Greg Kot
A year after leaving the post of nationally renowned music critic at the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot is about to help launch an ambitious new multimedia startup announced as “a new way to experience music”.
Kot will serve as editorial director for The Coda Collection, which debuts on February 18 with a channel on Amazon Prime featuring rare shows, musical documentaries and film premieres. (Here’s the link.)
In his new role, Kot will oversee all editorial content on the channel’s desktop and mobile sites. He will recruit prominent music writers, critics and cultural commentators to provide “a deeper context about artists, music and performances”, according to Variety, which broke the news. It will include stories, video interviews, original podcasts and selected playlists.
“The Coda Collection will not only be a platform for great music videos, but also great music compositions,” said Kot on Wednesday. “I am thrilled to be part of an enterprise that makes this possible.”
The Coda Collection
The company’s directors include Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon, and Janie Hendrix, sister of Jimi Hendrix. The two founded the company with CEO Jim Spinello. Sony Music Entertainment is a capital partner.
Amazon Prime members will have access to 150 titles in The Coda Collection for $ 4.99 per month, with a seven-day free trial. The content will be updated regularly.
In February 2020, Kot was bought by the Tribune after 40 years. At the time, he was the most prominent personality to leave the newspaper under a voluntary purchase plan. Many more have followed since then.
Born in Syracuse, New York, and graduated from Marquette University, Kot worked for the Quad City Times in Davenport, Iowa, before joining Tribune as a copywriter in 1980. Ten years later, he was promoted to music critic.
He is the author or co-author of several books, including I’ll take you there: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers and the music that shaped the civil rights era; Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music and Wilco: Learning to die.
Kot continues to co-host “Sound Opinions”, the nationally syndicated rock ‘n’ roll talk show, with Jim DeRogatis.
Wednesday’s comment: Mike Leiderman: There is no one better at his job – or better person – than Jeff Nuich. I have known him since the day he came to SportsChannel and its derivatives, Fox SportsNet, Comcast SportsNet and NBC Sports Chicago. What’s happening there? The NBCSC must have some kind of death wish. In the meantime, there must be a line of companies for Jeff’s services, if he wants to go that route. It makes each place and everyone around it better.