Music underscores life’s most significant occasions, and New Yorkers know exactly where to turn to energize their luxury events. Evan Tyler, CEO of the entertainment company Starlight Music is the go-to for party planners, celebrity clients, and corporations looking to throw a fabulous bash with the best jams. His expertise in assisting his clients (Kevin Hart, Michael Douglas, Jimmy Buffet, and Clive Davis) develop a playlist, score, or book live performers has made his company a go-to for all live music needs.
Tyler’s passion for music was evident in his early teens when he became an energetic fixture on the dance floors of weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs. Soon disc jockeys began to note his moves, and he parlayed that into a job at 16 as a paid dancer to get the crowds up and moving. Fast forward several years, and Tyler had gained experience as an event producer and eventually opened his own entertainment company. Growth was swift, and soon he acquired another event company which led to the current Starlight Music, a leader in producing event entertainment, maximizing technology and creativity to illuminate clients’ special occasions.
A COMPANY DIFFERENCE
“Many wedding clients or event planners are feeling enormous pressure to make everything wonderful,” Tyler told us recently. “But there are an infinite number of vendors to shop. Trying to differentiate ourselves in an oversaturated market can be complicated. Also, most performers in the private industry are not compensated enough for their talent. The clients and the market set their worth or what people should pay. So, I am constantly finding ways to help my amazing performers find multiple ways to earn money. Many clients want to shop live bands online, but there has not been an effective way to do that until now.”
“After 18 months of development, Starlight Music has just launched a web platform that is unlike anything the private event industry has ever seen,” Tyler said of the company’s new site. “Our clients can get band availability and pricing in seconds. They can then view the bands’ large demo video libraries, download proposals, share their results, and even book a band without ever speaking with a salesperson. They can also opt for a traditional demo presentation on Zoom.”
LISTENING TO CLIENTS
This ambitious project has created a transparent environment for customers at a level never seen before in the industry. “We have listened to what clients want, which is to digitize the process and allow them to shop on their own before speaking with someone,” Evan says. “This also allows our customers to save money by keeping our overhead down while allowing us to put more money back into the bands and the overall experience of hiring us.”
In-person events came to a halt in the spring of 2020 as the COVID pandemic swept the world. Suddenly significant life events like weddings were postponed or canceled, and an industry that relied on communal celebrations collapsed. However, Tyler says that he was able to keep his team in place, assisting them with financial help in addition to unemployment. He also reached out to every client collaborating with them to provide support and ease in rescheduling their functions. His resilience helped his employees and clients, and the calendar is now bursting with bookings for 2022 and beyond.
Tyler’s straightforward assessment of problem-solving is simply “dealing with complex situations requiring various strategies. Successful outcomes are usually a product of understanding what everyone in the situation is thinking and then creating a solution or environment that works for everyone,” he explains. “Some of my daily challenges and issues involve finances, talent, personnel, legal issues, technical, marketing, relationships, etc. One of the biggest challenges is finding the time to do it all. There are only so many hours in a day.”
What does a busy CEO do to unplug? “When I do, it can be as simple as spending time with my young daughters by reading books, coloring, or playing with Play Doh, or having a relaxing meal with my wife,” Tyler says. “Pre-COVID, I was an avid moviegoer. Streaming movies is the vice I use the most when I am alone.”
For more information on Evan Tyler and Starlight Music, visit: starlightmusic.com