Take Notice: Nations Afire + Tuesday Tidbits
Nation Afire @ Viper Room tomorrow night (10/28)
Nations Afire is a new band comprised of former members of Rise Against, Ignite and Death By Stereo. Forming in early in 2009, the band recorded their debut EP The Uprising in a mere two-weeks and then hightailed it to Europe, touring with bands such as NOFX and The Get Up Kids. They’ve been featured in Alternative Press as their Unsigned Band of the Month, and we hear one label has already put paper on the table while others are scrambling. Nations Afire hit the stage at midnight tomorrow night (10/28) at the Viper Room. For more info and list requests, hit up jimmulhearn@freezemanagement.com
http://www.myspace.com/nationsafire
In other updates and tidbits… San Diego’s Allstar have signed to Hollywood Records, indie-wunderkind Avi Buffalo lands at Sub Pop Records and Lucas Keller joins management powerhouse The Collective. Keller’s roster includes TV/TV who recently signed to Q-Prime-backed Mom & Pop Records.
Musical Chairs
Columbia Wins
As reports come in, well-respected A&R veteran Ashley Newton will be staying in the Sony Music family, transitioning from RCA to Columbia Records. We were alluding to Newton in our Aug. 20th post: “Which Head of A&R is making a jump to another label? Is the move to replace a soon-to-be exiting creative head? Inquiring minds want to know…” As Sony Music ruler Rob Stringer and Columbia Records head Steve Barnett were orchestrating Newton’s transition, Warner Bros. Records was indeed courting Newton in the last minute and insiders share that the bunny was offering a 7-figure annual salary to the seasoned exec. With a new A&R player in the Columbia fold, how does this affect Rick Rubin’s role at the company? Meanwhile, what’s going on at the Amanda Ghost-helmed Epic Records?…
In The Mix: Steve Moir, Freelance Whales, Pete Giberga and Kevin Day…
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Wednesday’s Whipping Post…
Picture Me Broken
If you want the rainbow, you’ve got to put up with a little rain – D. Parton
Amen Dolly. As we keep those words in mind on this wet day in LA, we congratulate Nashville player Steve Markland on his new gig as Vice President of A&R for Warner/Chappell Music Nashville. Markland was previously a senior creative executive at Windswept Publishing. He was responsible for discovering and cultivating emerging songwriters. His roster of songwriters have won numerous BMI, ASCAP and NSAI awards. Whoa… Back at W/C headquarters on the left coast, the pubco’s resident A&R preppy Marc Wilson has signed producer/writer Ian Kirkpatrick to a worldwide co-pub deal. Kirkpatrick has worked with Plain White T’s, Neon Trees and Call the Cops, among others… Finally, we hear major labels and major-indies will be in attendance to checkout Picture Me Broken at their Swinghouse showcase this Thursday (10/15). MTV recently awarded the group a VMA for Best Breakout Bay Area Band this year. And did we mention that the band’s lead singer happens to be the daughter of Gregg Allman? Great pedigree! For showcase info, e-mail: pmb@justgreatmanagement.com
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BREAKING NEWS: ASCAP Gets A New Member
Word on the street is that longtime industry veteran Sue Drew has been tapped for the creative-membership position at ASCAP. The PRO has been interviewing numerous candidates for months to fill the open position since longtime ASCAP execs Tom DeSavia and Jennifer Knoepfle both exited their posts to work at pubcos Notable Music and Sony/ATV, respectively. Drew has held executive A&R positions at Elektra and Reprise Records. She recently was an independant A&R consultant working with a variety of artists/projects.
07.17.09Oh Where, Oh Where Has Alternative Radio Gone?
Buddy's new Deal
With the announcement of WBCN ending its legendary run as Boston’s Modern Rock station earlier this week, what is the landscape looking like for Modern Rock radio these days? Atlanta’s 99x went off the air last year preceded by New York’s K-Rock that flipped formats several years ago. Stay tuned for our upcoming report on Alternative radio, including a spotlight on the new acts the format broke this year… Speaking of Modern Rock, our pal, former Capitol Records Alternative Radio loser Buddy Deal, has returned to the dark side after a hiatus of being a surf poser. Deal now hangs with Mickey and Minnie as he assumes the position of VP of Rock Formats at Disney’s Hollywood Records… Lastly, congrats to our friends at Future Sounds who have announced their acquisition of independent internet radio company WOXY.com. One of the most well-known and popular online radio stations, WOXY focuses on indie/alternative rock content, and also features a series of live interviews and performances. Recently, Jack White’s new project The Dead Weather took over the station to play songs from the new album and curate ‘the cool’. A WOXY radio iPhone app has also been released, and the whole operation is moving to Austin, TX…yee haw!
