Now That's What I Call Music Faces The Future

Sales of the NOW That's What I Call Music! series are slipping but it remains a successful business and is worth a look to consider their future:

"'Now That's What I Call Music!,' has been a reliable blockbuster for 10 years by sticking to a simple, recognizable brand. With a festive, uniform design aimed at the young, especially tween girls, the 'Now' CDs each contain 20 'chart-topping hits' — Britney Spears has been featured 12 times — and its 28 volumes have sold 61 million copies in the United States."

However, the basis of their success lies among those who purchase cds:

"'There's a type of consumer that still buys physical, and they're primed for this'...The 'Now' series...'will last to the extent that the physical market exists.'"

With albums sales declining:

"They have introduced a series of supplemental CDs, like 'Now That's What I Call Country,' and are moving into an array of media. New CDs will allow access to a Web site featuring acts below the usual superstar radar, and a deal with Dada, a cellphone-services company, will offer extra promotion of songs and ringtones from 'Now' artists. In addition, the 'Now' team is in talks to create a network television show to highlight its acts, according to people close to the negotiations who were not authorized to speak."

These sound like some good ideas to work with but it's hard not to feel that the end is near for these guys.

Curse of Death Row Records Plagues Global Music Group

Every press release  I get involving the bankruptcy of Death Row Records and the efforts to secure the goods by a company claiming to be the real Global Music Group gets a bit stranger than the last.

Most recently:

Global Music Group Informs Trustee of Allegedly Stolen Death Row Master Tracks and Objects to Sale:

"Michael J. Collesano, Esq., General Counsel of Global Music Group, Inc. a Delaware corporation, today filed a Declaration with the Los Angeles Bankruptcy Court alleging that numerous master recordings of Death Row Records may have been stolen by Suge Knight and Carl "Butch" Small..."

"Collesano says that he was contacted over the weekend by a woman who claimed to be the ex-girlfriend of Carl 'Butch' Small, a close associate and friend of Suge Knight who was described as a former principal of Death Row Records who ran the studio with Mr. Knight..."

"The woman...informed Collesano that she has been living most recently near Detroit, Michigan with Mr. Small, her boyfriend for the past 18 months. On October 1, 2008 Mr. Small allegedly attacked her and attempted to kill her by choking and strangling..."

"Collesano said that the woman claims Mr. Small told her that at the direction of Suge Knight between 2001 and 2005 he removed certain master recordings, videos and other property of Death Row Records from Pacific Coast Title Archives in California to "get it gone," presumably in advance of the bankruptcy filing."

"On October 2, 2008 the woman lead Deputy Christopher Schmidt of the Livingston County Sheriff's Department to a storage unit in Burlington, Michigan under her name, where the officer found what appear to be certain master recordings and videos contained in 10" X 12" black boxes..."

"The property is being held for the moment by the Livingston County Sheriff's Department, although according to the woman, there may also be additional material of Death Row Records in her possession that she wishes to return to the proper authorities. She also told Mr. Collesano that she has been contacted by Mr. Knight's attorney and girlfriend 'Tammy' and that she remains in fear of her life."

I hate to sound insensitive but all I can think is that I hope that storage unit was climate controlled!

In previous releases, Global Music Group made their claim for rightful ownership of Death Row Records' assets.

They first appeared in July:

Global Music Group of Delaware True Bidder for Assets of Death Row Records:

"GLOBAL MUSIC GROUP a Delaware Corporation as Plaintiff filed a civil lawsuit...to assert their claim as rightful bidders of the assets of Death Row Records and to prevent the assets from falling under the control of a group controlled by former partners."

"Ron Goldberg, CEO of the company and of Alliance Capitol, LLC, its parent, announced that he filed the action against Global Music Group, Inc. a New York Corporation formed a day before the bid on June 9, 2008 by Global (Delaware) former president Anthony Marotta after Goldberg's Delaware company had retained counsel in March, 2008 and applied to be a bidder at the bankruptcy auction to be held June 24, 2008. Anthony Marotta and his new partners, RSB Investment Strategies, LLC, through the newly formed corporation with the identical name are claiming they own the assets of Death Row Records."

