

Here we are explicit about our commitment to diversity in our team. This is not in service of checking boxes, or for external perception; it comes from the core tenet that - like music today - the best ideas come from everywhere. Our strategy is ultimately to win with better ideas about how to serve artists. It follows that we must be a culture that embraces a range of ideas, and that we must welcome diversity of thought. That diversity comes from experience - including, but not limited to race, gender, sexuality, nationality, and educational background. Our band thrives on a host of different instruments.

Fa) Roll with Rockstars. Hire, develop, and retain only the best.

This is the reflection of who we are. We are going to have very few competitive advantages, and our team must be one of them. There is nothing more thrilling than working with people who push you to be better, who come from the operating principle of working with best intentions, who are highly skilled and have impeccable integrity. We have the privilege to hold the highest possible talent bar. Strategically it is critical that we not compromise on this.

Sol) Play Allegro. Move with deliberate speed and a bias for action; fail fast, fix faster.

This is about how we work, and a key part of our advantage relative to well capitalized incumbents. We have already failed at Firebird (we lost a big record label we were going after). We have adjusted quickly, revamped our approach, and moved forward down a new path (smaller, strong A&R teams across geographies and genres). Similarly, the reason we are in the mix in a lot of meaningful assets is that we were able to move quickly and be flexible. We are in a race, and deliberate speed is our advantage.

La) Earn the Encore. Results matter, take ownership and accountability.

This is about what we value in and from work. All of us have had successful careers and done really cool things. But we start from zero on day one at Firebird. The covenant we have with our stakeholders – particularly artists and investors – is something we hold dear. Our incentive structure is tied to results, and while we will bring in lots of people who have accomplished great things in their careers – it’s what you get done at Firebird that matters. We measure things, take ownership, we are honest about success and failure, and we reward results.

Ti) Inspire the Fan in Everyone. Be a company people love for what we create and how we act.

This is about our impact on the world. Being a fan of something encapsulates deep respect, passion, admiration, earned integrity, recognition of impact. It signifies something that endures. Fandom passes across generations; it is something they want to be a part of that unifies people of all different backgrounds. It holds us to a high standard of creating something that matters, and that we can all be proud of building. Note that as noted above this is pretty close to a mission statement and should be in the mission statement discussion – we believe that there is a fan of music inside of everyone, and we want to help them discover and act upon that fandom.

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