Meiko to release new album on Concord in 2012

While the fourth quarter frequently seems to be a bit slow on the A&R front, it does seem like 2011 has seen an inordinate number of new signings be announced in the waning days of the year, both in the indie and major label worlds. After losing her label home when MySpace Records was shuttered by Fox Corp., much loved singer-songwriter Meiko has reportedly ended up on Concord, with her new album (originally recorded under the guidance of MSR/Interscope) due in the new year…  Speaking of Interscope, they seem to be on a signing spree of late. Insiders are scratching their heads at much of the activity, especially due to the fact the major has been steadily stripping back their marketing staff number-wise over the past year, in particular in the rock arena, and the A&R department has been radically pared back. Las Vegas alt-rock crew Imagine Dragons, after being on the radar of label scouts for an extended period, ended up part of the Interscope family, via the KidinaKorner imprint (run by hip hop/R&B producer Alex da Kid). In a deal that seemingly came out of nowhere, NYC trio The Kin inked with the Universal label in early November. Meanwhile Swedish DJ/producer Avicii signed a singles deal, in conjunction with Lady Gaga manager Troy Carter’s Atom Empire electronic label. And of course the controversial and divisive Lizzy Grant – aka Lana Del Rey - was signed by Interscope months before the news officially leaked, as the major tried to employ a strategy that the chanteuse was a hipster newcomer from the independent label world. And if all that is not enough, the label obviously also had a couple of recent much-publicized monster-artist new additions to the roster in Van Halen and Madonna, the latter of which is rumored to have signed for three albums and $30 million!! Another deal being filed under “What the hell?” is the report that former Barenaked Ladies member Kevin Hearn recently signed with LA indie Dangerbird Records…  And while info emerged that the hotly tipped Alabama Shakes became part of the ATO Records stable of artists, further digging has revealed that the deal for the foursome may just be a one-off, prompting a continuing frenzy of interest from labels to sign the band for further albums, with a large number of scouts out for their NYC shows this past week…  Meanwhile on the publishing front, indie favorites Pains of Being Pure at Heart just inked with Warner-Chappell…  Finally, reports emerged over the weekend that legendary UK act The Stone Roses, who announced details earlier in October that they were reforming for a series of shows in 2012, are working on new material – and recording deals are in place! The band have supposedly signed with Columbia Records for North America, and (the least surprising news of the week) Universal Music for the UK.

L.A. Reid to take reins at Epic

With much of the industry attention recently on the new ownership of Warner Music Group and the upcoming auction of EMI by Citigroup, the other two major label groups are back in focus in coming weeks with what will be a series of changes coming to fruition under the new leadership at Universal Music Group and Sony Music. The move for L.A. Reid to Sony that was highly rumored after his departure from Island Def Jam, is becoming all but official with multiple reports that he will run a restructured Epic label group that will now include Jive. The move will also see Reid once again working under Doug Morris, who comes in as new Sony boss on July 1st. Observers are wondering who else will take up new roles under Morris, including who will oversee RCA, after former label boss Barry Weiss took Reid’s place atop the IDJ and Motown/Republic labels earlier this year. Did someone say musical chairs? Expect more new executive announcements at both Sony and UMG over the coming weeks including returning A&R veterans, along with additional new labels being launched under each umbrella… Already signed to the new Epic Records is YouTube “sensation” Karmin, who have racked up millions of views for their cover song videos… Elsewhere, another girl-guy duo garnering industry attention is San Diego act Little Hurricane, whose live shows and recent support from 91X have both labels and managers in pursuit… Others names on lips and in the mix include Childish Gambino, Band of Skulls, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Electric Guest and Capitol Cities… Meanwhile, Ben Lee and Butch Walker join the Dangerbird Records roster and Barsuk Records has signed New York City’s Yellow Ostrich.