Later in August:

Global Music Group, Inc. of Delaware Makes Offer for Assets of Death Row Records

"Global Music Group...submitted an offer to the Trustee in the Death Row Records bankruptcy proceeding in Los Angeles, California to acquire the Assets of Death Row Records for the sum of $24 million if the bid of Global Music Group of New York (GMG New York) is deemed terminated by the Court. Last week, the Trustee for the bankruptcy estate filed to terminate the rights of GMG New York because they had not yet successfully completed the transaction."

"On June 24, 2008 the Court awarded the winning bid in the bankruptcy sale of the assets of Death Row Records for $24 million dollars to the party that applied to bid for the assets on June 10, 2008. GMG Delaware has contended it was the rightful bidder but the Court identified GMG New York in error."

"After GMG Delaware filed suit against GMG New York, the parties reached a settlement on August 6, 2008 which contemplated GMG New York financing the acquisition and sharing equity with GMG Delaware."

Of course, this may not be the Curse of Death Row Records but the long standing and even more debilitating Curse of the Music Industry Lawyers.

While that's going on, looks like the other Global Music Group is setting up shop without reference to the Death Row assets.

Unless, of course, this is a third Global Music Group!

Cash Money Keeps Growing as They Add Pop/Rock

Variety's Phil Gallo takes a look at Cash Money as they capitalize on independence and expand into pop/rock.  He also speaks with label co-owner Slim Williams:

"When you start taking it upon yourself to guide your own destiny...it becomes like chess. We had to educate people about our music. Everything we have done has been a hands-on (approach). We stay grounded and focused, try to not wear out our welcome and realize some artists will go quicker than others."

StarRoc: Jay-Z & Stargate Launching New Label

Jay-Z and production duo Stargate are launching a new label, StarRoc, headquartered at Jay-Z's Roc The Mic studio.

Busta Rhymes Signed to Universal Motown

Busta Rhymes says goodbye Interscope, hello Universal Motown.

DJ Semtex shares his thoughts.

Lady Boss Entertainment Begins w/Movin Music Platoon

Lydia Harris and Movin Music Platoon

Lydia Harris, who claims co-founder status for Death Row Records, whose husband Michael "Harry-O" Harris is said to have provided funding for Death Row Records and whose own litigation bankrupted the label and Suge Knight, is back on the music scene with the creation of Lady Boss Entertainment.

Lady Boss Entertainment's first signee is the Movin Music Platoon whose single Make It Flurry will be the label's initial release.

Offical Sites:
Lady Boss Entertainment
Movin Music Platoon @ MySpace

Slim Thug Went Indie Without Label Beef

Slim Thug is now fully independent and he's sayng nice things about everybody:

"'I was never signed directly to [Pharrell's] Star Trak,' he said. '[There was an understanding] that if he did this many beats for me, he would put his imprint on [my album]. It was never nothing between me and Pharrell. We did good work together. I appreciate everything he did for me. It ain't no beef with Jimmy Iovine or Geffen. I love them for everything they did for me.'"

"'I just like to move independent. I got off the label, and now we're moving with Koch...Being with Koch is [like] a smaller major...They got a helluva radio group over there. They do a wonderful job and give people major-label looks as far as the radio.'"

TAG [Records] Commercial f/Jermaine Dupri and Q

TAG [Records] Commercial f/Jermaine Dupri and Q

At YouTube:
TagRecordings

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Q aka Q DA KID is TAG Records First Artist

Death Row Auctioned, TMZ Breaks News?

So it's the day after Death Row Records got auctioned for $24 million and TMZ is still the primary source?

I've long pointed out that mainstream media tends to relegate hip hop business news to entertainment sections but this got a lot of coverage prior to the auction.  Why wouldn't somebody who plays journalist cover the auction of a historically important record label?

Hip Hop Acts Considering Major Label Alternatives

Billboard:
Top Rap Acts Weigh Options As Record Deals End

The Orchard Wins Bankruptcy Auction for TVT Records

The Orchard today announced acquisition plans as a result of winning the bankruptcy auction for TVT Records:

"Under the terms of its bid, The Orchard would assume control of TVT's catalogue of recorded masters, artist contracts and physical record distribution infrastructure, among other assets, but excluding its holdings in its music publishing subsidiary."

"The acquisition is expected to close on or before July 3rd, 2008, although there can be no assurances that the transaction will close as it is subject to court approval, customary closing conditions and finalization of the purchase agreement between the parties."

