Jimmy Cliff is among this years performers at Sunset Sessions

Next month the annual private industry event, Sunset Sessions, will celebrate its 15th year running of putting new and established acts in front of radio programmers and music supervisors for films, TV shows, videos and commercials. Past artists to perform at the event include The Black Keys, AWOLNATION and GIVERS among many others. This year the showcases will feature Jimmy Cliff, Wayne Coyne, Lucinda Williams and others as well as alumni Jason Mraz – who along with his label Atlantic Records, attributes much of the artist’s past momentum to his performances at the event. A number of industry heavyweights will speak on event panels as well, including Danny Goldberg, Kevin Lyman, Alex Patsavas and Bill Armstrong. For more info on the history of Sunset Sessions and its founder Michelle Clark, read the recent profile on UTSanDiego.com.

Among 4AD's preeminent releases

There’s no arguing that more than a few eyebrows were raised in the indie community recently, over the release of the debut EP from Inc. (formerly Teen, Inc.) on the storied 4AD label. Since 4AD is usually seen as a bastion of good taste, and the home of a remarkable and significant back catalog, the signing of the L.A. ‘crew’, who have played a minute number of shows in their hometown, and have not garnered any great number of glowing reviews, was seen as quite a surprise. Furthermore, when a band seems manufactured for the blogosphere, and even Pitchfork decides the band is not up to snuff describing them as “a total fucking disaster” , a “huh? what were they thinking?” response isn’t unexpected. Which begs the question of “legacy”. A band like Inc. definitely pales in comparison to prior generations artists of on 4AD – from the Pixies and Lush, to Dead Can Dance or the Cocteau Twins - and even more recent signings such as Deerhunter, The National and (love them or hate them) tUnE-yArDs.

But then no label can be seen as having a totally flawless roster, and every company has more than one clanger they have signed. Sub Pop may be lauded for Nirvana, Sebadoh, Sunny Day Real Estate or the Scud Mountain Boys, but the 90’s also saw them ink Teen Angels, Chixdiggit and The Yo Yo’s - acts that haven’t weathered the test of time all that well (and maybe were not universally embraced at the time either). Even recently the Seattle indie might want people to forget Tiny Vipers and Ruby Suns in lieu of Blitzen Trapper and The Head and the Heart. Or with Matador you may make the argument for Pavement and Sonic Youth over Bunnybrains and Esben and the Witch. While the majors have a history of actions like this – possibly tainting their legacy with a new generation of artists, especially when they are absorbed into larger music conglomerates – for example Atlantic, where Otis Redding & Led Zeppelin can be seen as far superior to Kitten, or 3Oh!3. Even somewhere like Elektra released some better-left-forgotten records before their golden years signing Love, MC5, Tim Buckley, The Stooges and Television, while Liberty (which later owned the Blue Note catalog) made their money with the hit Chipmunks records, and most recently the decision to hand the legendary Verve label over to David Foster – better known for producing schmaltzy elevator pop – has jazz afficiandos shaking their heads in dismay. So, when it comes to the music business, “legacy” can be a slippery slope. But to a large degree consensus seems to be that the independents exercise a deeper level of taste, and stay truer to their roots as a bastion of taste. So for the moment, while 4AD may have taken a baffling step with Inc., maybe the sands of time will show that the band, and their faux Prince-isms, were just a momentary lapse of reason, an embarrassing sidestep, swept under the rug as the indie regains its well-deserved reputation for their A grade roster.

- Cool Hand Luke

Industry & fans come out in droves to catch one of WU LYF's first U.S. shows @ The Echo

