Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle Podcast

From Mafia Threats to Live Nation’s Courtroom | Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle Ep. 602


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What happens when a teenage house party promoter takes on one of the biggest forces in live music?

In this episode of Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle, Bobby sits down with Tommy Dorfman, a veteran club promoter and founder of Juice Entertainment. Tommy shares how he built a powerhouse promotion empire from scratch, packed out venues across New Jersey and New York, pioneered the East Coast house music scene, and went head-to-head with Live Nation. His story dives deep into the grind of promotion, the mafia encounters, and a David-versus-Goliath lawsuit that could reshape the live music industry. If you've ever wondered how the live music machine really works, this one is unmissable.

Key Takeaways:
• How Tommy started promoting events at age 15 to pay his own rent
• Why house parties were the gateway to building a nightlife empire
• The moment Tommy packed 1,500 people into a club on a Wednesday night
• Inside the gritty hustle of street-level promotion before social media
• How Tommy ran Myspace’s live events division on the East Coast
• A firsthand account of mafia threats and how he stood his ground
• How Live Nation allegedly forced him out of a major festival deal
• The 15-year legal fight against Live Nation and what’s at stake
• Why ticket prices are skyrocketing—and who’s really to blame
• What Tommy hopes to change for fans, artists, and independent promoters

Best Moments:
00:00:07. “I started off throwing parties because of a necessity. We lived in houses of my own. At 15 or 16 years old.”
00:01:02. “People were like, yeah, this is awesome, man. You just get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to chill with celebrities and drink champagne. Nah. You work your ass off for it.”
00:02:52. “I do my first successful solo party in New Jersey, like in 1997. Packed it out with over 1,500 people. On a Wednesday night.”
00:03:35. “Then I started on a Thursday party packing that was one of the most successful parties in New Jersey history.”
00:04:14. “We started promoting

Explore The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for modern mixing: https://a.co/d/eEEpPrL

This edition adds chapters on intelligent processor plugins, saturation and distortion, and mixing in small studios. Learn to use reference tracks, mix in Dolby Atmos and Sony 360RA, and master modern techniques like MS processing, frequency-based panning, and sidechain compression, all to make your mixes sound pro. 

Thank you for tuning in to Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, the podcast that takes you deep inside the music industry. Each week, Bobby shares insights, news, analysis, and conversations with the movers and shakers shaping today’s music world.

📌 Explore Bobby’s best-selling books:
https://bobbyowsinski.com/best-selling-books/

📘 The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook (6th Edition), the go-to guide for nailing that polished, pro mix sound:
https://a.co/d/eEEpPrL

🎧 Free “Magic Frequencies” mini-course, learn the EQ secrets behind pro mixes: https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/magic-freqs-registration

🎙️Nail that pro vocal sound: clear, upfront, and mix-ready.
Learn how in Bobby’s Vocal Mixing Mini-Course: https://tinyurl.com/bdhud2bv

🎧 Discover more mixing and production courses:
https://www.bobbyowsinskicourses.com/

📲 Follow Bobby for more tips, insights, and updates:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyOwsinskiBiz/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyo/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyowsinski/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bobbyowsinski.bsky.social

🎙️ New episodes release every Tuesday at 9AM Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.

Music. Business. Creativity. Straight from the Inner Circle.

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Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle PodcastBy Bobby Owsinski

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