Current TVT Records President Steve Gottlieb says he will be focusing on TVT Music, the unacquired "music publishing subsidiary", and "following on with my consulting and co-investing with VC's in early stage internet ventures".

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
TVT Records Bankruptcy: NY Times Bits, Trent Reznor Happy, Full Story Unlikely To Emerge
TVT Records Bankruptcy: Steve Gottlieb Talks to Billboard
TVT Records Filing for Bankruptcy, Fired Most Employees

Allido/Interscope Joint Venture Goes Beyond Wale

On Friday, Interscope officially announced what we've been reading about, at least in part, in the wake of Wale's Allido Records/Interscope deal.

Mark Ronson's taking Allido Records to Interscope and Wale, who started with a production deal with Mark Ronson, is their first project.

Allido Records released Rhymefest's Blue Collar with distribution by J Records but it looks like the Wale/Interscope fit helped lead to this alliance which goes beyond the Wale deal.

Jermaine Dupri to Helm TAG Records, Artists to Get Body Spray Size Marketing Support

Island Def Jam Music Group and Procter & Gamble announced today the creation of TAG Records, a new hip hop label to be helmed by Jermaine Dupri, President.

For those that have missed out, TAG is the body spray for sweaty young men with fantasies of getting some.

Sounds like a great combination since so many hip hop fans are sweaty young men.

The distinguishing point for TAG Records, other than the close corporate tie to P&G's TAG body sprays, is the pledge to support signees with a "multi-million dollar marketing effort that is unprecedented for any new artist, including television, print, radio, digital and event marketing."

And that is the strength of such a tie cause the multi-million part is really about promoting TAG body spray since nobody in their right mind would otherwise spend "ten times the typical marketing support" on a new artist.

On the one hand, this is a great opportunity for an up-and-comer to receive an outsized marketing effort on their debut.

On the other, this is an opportunity to be branded by TAG at a key moment in one's career, a branding that may well stick with one long after the fact.

What the right hand giveth...

Also from the press release:

"In addition to an album release, the TAG Brand will showcase TAG Record's artist and Jermaine Dupri across various TAG brand advertising and marketing initiatives throughout 2008."

"The TAG and Island Def Jam Music Group partnership was forged and managed by New York - based ACME Brand Content Company, TAG's branded entertainment agency of record."

Official Sites:
TAG Records
ACME Brand Content Co.

TVT Records Bankruptcy: NY Times Bits, Trent Reznor Happy, Full Story Unlikely To Emerge

I'm hearing a lot of bad things about folks in power at TVT Records but the way most of those complaints get aired it's hard to know what's really up.  According to the NY Times, TVT did file for bankruptcy yesterday, Steve Gottlieb says they've fired around 20 people or half their staff and that suing Slip-N-Slide was probably a bad move.

The NY Times does have one positive note about Gottlieb:

"The bankruptcy comes as an unexpected turn for Mr. Gottlieb, long viewed as an advocate for independent labels in their competition for talent and market share against the four global corporations that dominate the recording industry.  Mr. Gottlieb helped start a trade group in 2005 to organize the independents’ effort to obtain, for instance, more lucrative terms from digital music services that sell their music."

Currently Trent Reznor has a post on the Nine Inch Nails site that says simply:

"Not ALL news about the music industry is bad these days."

It links through to the news at AllHipHop where I'm pretty sure the story originally broke.

Trent's post currently has 1340 comments many of which seem confused or off-topic in the way these popular comments scenes become.  I tend to side with artists but knowing that Trent thinks this is good news doesn't tell us much.

I've noticed folks mentioning Lil Jon's displeasure at the label without pointing out that he stayed with them in the end.  Some of the comments I've seen elsewhere focus on d*cklike individuals at TVT.

Hard to say what's distinctive to TVT, what's a reminder that the music industry is shady and what's just another example of the fact that d*cklike individuals are randomly distributed throughout society, though they do tend to cluster around money and power.  In the end, most of the people who really know will keep it to themselves, drop something anonymously that can't be evaluated or make an unclear comment in passing.

I do know that I've gotten my first email update from a publicist leaving the company.  I wished him well and hope to hear good things from him soon.

Beyond that, we may know someday what the full TVT story is but we probably won't cause nobody really cares about the details when all is said and done.  They just need to air their feelings or are looking for some entertainment.