WMG reviews latest bids; Citi prepares EMI

As the second round of bidding closed on the Warner Music Group auction (the company is said to be reviewing offers this week), a new player emerged in Oaktree Capital Management and publishing company Primary Wave, who reportedly put in a combined bid for WMG’s publishing unit Warner Chappell Music. A total of 10 buyers are believed to have submitted offers that are being reviewed…. The latest development in Citigroup’s looming sale of EMI, comes from reports yesterday that the bank will be seeking to unload the entire music group as a single unit, rather than sell off the recorded music and publishing divisions as was widely believed. Group CEO Roger Faxon has long maintained that the two divisions would remain together, and last week also saw the announcement that record and publishing synchronization and licensing staffs would be combined. Some sources have cited a complex fusion of assets within the two divisions as a reason for Citi to sell the divisions together, while others contend that the reports are diversionary, and that it is still likely that the two will be split in the end, even if they are acquired as a whole… Amazon launched its cloud drive features just over two weeks ago, and according to comments from the company, so far it’s been a big success – though no numbers have been disclosed.  The labels, who were apparently left in the dark about the launch, have yet to take any legal action or even publicly decry the brazen move… And has Google taken a cue from Amazon? Reports of Google acquiring Pushlife this week, a mobile content streaming service, were followed by rumors that the company may forgo the elements of its service that would require licenses from the labels, in favor of a pure locker system like Amazon… Elsewhere, Sirius XM has settled with Merlin members and other indie labels to the tune of $3.6 million in what concludes a class action against the satellite radio company that dates back to 2006. Many major labels and publishers previously settled with Sirius XM back in 2007-2008… And Dangerbird Records has reduced its staff of thirteen by five, according to a report from Pop & Hiss. Label head Jeff Castelaz said of the cuts, “While this was a difficult decision, it is necessary for Dangerbird to effectively service our artist roster to the best of our abilities,” adding “Our core staff remains intact, while we will transition some key employees to act as consultants to the company, where they will continue to represent the artist-driven, independent ethos of Dangerbird.” Just over two months ago former major label executive Piero Giramonti was named president of the Silver Lake based operation. Some of the label’s recent signings have included Liam Gallagher’s new project Beady Eye, The Limousines and The Fling…

Los Angeles-based creative design and marketing company The Uprising Creative has announced Blacktops and Truck Stops, a cross-country tour that has the firm – whose client roster includes Activision, Beck, Beastie Boys, Coachella, Dangerbird Records, Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, LCD Soundsystem, Ryan Adams and many more – hitting the road with an RV outfitted as a mobile design studio for two weeks in October… Their mission is to get inspired by Americana and share their passion for art and design with everyone they meet along the way; from music events, art galleries, designers and clients, to gas stations, RV parks and roadside coffee shops. In addition to meeting with other designers along the way and visiting many of America’s majestic and eccentric places, The Uprising will also be making stops at art schools, at-risk youth centers and local charities. They will be covering ground in the South and Southwest, making stops in Austin, Birmingham, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Phoenix, Reno, Sacramento, San Francisco, Tucson  and many other small towns and cities along the way… One of the first major stops on the trip will be in Austin for the Austin City Limits Music Festival and the official aftershow with Sonic Youth at La Zona Rosa on October 9th, presented by Nixon Watches. The whole trip takes place from October 5th – 19th, and will also be filmed for a documentary in the works for 2011.  You can get more info HERE.

Lost in the warm fuzzy glow over the Arcade Fire topping the charts last week, one rather important item was neglected, which is that amidst all of their efforts to create the landmark 2010 Merge is having, the label owners Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance also found time to record a new album. Yes ladies and gentlemen, reason to rejoice, as there is a new Superchunk album on the way! It’s entitled Majesty Shredding and is due for release on September 14 – on Merge Records of course! A number one record and a new Superchunk album – now that really IS a banner year.