It must be the heat… As summer rolls on it seems that temperatures are rising among a number of notable indie and major label acts, causing them to part ways with their management. One’s loss is another’s potential gain, as many of the newly available artists begin the courting process with prospective new managers. While the scuttlebutt varies, it’s no secret that as the music business continues to wrestle with a new and constantly changing landscape, it’s managers who often times, fairly or unfairly, take the hit over frustrations…The Warner Music – EMI merger storyline continues with the latter’s current auction process underway, and recent reports have the Bunny cutting headcount in anticipation of a possible uniting of the two companies. Though it appears the label is also busy beefing up its A&R department and looking to cherry-pick other senior executives. The term headhunter is not being taken lightly under new Russian owner Len Blavatnik. Some of the names that have been surfacing from the proverbial rumor mill have stirred up quite the reaction among their peers… Meanwhile more recruiting action continues at Sony Music and Universal Music labels, as the newly installed leaders at both groups continue to tap respective past confidants. Is a longtime label-head consigliere advising each side on their new executive placements? Many expect the shuffling going on at both groups to only increase come January, when the no-poaching clause between the two comes to an end, though word on the street is that back room dealings have already started… Expect an official announcement soon of the new Dr. Luke label deal that we recently tipped… Elsewhere, it was a regular A&R brouhaha at The Echo on L.A.’s east-side Tuesday night, as England’s mysterious WU LYF (pronounced “Woo Life”) played to a packed room. The quartet, who has already been the subject of heavy pursuit by labels across the pond as a result of their furtive persona and bizarre imagery, was well received by the mostly male-dominated crowd. At least one observer noted the singer was harder to understand than a drunken Scot… In more new artist updates, SoCal locals Milo Greene have signed with Atlantic Records-aligned Chop Shop Records. The relatively new group quickly garnered attention from both fans and tastemakers alike, including KCRW, who just featured the band on its third installment of this years Also I Like to Rock series, along with Grouplove, who are also under the Atlantic label domain… And Mom + Pop Records have added to their already burgeoning roster, by signing Hard 8-managed SLEEPER/AGENT and SXSW buzz-act alum Neon Indian – both artists have new albums set to be released in September… BLIND ITEM: Which high-level label executive is in hot water with the label’s head honcho for apparently taking too much credit for the company’s current artist success in a recent LA Times piece? Did said label exec’s shameless self-promotion write his own pink slip? Hmmm…

BigChampagne's New Ultimate Chart Tracks Popularity Across Many Platforms

The New Music Seminar (NYC) wrapped up yesterday after featuring a number of speakers and presenters including Tom Silverman (NMS Co-Founder), Eric Garland (BigChampagne), Corrie Christopher (Agent, VP APA), Ariel Hyatt (Ariel Publicity & Cyper PR) and Peter Kafka (All Things Digital) among many others. There was a wide range of topics discussed, all focused on the future of the business, including media, touring and breaking through. BigChampange’s new Ultimate Chart, which measures artist and song popularity using a number of metrics including the three F’s (fan/friends/followers), also created a lot of discussion following its unveiling by Eric Garland during the conference’s State of the Internet Address… Google has hired veteran music attorney Elizabeth Moody, formerly of Davis Shapiro Lewit & Hayes, presumably to help them through the label terrain as they move closer to launching their much-discussed new music service likely to be known as Google Music… July 31st will see a first-of-its-kind star studded event in India for the release of the audio to the new film Endhiran, composed by Oscar winner AR Rahman who became a household name in the West after winning Best Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire. South African label Think Music has acquired the rights to Endhiran’s audio, beating out a number of larger labels who were rumored to be vying for the rights… Elsewhere, Atlantic Records has signed Christina Perri, the overnight sensation who performed her song “Jar of Hearts” on So You Think You Can Dance recently.  Perri is also the younger sister of former Shinedown lead guitarist Nick Perri… Linkin Park has teamed up with MySpace Music, Indaba Music and TopSpin Media for a new online fan collaboration contest… And Forbes discusses music in the cloud with Thumbplay Music chief exec Evan Schwartz…