Ok, check you later.  I've got to get back to the Britney Channel.  I hear they're doing a special on K-Fed!

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
The Orchard Wins Bankruptcy Auction for TVT Records
TVT Records Bankruptcy: Steve Gottlieb Talks to Billboard
TVT Records Filing for Bankruptcy, Fired Most Employees

TVT Records Bankruptcy: Steve Gottlieb Talks to Billboard

Steve Gottlieb says: "This is not the end of TVT."

Gottlieb also says TVT Music Publishing will not be closed.

It's unclear what will happen to Lil Jon's Crunk Rock but "a source close to the situation" revealed that Pitbull's single Anthem may get worked to radio and the video has been shot plus Ying Yang Twins have a single, Drop, out on iTunes.

A source also says:
"Yo Gotti is a prime candidate as a free agent to go...He's done his part as an artist, and although he's a little under the radar and people in New York don't know him that well, other majors like maybe Def Jam or Universal, whom he had a previous deal with, might want to pick him up."

Mr. or Ms. "a source" revealed that TVT Music Publishing:
"hasn't had layoffs...People have left and they haven't hired new replacements, but everyone I know in publishing as of yesterday is still working. Although, the people still remaining are just there to fill orders and deal with overdue accounts payable."

Best of luck everybody.  Start your blog now rather than later!

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
The Orchard Wins Bankruptcy Auction for TVT Records
TVT Records Bankruptcy: NY Times Bits, Trent Reznor Happy, Full Story Unlikely To Emerge
TVT Records Filing for Bankruptcy, Fired Most Employees

TVT Records Filing for Bankruptcy, Fired Most Employees

AllHipHop is reporting that they've been informed that TVT Records is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy later this week and has fired most of the staff.

Pitbull recently attacked TVT's founder and president Steven Gottlieb and Lil Jon had his issues but this is serious bad news for a label that was top of the indie heap.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
The Orchard Wins Bankruptcy Auction for TVT Records
TVT Records Bankruptcy: NY Times Bits, Trent Reznor Happy, Full Story Unlikely To Emerge
TVT Records Bankruptcy: Steve Gottlieb Talks to Billboard

Ruthless Records Returns w/Revived Roster

Ruthless Records Celebrates Their 20th Anniversary With a Fresh Roster and Aggressive 2008 Release Schedule:

"Now in its twentieth year of operation, Ruthless has renegotiated its distribution deal with Sony and is poised to introduce a new generation of artists that cross many different genres of music. Nashay is an R&B princess with an angelic tone. Agina is the bilingual pop princess who utilizes her sultry voice to woo audiences in both English and Spanish. Hopsin is the self-contained triple threat (rapper / songwriter / producer) whose vivid storytelling is equally thought provoking. Stevie Stone raps with a confident swagger minus the aggressive street innuendo, and Street Runnaz Click rhyme using their party/dance-driven music to bring the crowd to their feet."

MySpace: Ruthless Records

What's Up With Master P as President of UDubMusic?

In the January '08 issue (p. 46), Black Enterprise is reporting that Master P is now the President of UDubMusic, the digital label of UrbanWorld Wireless.

There's hardly anything about this online.  Even finding out that UrbanWorld Wireless and UDubMusic are connected is seemingly impossible from the UrbanWorld Wireless site.

Update:
I finally clued in to searching with "udubmusic" as one word and found a couple of things.  Master P's presidency of UDubMusic was announced at least as far back as October.

Either something fell through and the Black Enterprise article was the last thing to get out due to the normal news delay in print publishing or this whole thing has been handled incredibly poorly.  Of course, it still should have gotten more attention when announced this fall.

I haven't had a chance to check it out but this video is said to be an interview at CTIA Wireless 2007 in San Francisco in October:
"Nicole Scott chats with Mike Johns from Urban World Wireless and Master P of UdubMusic"

As it turns out, the Black Enterprise article actually mispells the company names as Urban World Wireless and Udub Music.  That actually made a surprising difference for the UDubMusic search though that's primarily due to lack of online coverage and many results containing dub and music.

DMX Signs With Bodog Records

Yesterday Bodog Music announced the signing of DMX.

They're also releasing the Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams in Europe as announced in May.

