MySpace Records Partners w/Downtown, Names GM
MySpace Records is changing things up again; this time via a deal with Downtown Music that will enable MySpace to tap into the indie label's distribution and artist development resources. Downtown, who has released records by Scissor Sisters, Gnarls Barkley, Santigold, Mos Def and others, will also leverage MySpace's data and platform to source new talent.
David Andreone will now lead MySpace Records as the new GM. Prior to joining MySpace, he spent 15 years in A&R at Warner/Chappell Music Publishing and Columbia Records.
Interscope Records will remain as the upstream partner for MySpace Records. With the help of Downtown’s team, MySpace Records artists will retain the opportunity to be picked up by a major label; past artists who have made that move include Kate Voegele, Christina Milian and Mickey Avalon.
Interesting – but doesn’t Downtown use their partner labels’ staffs to market/promote their records? Atlantic broke Gnarls Barkley, Universal broke Scissor Sisters, etc. Not sure what Downtown’s part in breaking them was…
Downtown’s brand just turned into ground round…
“…that will enable MySpace to tap into the indie label’s distribution and artist development resources.”
I could be wrong, but isn’t Downtown distributed through Fontana, the exact same distribution company as MySpace Records?
How did Downtown ‘develop’ Scissor Sisters, Gnarls Barkley, Santigold, and Mos Def?
downtown has their own marketing, a&r, and sales people…they also hire outside pr and radio promo on certain projects or license them out to other labels like Interscope (Major Lazer) or Gnarls (Barkley) in exchange for promo help
I always wondered this – if a label doesn’t have in-house PR and/or radio promo, and they hire outside publicists/promo people, is those outsourcing fees recoupable?
Depends on structure of deal. Most often times YES. How it gets recouped is a whole other matter : )