4 North Shore Towers Courier n October 2016 Joan and Irwin Robinson: Enthusiastic Newcomers Where did the two of you grow up? Joan attended Midwood HS and graduated from Brooklyn College with a BA and MA. This led to a teaching job in Baldwin, which lasted 26 years, she recalls fondly. Irwin is an Erasmus Hall, Brooklyn, graduate who then went on to Baruch College for a degree in business. In 1952, the Army intervened, and upon discharge, he went to Brooklyn Law at night and passed the Bar Exam in 1962. What careers did you pursue? Joan went on to innovative teaching programs during her tenure in Baldwin. She taught gifted and talented kids and mentored beginning teachers. She was involved in the “Play It Safe” program geared towards children who were left alone after school while waiting for their parents to return home from work. After retiring she tutored Russian adults who wanted to become American citizens. Irwin started his career in the music business in 1957, the year he married Joan. In 1963, after six years at a small music firm, he was hired as general counsel of the music division of Columbia Pictures. In 1976, when Columbia sold the division to EMI, Irwin was asked to join the Chappell/Intersong Music group as its President and CEO. Soon, he earned a reputation as a “goto” professional in the field of Music Publishing and later headed EMI Music and the music division of Paramount Pictures, both on a worldwide basis. For the last 40 years, Irwin has served on the Boards of Directors of ASCAP, the National Music Publishers Association, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He holds the position of Publisher Vice Chairman on the ASCAP board and Chairman of the Board of NMPA. What is a music publisher and what does she or he do? A music publisher signs contracts with talented songwriters and promotes their songs for use in recordings, motion pictures, TV programs, commercials and printed editions. These contracts cover a period of years, and all songs written during that period are owned by the publisher and the songwriter, in varying share percentages. The publisher traditionally pays the songwriter an advance against royalties as an incentive to sign the agreement. A successful publisher is a good business person, knows the applicable law and has a feel for music. Did you work with any well-known artists? I enjoyed promoting some of the best: Bob Hope (“Thanks for the Memories”), Carole King, Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond, among others. I actually became friends with most of my clients. Many became part of an extended family. I was Marvin Hamlisch’s publisher for many years and got to know his mother and sister. His mother frequently came to the office to pick up his royalty check. When she died, I attended her funeral service, and at Marvin’s request, returned with him and a few others to her apartment. It was a three-story walk-up on the West Side. Marvin had pleaded with her to move to a new house he was ready to purchase, but she refused. We were joined by the Rabbi, who indicated he would lead the requisite communal prayers when we had 10 people to complete the minyan. Soon a few more people arrived. We were up to nine mourners, when the Rabbi said we couldn’t begin until we had ten. We grew impatient when just then the next person to walk in was a very good friend of Marvin’s… Liza Minelli! She completed the minyan and we began. Do you have a family? Yes, we have a son, Paul, an attorney who holds the position of executive VP and general counsel of a major entertainment company. Paul is married and has two children. We have a daughter, Carole, who is executive VP of Corporate Communications for a major media company. She lives in Park Slope and Connecticut with husband and child. Do you spend all of your time at NST? We were both avid travelers, having been to six continents and on countless cruises. We now enjoy a winter home at Dune Deck, a condominium in Palm Beach, Florida. But we think of NST as home. gobecame Nobody does it better. Legendary songwriter Marvin Hamlisch at the piano with Robinson (left) and friend Irwin Schuster (center)
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