Official Site:
Bodog Music

Wyclef Jean & Howard Misle Create In Ya Face/Refugee/ Carnival House

Howard Misle and Wyclef Jean

Wyclef Jean and Howard Misle have teamed up to create a joint venture, In Ya Face/Refugee/Carnival House:

Jean's Refugee/Carnival House Hip Hop duo Kontrast will merge with Misle's In Ya Face Records roster including: Pop princess Eva, R&B diva Holly Rae, R&B male star Sonny Blaq and Hip Hop acts Big Work and ProHoeZak.

In the new venture Misle and Jean will sign, develop and produce new and established acts. Jean will also become a strong creative force in the development and production of several of the artists from the In Ya Face stable. The first music project from the newly formed venture is due in the spring of 2008...

The team also has several major TV shows in development including a new reality program that will revitalize the hip hop genre. That show is set to begin filming as soon as January 2008. The duo is also expected to join forces with a major Hollywood film actor to produce several films.

The company is said to be based in Silicon Valley.  Not sure if that's just a cute way of saying they're in San Jose but there's no particular mention of a tech or web emphasis for the joint venture.

[Photo courtesy: Business Wire]

Duck Down Records: Gangland Theme, ESPN, YouTube, History Channel, Kidz In The Hall

The Rap Up has the Gangland theme from Duck Down records who are making some great moves including a deal with ESPN.

At Hip Hop Press:
Duck Down Records Partners with YOUTUBE & The History Channel
KIDZ IN THE HALL INK DEAL WITH DUCK DOWN RECORDS

Timbaland: Jay-Z/American Gangster, Mosley Music Group

Timbaland speaks on Jay-Z and American Gangster:
"He wants me to do the next single...He just does it for fun. We talked about [his next album]. He says it's just a hobby, ain't nothing else to do. When a person tells you that, what you supposed to say? 'You crazy'? He said, 'I don't wait for nothing. I'm there. I'm doing it for the love of music.' What am I supposed to say? 'You wack for doing it'? ... That's another thing: It could hurt him or it could make him be not the legend he is. That's the only thing I'm scared of for my friend."

MissInfo questions the idea of Jay-Z's involvement with American Gangster as a "spontaneous whim" and leaves it at that.  The actual details of how Jay-Z's album came about will probably never be revealed but I like the idea of this being a spontaneous project.  I think part of the problem with Kingdom Come is that it all seemed so calculated it was hard to appreciate.

If Jay-Z really does walk in and drop lyrics and he really has the power we all believe he has then why couldn't he do this?  I think it fits him much better than Kingdom Come plus it allows him to relive his own fantasies of being a criminal kingpin.  It could easily enhance his reputation and that's a chance worth taking.

Timbaland had this to say about why the needs of the Mosley Music Group will keep him from producing the entirety of Missy Elliott's next album:
"I probably won't do the whole thing 'cause I gotta get my own thing up and poppin'...I had to do partial and try to oversee it the best way I can for her. But I can't make Atlantic a ton of money and leave Mosley Music with nothing. That don't make logical sense. Missy is my sister, but I got a family: Nelly [Furtado], Keri [Hilson], One Republic. If I don't function, then they don't function and they can't get their careers off...

"These are all my people I'm putting out," he added about his label. "Up-and-coming stars that are gonna keep me laying low for a minute so I can chill out and take a vacation. I went on one for the first time in 15 years. I wanna take more. While they are working, I can chill out and collect the money. ... Well, not collect the money, just be involved as a daddy figure — 'Nah, do this. Change this' — like I used to be."

New Labels From Foxy Brown & Pacman Jones

Foxy Brown is said to be launching an indie label, Black Rose Entertainment, to be distributed through Koch.

Adam "Pacman" Jones is launching National Street League Records in the wake of an NFL suspension and all sorts of legal problems.

Fish & Crown Records Video Promo

Fish & Crown Records out of Rochester, NY has a nice video promo that gives one a sense of the range of their activities as a "music/media label".

Master P Bundles Hip Hop Trends & Launches Profanity Free Take A Stand Records

Master P is going profanity free on both his own records and with the new label he's launching, Take A Stand Records.  Related initiatives include a contest for "artists with street music without offensive lyrics" and a scholarship entry.

Master P and Romeo will also be releasing a joint profanity free album this fall that will be entitled Hip-Hop History.

