SCOTT KOENIG, manager of many metal bands including FEAR FACTORY, BIOHAZARD, DEVIL YOU KNOW, DIVINE HERESY, SPINESHANK, THE AGONIST, PRONG ECT. died of COVID19.
SCOTT KOENIG,originally from Staten Island, New York City, New York was a founder of DEF JAM RECORDS and introduced SLAYER to producer and DEF JAM founded RICK RUBIN.
SCOTT KOENIG owned and ran KING ARTIST MANAGEMENT..
FROM JASON BITTNER (DRUMMER FOR OVERKILL and SHADOWS FALL): :
Wow - I’ve been limiting my FB posts to only good things and I’ve been sporadic to say the least- mostly because when I come on here I see some bad news -
Today is no different………RIP Scott Koenig you will be highly missed by the Metal Community!!
FROM DINO CAZARES (FEAR FACTORY):
R.I.P. Scott Koenig he’s my brother, my best friend and my manager since late 1995. Without him I wouldn’t of had a musical career, thanx for the influences, inspiration and sharing your knowledge with me. I love you and I’ll truly miss u.
FROM JAMEY JASTA (HATEBREED):
“My condolences to all who loved Scott Koenig. He changed the game w/ all his bands & was always kind & generous w/ his time when we were just coming up. Rest In Peace.”
FROM MONTE CONNER (NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS EXEC, FORMER ROADRUNNER RECORDS EXEC):
I first met Scott Koenig back in 1982, when he manned the cash register at Vinyl Mania Records on Carmine Street in Greenwich Village. I only knew him as “Scott,” no last name, and our conversations were very brief as I was a bit intimidated by him. I was a clueless 18 year-old college student from Staten Island and he was this seemingly older guy, who was way more worldly than me, who technically worked in the “music industry.” He sold me countless records there and also at his next gig at It’s Only Rock 'N’ Roll on W. 8th St. off MacDougal (starting there in 1983 as far as I recall). Little did I know what a huge role he would one day play in my life.
I officially met Scott and learned his last name around 1990-1991 when he worked at the Rush Artist Management division of Def Jam, and pushed his boss Lyor Cohen to let him approach me about signing Biohazard to Roadrunner for a one-off album that became “Urban Discipline.” The band were already signed to Warner Bros. at the time, and the Roadrunner album was designed to set up their big major label debut. The plan worked like a charm, for both parties, and Scott was the person who made it all happen.
Once I knew Scott I learned he was also from Staten Island (not far from where I grew up) and was the same age as me. He told me Vinyl Mania was a dance store when he started there, but he convinced the owner to move up some of the metal vinyl that was languishing in the basement. Once it blew out the door, Scott gained the owner's trust and became the metal buyer. The store was transformed.
When Scott took over management for Fear Factory in 1995, he was in my life on a daily basis, to this very day. He was the sweetest, nicest guy you could ever meet. Just a good person through and through. Not a bad bone in his body, no agenda, and a totally straight shooter. I never had a single bad moment with him. He worked tirelessly for his bands and especially for Dino and Fear Factory. I can not imagine working with Fear Factory and him not being there.
As some others have written, Scott was right there at countless important moments in metal history, way too numerous to detail here, but here are two examples: He was one who turned Rick Rubin at Def Jam onto Slayer. Does it get any bigger than that? Scott and Rick were students together at NYU (I seem to recall they might have actually lived in the same dorm for a bit). Scott also turned Rick onto Trouble. He told the story in a comment he made on a recent Trouble story I posted, writing:
“Rick was a huge Black Sabbath fan and I said ‘You should check out this band from Chicago that is like a ‘Christian Sabbath.' Of course that was intriguing to him, so I played the first 2 albums for him and he really dug ‘em, then I gave him my cassette of 'Live Bootleg' which pretty much sealed the deal for him. I had never spoken to the band before. I think I had found out who their attorney was, the guy who represented most Metal Blade bands at the time, Bill Berrol."
And one more: Scott turned Rick onto Exodus and he tried to sign them but the deal fell apart at the last minute. That’s right, no one knows Exodus almost signed to Def Jam and that Scott played a key role in that and so many other big moments in the careers of some of our favorite bands. Scott was not the type to brag or ever make his vast accomplishments known. He was a true unsung hero.
Just 2 weeks back I emailed him a picture of Vinyl Mania that I found recently and he got a big kick out of it. This is where Scott came into my life and so it felt right to share that here.
I don't usually write tributes like this for anyone because I am afraid of not doing them justice. But when it comes to Scott, it just feels so easy to talk about him, just like it was working with him.
We will all miss this amazing person who made such a huge mark on our lives, and in the metal world. Rest in peace.
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-
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