07.7.09Post 4th Catch-Up
Audra Mae Signs to SideOneDummy
Welcome back from the holiday weekend (we decided to delay our post for those who REALLY enjoyed themselves), we hope it was a good one. Also, thanks to everyone who made it to last Thursday’s Rumble L.A. event, it turned out to be another great night with some amazing performances. Here’s a little catch-up on what’s happening out there…
The usually steady landscape of performing rights organizations have seen some shakeups of late on the west coast, particularly with the open director position at ASCAP that had many throwing their hat in the ring. A little birdie tells us that the field is narrowed to a short-list and the final selection is imminent. Speaking of chirping, inquires about a similar west coast opening at BMI have started coming in due to a recent departure in the creative/membership department. Will we see a similar parade of applicants? Or will there be an in-house hire of one of their own creative execs who’s a rising star?
On the signing front, one of our favorite artists of the last year, Audra Mae, has signed with uber-indie label SideOneDummy Records. Kudos to Warner Chappell’s Blue Hamilton who signed Audra early on the publishing tip, and manager Marc Pollack, who recently returned to Hits joining The MGMT Co.. On the east coast, RCA Records A&R exec David Wolter, in tandem with Nick Burgess in the UK, has signed L.A.’s Funeral Party (formerly on Fearless Records). Meanwhile, the Ben McClane-repped Secret Secret Dino Club has signed with Drive Thru Records…
Currently in the mix is Marissa Renee, who is slated to appear on P-Diddy’s new MTV show, has performed with Kanye West and is currently writing for the Clique Girlz on Interscope. Quite impressive for the 19-year-old Phoenix native. We hear publishers are circling in… Speaking of Arizona, which seems to be an artist hot spot of late, the Tempe-based This Century appears to be finalizing a one-off arrangement through a Warner Bros. Records imprint… Finally, we recently mentioned that multiple labels were taking notice of the John Branca-repped AMD with label showcase requests piling up for the female-foursome. At press time, we hear there are offers in from majors on both coasts, while calls are still coming in. Stay tuned…
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BREAKING NEWS: Epic taps Pete Giberga and Mike Flynn as Co-Head of A&R
Epic Odyssey
In our continuing report on the developments of the Amanda Ghost-helmed Epic Records, inside sources share that A&R players Pete Giberga and Mike Flynn have both been appointed as Co-Head of A&R for the Sony label. Giberga, who is a longtime Sony executive, is coming off the heels of Sara Bareilles’ successful debut album, while Flynn continues his hot streak with The Fray, who currently has a smash single at Top 40 and a big sales debut for the band’s sophomore album. The appointments are well-deserved and we extend congrats to both. And while we previously reported that Ian Dench would assume the department head position, which is obviously not the case, he maintains a senior executive creative post…
And a quick signing update… Socal locals Divide the Day are signing with Universal Republic Records. The band has been working with producer Mark Needham and was brought in by senior A&R VP Tom Mackay.
02.4.09Ghost In The Machine
"yo where's my label gig?"
You may remember back in January when we were first to share about the action at Epic Records with Amanda Ghost slated to take a head position; well, this week Sony Music honcho Rob Stringer made the official announcement of Ghost’s new role as President. With the ink barely wet, label insiders share that the selection has caused some serious kvetching in the Epic corridors.
But that’s not all…we now hear that continuing the Rubin Doctrine, Sony Music brass is positioning to place Canadian 90’s rap/reggae one-hit wunderkind, Snow (aka Darrin O’Brien), in a senior position at Zomba, the label group division within Sony. A licky boom boom-down indeed. Stay tuned…
01.14.09Welcome back and Happy New Year!
New Sunday Night Hang
The noise coming out of the Big Apple in the new year is that former Warner Bros. artist and “You’re Beautiful” co-writer, Amanda Ghost, will be assuming a senior executive post at Epic Records. Meanwhile, Sony Music exec Keith Naftaly will step into an A&R position at Jive/RCA Music Group…
12.17.08Big Apple Chills
This is how our ass felt in NYC
As yours truly from the RM64 crew braved the chilly and rainy NYC weather last week, news of dramatic changes happening at Sony Music was driving industry chatter on the street. With Epic Records head Charlie Walk exiting his post, the gossip mill churned talk of the label being folded in Columbia. In the process, senior A&R player Andy Gershon makes the departure as well. However, expect A&R exec Pete Giberga, who is coming off the success of Sara Bareilles, to stay put. And rightfully so, Giberga gets big kudos for the development and success of Bareilles considering today’s difficult music landscape. Speaking of Columbia, label head Steve Barnett and A&R hitter Maureen Kinney sign Chairlift…
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