The official website for Take A Stand Records should eventually have more information but, honestly, their homepage caught me by surprise with its mix of informative news links, YouTube videos and NAACP promotion, none of which promote Master P himself, though there are pics of him and Romeo.  The site bills Take A Stand Records as "A Record Label for Responsible Hip Hop Artists".

Looking back through the article by Chris Richburg on Master P's plans, I get the distinct sense that he's not just responding to the immediate controversy but has launched himself on a trajectory that partakes of the social entrepreneurship of Russell Simmons and many separate but related developments while focusing it in on actual music projects rather than leveraging celebrity appeal.

Which is not to say that Master P is insincere but is to say that, however many ways you spin this, Master P is making a business call regarding current trends that have been emerging in multiple threads, bundling them together in a nice package and going for it. 

These threads include recent controversies driving calls for social responsibility in rap as well as such trends as a growing interest in the early years of hip hop, from books to recognition from museums, the ongoing grassroots development of community programs using hip hop to reach youth at risk, the growth of the children's market and the corporate recognition that supporting hip hop related programs can be a way of appearing to support social justice.

Like the man says, "We're planning to team up with companies such as Wal-Mart, Target, and other companies that have direct contact with our communities."

Which should be a lot easier than their plans to "make a [successful] street album without explicit lyrics."

Roc La Familia Staff Canned, More to Follow

Billboard.biz is reporting that not only has the Roc La Familia staff been axed but there are more cuts at Island Def Jam ahead, possibly up to 40.

Others given the boot include:
Crystal Issacs, senior national director of mixshow promotions; Ray Romulus, A&R manager; one member of the creative department; one artist development person.

You have to wonder about the fact that Roc La Familia's launch started with the signing of Aztek, who was then revealed to be somewhat of a con artist which was followed by a period of extended inactivity that mostly continued unabated.

Like the Billboard article says, Roc La Familia "serviced Def Jam's international arm", so I guess their services are no longer of use. Sorry, y'all.

Via The Rizoh.

Thug Life Army Records Launches w/Binky Mack EP

Thug Life Army Records announces its debut with digital singles and an EP by Binky Mack to be followed by a hard copy release CD/LP.  Singles are also being serviced to radio.

The label is an offshoot of Thug Life Army and was put together by Frank Miranda and RB Riddle.  Their next project will be from Concrete Souljahs of Phoenix.

RB has good news for unsigned artists:
Any artist who are interested we are definitely looking so you can visit the web site and contact us. We all know that commercial hip hop is getting old and we are hear to help breath some new fresh life into the culture and music we all love so much.

It will be interesting to see how this goes.  I think that launching a label or creating an initial platform to help select indie artists launch themselves are potentially good moves for niche sites that have a strong audience.  Going all out with physical releases as is Thug Life Army Records is a pretty serious move.  But there's lots of room between such a step and exploring the possibilities for working with new artists who match one's community.

Official Site:
Thug Life Army Records

Koch Records: Viable Business Option, Top Charting Indie

Nice piece on Koch Records/Koch Entertainment and the reasons that Koch can be a good home for an artist who's already built a following.  The reality is that you can have a solid base of fans and be able to make a living without being able to satisfy a major label's need for massive cash flow.  The trick is making the shift before you become a has been.

In related news, Koch Records is the "Top Independent Label based on the number of Charted Titles according to Billboard" for the 6th year in a row.

Def Jam: Retirement Home For Jay-Z And Nas?

With N.O.R.E. possibly wanting off Def Jam, along with everyone else, will the label finally be forced to develop young talent or is Jay-Z planning to carry the whole thing on his back with some help from the lil' homie?

Nas Gets Own Imprint at Def Jam

Nas spoke with Billboard in his first interview regarding his deal with Def Jam. He stated:
"I've been in this business a long time and know what a great deal is . . . I signed a significant and excellent situation."

Most of the details are as previously reported, however the $3 million per album for the first two Def Jam releases that I thought went to Nas was actually the recording budget which may include advances for Nas. However, sources are now saying that Nas will receive a separate, much higher sum. Those details are yet to be revealed.

Beyond what Nas gets financially, he's also getting his own imprint at Def Jam to be called The Jones Experience. The imprint will kick off with Nas's first album for Def Jam to be followed by whatever artists are signed. Though other genres may be included, Nas says that the focus will be "first and foremost on hip-hop."

