From Managing the Store to becoming an International Brand

DANTE KENNEDY - CEO v4texx Music Group LLC

Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. In retail, music affects the emotional state of its consumers. Music can move customers to spend money and increase or decrease their time shopping at your business. It all depends on you choosing the right music to fit your customers needs. Dante Kennedy has worked in both the retail and music sectors but now establishing his Music and Entertainment company full time as a Global Brand for the World’s most creative needs, its second nature for him to understand both sides of this story.

The Retail People Magazine had an opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Dante Kennedy, CEO of V4texx Music Group LLC. Dante says that music can be an inspiration to people who need to be inspired, and that the description in colors, helps him to create a musical story. Share brief info about yourself.

I am an Artist, Musician, Creative and Music Director, Composer, Writer and Liaison. I also used to manage multi-million dollar flagship retail stores for 10 years. Is music your passion? Who was your major influence to be in this craft?

I come from a family of musicians. My family has made its mark in touring, being nominated and also won Grammys, Stellar Awards and more. Music has been my passion since I was a child. I was greatly influenced by my father and mother who are both performing artists from singing, writing and core musicianship. You’ve been on tour, performed on stage, what do you consider the most memorable achievement you are most proud of?

Back in 2011, I was at the Ellen Degeneres Show as a Drum Tech and Stage Manager for Travie McCoy. I remember being there with our team and Ellen’s team early that morning. I walked around the studio and began to affirm that the next time I come back to Ellen I would be on drums performing. True enough, 3 years later I was on that stage performing in front of millions on TV. Another memorable achievement is when I was hired by Quincy Jones Productions in 2018 to work in Dubai for the Palazzo Versace Hotel residency program. This is definitely an amazing highlight in my career. Music is a part of every known society and is common to all human cultures across the globe. When it comes to retail and shopping centres, how important does music play a role in these sectors?

Music plays a big role in creating and enhancing the retail experience. Running stores for over a decade, I’ve seen the importance of music and its direct affect to the marketing and promotional strategies for the area’s demographic. Music is such a strong force when shopping. Listening to the right ambience of sound can determine the mood, excitement, sales, events, grand opening, closing ceremony, UPT’s (unit per transaction sale), gross margin and so forth. The atmosphere of music we create in stores has a direct impact on the customers’ experience which leads them to feel positive, confident and happy in their purchases.