Veljko Despot

Veljko Despot (born 4 March 1948) is a Croatian music journalist and record business entrepreneur.

He has been involved in all aspects of the music industry as manager-director, record label owner, reporter, chief editor, radio and TV program director.

Despot was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and since 1950 has lived in Zagreb, Croatia, where his father was a respected businessman.

Despot's career began at the age of 18 in local press ("Plavi vjesnik") reporting from London on swinging sixties and trilling pop and rock scene.

In the late sixties, Despot's articles appeared in several Croatian publications, including Arena, Studio, and Vjesnik, interviewing artists such as Pink Floyd, The Hollies, Bee Gees, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Marc Bolan, and The Who.

In 1968 he produced their soundtrack for the film "Sončni krik" ("Sunny Cry") by director Boštjan Hladnik.

Despot helped bring to Yugoslavia many important artists, like Deep Purple in 1975, The Rolling Stones (1976), Paul McCartney & Wings (1976), Queen (1979), Elton John (1984), Dire Straits (1985), Laurie Anderson (1990), Eros Ramazzotti (1990, 1994), Pet Shop Boys (1991), David Bowie (1990, 1996, 1997) and many more.

The label signed domestic artists as well, such as Croatian singer-songwriter Arsen Dedić, and the Soul Fingers from Zagreb.

He added Croatian artists such as Tony Cetinski, Goran Karan, Matija Dedić, and Tamara Obrovac.

In 2013, Despot won the Lifetime Achievement Award Porin for outstanding accomplishments in the recording industry in Croatia.