All discussions of beef aside, bringing Nas to Def Jam is a major coup for Jay-Z and is strongly indicative of the potential upside during his executive reign.

DMX Speaks On Leaving Def Jam, Joining Sony

DMX has some strong opinions about his move from Def Jam to Sony Urban/Columbia and it sounds like a good thing he's moved.

MTV's Shaheem Reid describes DMX as saying that "being signed to Def Jam initially was a dream come true":
"It was really special, it was a blessing because I was invited to a home," X said. "But they sold the house on me. They left me with people that didn't give a f--- about me. It left a bad taste in my mouth for the industry, period."

DMX also stated:
"I gotta respect Jay-Z because he did the only real thing he could in that position," X said. "He said, 'Yo listen, I don't want to [hold you back]. Just take the album and we'll let you go,' " X said. "I respect that move."

Billboard's Tamara Conniff reports that DMX discussed Def Jam during a previous interview:
I wasn't really happy there. . . Recording was like work.

Where's Aztek Escobar & Roc La Familia?

Do you remember the announcement that Def Jam was starting a Latino oriented label Roc La Familia and signing Aztek Escobar which was followed by some low profile discussion that Aztek was a fake?  Have you noticed that the only thing you can find on the Internet about that topic is from this summer, when the announcement was made?

There's nothing new at AztekEscobar.com which is the official site linked to from Roc-A-Fella and the Universal Music Group in their news announcements.  But someone is signing in at Aztek Escobar's Myspace site, folks are still getting added to his friends list and there's lots of interest in what Aztek might be up to though I can't find any news from Aztek on there.

As far as I can tell, Aztek's a no show as is Roc La Familia, which will be a big disappointment to everybody that got really excited about the news.  I'm dropping him a line via a friend's Myspace account and will post if I come up with anything interesting.

Scientology, LAPD-SWAT & Hip Hop

I guess this was inevitable but the news that the Church of Scientology is sponsoring a hip hop video did catch me by surprise. I don't have time to dig into the details at the moment, but I definitely intend to investigate more closely.

Another surprising foray into hip hop which I intend to investigate is the LAPD-SWAT tech supplier that puts out hip hop records. The story's not what it seems but read the press release to the end and see what you think.

More soon.

Learning From Failure: Lookout Records

Though they still exist, California's Lookout Records went from being a small punk label to an indie label with huge cash flow to something that, whether or not it's falling apart, is certainly a much smaller business. Rob Harvilla tells the story of a little label that could, ultimately because they worked with Green Day who let them keep their early albums after the band went on to the majors and became giants of punk pop. Apparently this meant that Lookout Records had lots of money, enough to make ongoing silly business errors as they shifted gears and entered the world of throwing money around in lieu of smart marketing and business practices.

I'm not going to get into the individuals or the details cause Harvilla does a great job of that without taking sides. What eventually brought Lookout down was the fact that they weren't paying artists royalties, Green Day pulled their records after sticking around longer than would most and they lost their cash cow. Partly that could happen because of what seem to be open-ended agreements on Lookout's part, agreements that apparently were honored until things just totally went downhill. It's sad because Lookout could have done much more as both a business and a social phenomenon.

Even if the lesson here is fairly obvious, i.e. learn the business and work the business, it's an interesting tale of the collapse of a record label.

Lookout Records: Official website and Wikipedia entry.

Jay-Z Announces Def Jam Left

Jay-Z's recent announcement of plans to develop Def Jam Left is a strong indicator of the future growth possibilities for left coast hip hop in the wake of Kanye West's success. Of course, I'm assuming that left relates to left coast and that left coast goes beyond the West Coast underground to indicate a state of mind and I could be horribly wrong in this assumption.

The primary reason that I'm making this leap beyond what Jay-Z told Billboard is that he expressed interest in The Roots as the first signees. They're from Philly and they represent a long standing tradition of conscious hip hop that has the potential to chart while maintaining a certain level of underground cred. Of course, everytime they do something with mainstream potential they catch a lot of flak from the underground, but isn't that always what happens?

In any case, Jay-Z points to another distinction of Def Jam Left when he describes it as:
"an artist-driven label with very low deals so people are not pressured by first-week SoundScan [sales], so we can build artists."

