R.I.P. Jon Zazula
. At one point, the label even attempted to launch a classical imprint, though that didn’t ultimately pan out . That kind of drastic shift may seem radical, but it’s just the sort of outside-the-box thinking Jon is remembered for by those who knew him.
“If Jonny had 10 ideas, maybe seven of them were just crazy, but then the three were really good,” says Benante. While Jon brought the fire and the business savvy, the Zazulas’ relationship was a deeply complementary one, with Marsha holding down some of the more artistic aspects of running the label while reining in some of her husband’s wilder ideas. “That was the cool thing about their relationship,” says Ellsworth, “was that it doesn’t work without both of them.”
Because of their deeply intertwined history in business and in life, it’s difficult to consider the Zazulas in isolation – and it was likely the same for Jon following the death of his wife just 12 months ago.
In 1995, the Zazulas spun off a full-service sister company, MRI, which helped pioneer a business model that gave artists more control over how they were managed and how their music was distributed. In 2001, the Zazulas departed Megaforce, selling their stake to the label’s former radio director,Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula“Once I started working with music, I knew all the answers,” Jon toldwhile promoting the book.