Bandier Program: Manager and Artist Q&A with Danny Rakow ’18 and Peter McPoland

Please respect that the discussions in this lecture series are off-the-record, with a no social media policy.

This week provides a unique opportunity to catch some rising stars, mid-rise. Former Bandier alum Danny Rakow has already found laudable success as a songwriter, artist manager and recently, label executive thanks to a newly formed JV with the star-making Republic Records. Joining him in Syracuse this week is one of his management clients, Peter McPoland, fresh off selling out his first-ever tour—in under an hour! McPoland has received critical acclaim for his songwriting, now generating millions of monthly streams and a loyal, active and rapidly-growing social following. Rakow and McPoland represent an opportunity to study, up close, the true essence of the music business: how to hustle, how to make it, and how to break new artists and songs.

Danny Rakow ’18, artist manager

Bandier graduate Danny Rakow ’18 started his career managing Jeremy Zucker while he was a sophomore at Syracuse University. While still in school, he helped build Zucker’s fanbase, eventually helping him get a record deal from Republic Records. Rakow also co-wrote over 25 songs with Zucker, including “comethru” (Certified Platinum), “all the kids are depressed” (Certified Gold), “better off” and “always, i’ll care.” Shortly after graduating in 2018, Rakow started managing brakence, while also working as an A&R at Elektra Music Group. After spending a year and a half working directly under Gregg Nadel, Rakow decided to pursue artist management full time. He recently launched his management company titled “2for2 Projects” with his two clients brakence and Peter McPoland. He also has a new JV with Republic Records called “2for2,” where he is looking to sign his first artist.

Peter McPoland, artist

At just 21, Peter McPoland creates the kind of finespun folk-pop that feels both beautifully lived-in and undeniably original. At the age of 14, McPoland picked up a guitar and taught himself how to play, finding lessons to be too regimented. Within a year, he started writing his own songs, mining inspiration from folk artists like John Prine and Gregory Alan Isakov. After graduating from high school, McPoland pursued acting and music instead of going to college. He moved to NYC, got signed by Paradigm’s acting agency, and played a role in “Footloose” at the Kennedy Center. Fast forward to 2021, McPoland’s breakout self-produced single “Romeo & Juliet” has amassed over 20 million streams. The Texas-bred artist is using TikTok to convert a real, engaged fanbase. In the last year he’s gone from 250,000 streams to over 40 million streams across platforms. McPoland just completed his first U.S. tour, which sold out in just under an hour. With over 700,000 followers across his socials so far, McPoland is destined for a successful debut project with Columbia Records.