Speaking of landmark years, the same can be said for Best Coast who surprised more than a few people with their #36 debut (with one industry rag leaving them out of their charts altogether!) for the album Crazy for You. But kudos to the Mexican Summer label for a superb job of artist development, and it just goes to show that in amongst all the clutter of the ‘long tail’ music biz in 2010, the same formula of great songs, a good build up and a masterful job of marketing can achieve results! Alas, not so fortunate were WAVVES, whose latest album King of the Beach only trickled to a #168 chart position first week, despite some great reviews and a ubiquitous presence amongst the blogs.

Also benefitting from a nice job of development and marketing is Los Angeles act, Fitz and the Tantrums, who are riding a great word-of-mouth wave leading to the August 24 release of their album Pickin’ Up the Pieces on Dangerbird Records. After a glowing review in the LA Times, a “you had to be there” jam-packed performance at the Hammer Museum, an exclusive streaming preview of the album on KCRW, and an instore performance at Amoeba Records in LA scheduled for release day, the buzz is becoming rather deafening. Which makes it hard to believe it was barely a year ago that the retro-soul combo was playing to a small scattering of early adopters at the 3 of Clubs…

- Cool Hand Luke

Dangerbird Records Signs Milwaukee's Maritime

Last week Dangerbird Records announced another new signing, adding Milwaukee’s Maritime (featuring ex-members of The Promise Ring) to their growing roster. This follows the L.A. label’s recent inking of locals Fitz and the Tantrums in late April, and a slew of other high profile acts (Minus the Bear, Delphic, Hot Hot Heat) earlier this year.  Sub Pop has also been on a signing spree of late, inking deals with Jaill, Coco Rosie, Papercuts and others so far in 2010. Looking at the Seattle label’s upcoming line-up of releases, it numbers at least two or three (often high profile) album releases per month; June alone has forthcoming records from Blitzen Trapper, Foals and Wolf Parade. This begs the question for some, if an independent label has an overflowing release slate, can they still guarantee the attention to detail that is expected?

Traditionally one of the main upsides to signing with an independent label is that they are able to dedicate the time and manpower to individual projects, concentrating on marketing an artist in the long term; a strategy opposite of the storied one and done scenario that is all too familiar on major labels.  So is there such a thing as too many artists for an indie label?

Over at the Beggars Group – which is now comprised of 4AD, XL, Matador, True Panther, Rough Trade and more – the volume of releases is even more pronounced, releasing at times five albums per month. Their forthcoming schedule shows new records from The National, New Pornographers, Holy Fuck, Ariel Pink, Ratatat, Karen Elson and more… Is it despite, or because of this non-stop stream of releases that business at the Beggars Group is solid? According to Beggars head Martin Mills in a piece this week in The Register, the indie label group invests in 20 new acts a year, sees digital revenues around 50% of total and they’re moving albums, not just tracks. It seems their recipe includes serving many niches, not just a few or one, as past indie labels have… For now many are surely watching to see if recent independent records like Minus the Bear’s Omni and the Titus Andronicus Civil War opus The Monitor will meet their hefty sales potential. Only time will tell…

- Cool Hand Luke

Fitz & the Tantrums join Dangerbird Records Roster

Following up on last week’s A&R report, congrats to Fitz and the Tantrums who have inked a deal with L.A.-based Dangerbird Records. The band heads out on tour with Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings in May and has an eastside residency at Spaceland in June… Sweethead, the new project from Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, will be playing Monday nights in May at Spaceland. Their new self-titled album comes out May 11th via The End Records… Expect to see plenty of label and publishing folks out tonight for Burn Down the Mission at Hotel Cafe. We hear the band has been busy fielding more calls to showcase for labels on both coasts… Stay tuned.

