All posts tagged Warner Music

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…