Heavy Young Heathens @ El Cid Tuesday Night

The theme for this week was firsts… Monday night at Silverlake Lounge saw a smattering of industry and early-adopters out for the Pittsburgh band 1, 2, 3 who will see their second single released this month via Chess Club in the UK. The band’s debut single came out on Ooh La La Records earlier this year. Monday was the group’s first show ever. Warner Bros.’s Matt Marshall and Lindsey Cook, who has recently taken up West Coast A&R reins for RCA Records, were on-hand for the indie-inaugural. Across town KCRW’s School Night had another full house for Angela McCluskey – among fans in attendance was Joaquin Phoenix, thankfully he didn’t rap… Tapas and rock were on the menu for Tuesday night at El Cid, where we caught an early performance from locals Heavy Young Heathens, check out recent love for the band on MTV’s Buzzworthy Blog. And speaking of buzz, a lot of folks were out to catch new band Group Love who took the tiny flamenco-stage after HYH that night for their first show ever. Mingling on the East Side restaurant’s patio that night was CAA uber-agent Jenna Adler (who just picked up Surfer Blood), Interscope A&R hitter Louie Bandak and Atlantic Record’s Mollie Moore. We also caught up with Flogging Molly manager and merch-master Gary Schwindt who promised to teach us everything he knows about hoodies and tees… Ian Rogers was not out at the Viper Room on Wednesday night for Get Busy Committee’s first official L.A. show, but plenty of others were there to catch GBC’s unique high-energy performance. The Topspin Media founder was however on-site for the previous day’s parking-lot party on the West Side, which featured a performance from GBC and a visit from the Kogi BBQ truck… Yum.

Band of Skulls set to rock Coachella this Saturday

It’s that time of the year again, when music fans and industry folks alike make the trek to Indio California to sit by the pool, and sip… err, we mean, visit the Empire Polo Fields for three days of the Coachella Festival. And despite the recession and the absence of single-day tickets, we hear the mega-festival has already sold out. As always, it looks to be a great weekend with a solid lineup, but going beyond the big acts like Muse, Gorillaz, Thom Yorke and Faith No More, there is a healthy line-up of more underground but equally exciting artists to check out… Friday highlights include Brooklyn’s Sleigh Bells, who are odds-on for a “most likely to…” status in 2010, and Deer Tick who count NBC’s news anchor and indie tastemaker Brian Williams‘ as a fan… Looking to Saturday, Sub Pop’s Beach House have converted a lot of fans this year with their new album Teen Dream, while Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit should be the perfect summery pop-soundtrack for basking in the afternoon sunshine. From the West Coast, the Pitchfork-approved Girls and the odd-named-but-great-sounding Portugal the Man, who recently signed to Atlantic Records, are both worth a look, while the must-see for the day could be the UK’s Band of Skulls. Expect LCD Soundsystem to wow crowds in the desert, after wowing crowds with surprise shows in NYC last week, and keep an eye on The xx, who are fast-becoming the subject of obsession by music fans on both coast. Finally before escaping the desert, a must-see on Sunday’s dance card list includes: Australia’s The Middle East, who are rolling off a huge SXSW buzz, Sigur Ros singer/guitarist Jonsi, and Local Natives, who are one of the hardest working bands in L.A… Get Coachella set-times here.

If a trip to the desert is not in your future, don’t forget April 17th is the annual Record Store Day. A visit to support your local music emporium should always be a weekly event, but this Saturday is twice as exciting with a cool selection of limited edition items available. Just like a sample-sale event, record geeks will be out in full-force when the doors open, elbowing and jockeying their way to nab a copy of the limited Sonic Youth LPs, the Bon Iver 7″ and that Pavement compilation… Happy shopping!

- Cool Hand Luke

The Lonely Forest finds a home

For those grinding it out to the bitter middle of the month, we have a few signing and artist stocking stuffers for you… CMJ buzz act Freelance Whales have signed to the Q Prime-backed Mom & Pop Records, though it appears there’s another East Coast indie label who will be involved as well. Exact details on the label collaboration are still unclear… Seattle’s The Lonely Forest will be recording with Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla in the new year and it appears the band is signing with Walla’s Atlantic Records-imprint label as well.  Indie 2-piece Awesome New Republic are feeling the heat from both labels and publishers, but does one label already have the edge? We hear the Miami-based duo has been making the reverse snowbird flight north to showcase repeatedly.  ANR recently released their full-length album Hearts via Honor Roll Music, a newcomer to keep an eye on. You may remember them from the New York Times article on the burgeoning Miami indie scene who said the production house/studio/label “…is like the Brill Building meets Sub Pop.”
In the Mix: Minus the Bear, Randy Sabiston, Joe Purdy