Sick of Sarah @ The Roxy, Friday 4/23

As quickly as it came, the annual rock n’ roll oasis in the desert known as Coachella is over. So while you tend to that lingering sunburn and exercise the last of those acid-demons, let’s play catch-up on some new signings and stories we’ve been following… Los Angeles indie-label Dangerbird Records, who has been on a recent signing-spree stocking their coffers with a wide spectrum of artists, has put paper to Fitz & the Tantrums and we hear negotiations are in motion. FATT opened for The Specials last week at Club Nokia and will be joining Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings on tour in May… We hear Epic Records is finalizing a deal with Denver’s Joel Jorgenson. The singer is managed by Michael Goldberg and Isaac Hayes for 108 Management (we’ve also confirmed that 108 does not stand for their combined IQs)… Momentum continues to build for Las Vegas-act Imagine Dragons, who played to a sold-out room last Wednesday for the BMI/KROQ-presented show at The Viper Room. Having only played a handful of L.A. dates, it was impressive to see industry take a literal back seat to a sweaty crowd of fans singing along to the band’s late-night set. With a growing regional fan base and an impressive live show, labels seem to be closing in – we hear an East Coast major is looking to shut it down early, while publishers and booking agents have joined the scrimmage too… Radio continues to build for L.A. locals Dead Country with adds at Santa Barbara’s KJEE and KROX in Austin, as well as spikes at Live 105, KNRK in Portland and Denver’s modern rock KTCL; spins are also continuing in their hometown on KROQ. Could there be outside forces at work here? The band just finished a tour with The Bronx and will be supporting Far on a series of upcoming dates. Their self-titled EP is out now… And if you slept on the radio action on South Carolina’s Villanova, it looks like the band is now off the market. We hear an East Coast major is finalizing paperwork to close the act who are getting serious spins on influential modern rock station WARQ… Look for Steve Greenberg’s S-Curve Records to release new albums from Seinking Ships and The Belles on June 8th. Eric Matthews, formerly on Sub Pop, collaborated with Ohio musician Christopher Seink to record the new full-length Museum Quality Capture, while Lawrence, KS combo The Belles will release their sophomore album Times Flies When You’re Losing Your Mind… It certainly does… Finally, catch Minneapolis’ Sick of Sarah tomorrow night in L.A. for the early show at The Roxy. The band, who has been compared to Sleater-Kinney and The Breeders, is building a big following in the mid-west and is one of two artists featured during the month of April in Journeys stores nation-wide…

IN THE MIX: Jay Lewis, Purevolume, Ben Roethlisberger

Dangerbird Records Signs Manchester's Delphic

The balmy Los Angeles weather had a whole stack of music fans and industry folk checking out bands on the rise, eating bacon-wrapped hot dogs and generally hanging out in historic Echo Park for the recent inaugural Waved Out Festival at the Echo/Echoplex. Kudos to the folks at Spaceland, who with help from Aquarium Drunkard put on the eastside event that was full of good vibes and from what we’re told is the first of what will be a series of similar affairs coming in 2010. Think of a mini-version of NY’s Siren Festival. The ‘one admission’ ticket across the two venues encouraged people to check out acts that they otherwise might have not investigated. This included local up-and-comers Gamblehouse and Atlanta’s The Coathangers, who came out with classic Pacific Northwest 90’s Riot grrrl rock swagger. The surprise of the day was San Francisco’s psychedelic Moon Duo – the two-piece is buzzing after some Pitchfork love for their recent SXSW shows. The all-day event was topped off with sets from Best Coast, the nom de plume of L.A. local Bethany Cosentino who has over 20k digital downloads and more than a couple premier indie labels in pursuit, followed by one of this year’s most-talked about acts at SXSW, Surfer Blood.  The latter played to a packed room, including a heavy contingent of top brass from Warner Bros. Records. Their release Astrocoast has sold over 20k on Kanine Records, and many are wondering if they will be the next act from the indie to be launched onto a major label following Chairlift’s promotion to Columbia Records…

More from the indie label front as Dangerbird Records continues their signing spree. After recently announcing the addition of both Minus the Bear and Hot Hot Heat to their expanding roster, this week they added more international flavor by signing Manchester’s Delphic. The combo’s new album Acolyte debuted in the UK top 10 earlier this year and will see a June release in the states.

- Cool Hand Luke