On the one hand that's great because it means that new artists aren't necessarily kicked to the curb if they don't have breakout sales from the beginning. On the other hand, it means that labels get artists more cheaply while not necessarily having to do anything else differently. Nevertheless, it does represent a potentially different mode of thought for a major label.

Jay-Z also played with the idea of eventually putting out another album which I find both unsurprising and unexciting. Don't get me wrong. I'd enjoy some more hot singles from the man but I think he's already made whatever contribution he's going to make. Nevertheless, I like the fact that he's willing to break new producers and maybe Kanye and The Roots will influence him enough to say something meaningful.

Atlantic Head Forced Out by Lyor Cohen

Yesterday Warner Music Group announced the exit of Atlantic Records Group Chairman and CEO Jason Flom.  He will be replaced by Craig Kallman who was Atlantic Records Group Co-Chairman and COO.  Julie Greenwald continues as President of Atlantic Records Group and will report to Kallman who will report to Lyor Cohen, Chairman and CEO of WMG's U.S. Recorded Music.

The press release quotes Lyor Cohen:
"We want to thank Jason for all he has done over the past 26 years to strengthen Atlantic's proud tradition as one of the world's greatest homes for recording artists. Thanks to his leadership and exceptional A&R talents, Jason is leaving The Atlantic Records Group well-positioned for continued growth. Jason's indelible impact on Atlantic's culture, his concern for his fellow employees and his contributions to the company's artistic success will be felt for many years to come. He departs with our deepest respect and we wish him only the best."

Sounds nice but, according to the NY Times, Jason Flom "resigned under pressure" and was "forced out after a string of clashes with Warner Music's domestic chief, Lyor Cohen."  According to Times Reporter Jeff Leeds, this information came from "executives close to the company."

Kiss! Kiss!

Update: The New York Daily News has more:
"Tension has been mounting at Atlantic for some time as the top-heavy record label suffered through a long cold streak. Its weak performance has been a drag on parent company Warner Music, which recently went public. Nonetheless, sources say Flom was caught off guard when Cohen flew out to Los Angeles to tell him he was being forced out earlier this week."

But don't cry for Jason Flom:
"Flom is expected to move on to Universal, which is run by his longtime mentor Doug Morris. Flom is currently negotiating a multimillion dollar payout."

I always forget how different it is when an exec gets fired compared to what us common folk go through.  Hey, I want in on that!

Big Boi's New Imprint, Outkast News

Big Boi recently spoke with Billboard about Purple Ribbon, his new imprint at Virgin. Though the official press conference is not till Friday, Big Boi seems to have told Billboard most of the important stuff already.

Signed artists include Killer Mike, Bubba Sparxxx, Sleepy Brown, Janelle Monet, Scar, Koncrete, C-Bone and Rock D. Negotiations are also looking good for Goodie Mob.

Big Boi's feeling great about having Jermaine Dupri, Virgin's president of urban music, on his side:
"It's cool to have somebody you know in a power position that can make things happen for you in a timely fashion . . . He can push the button real fast. That's what I've been waiting for."

And Purple Ribbon artists are probably feeling pretty good about having Big Boi on their side:
"If I'm not producing with Boom Boom Room Productions, I'm rhyming on a whole bunch of stuff . . . I'm probably on at least two or three songs on each record. Not because I felt obligated to do it, but certain songs I just loved and wanted to be a part of . . . On Purple Ribbon, you have a lot of artists, but you have myself, which adds a valuable asset. I'm not charging $100,000 for a verse; my artists get it for free."

An initial release is expected October 4th from the Purple Ribbon All-Stars followed by albums from Killer Mike and Bubba Sparxxx.

I haven't kept up with a lot of these artists' careers but I'm especially glad to hear Sleepy Brown and, probably, Goodie Mob getting signed. They seem to have had more than their share of obstacles in the past and this should be a good development for them.

In related news, Outkast are gearing up for both a new album and a movie.

Wilson Morales recently interviewed Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund for blackfilm.com regarding their work in John Singleton's upcoming flick Four Brothers.

Labels: Babygrande/Wu-Tang, Rawkus, ColliPark/Asylum, The Inc., Rick Rubin, EMI Televisa Music, SMACK/Koch

Babygrande Records and Dreddy Kruger's Think Differently Music Group have announced a joint venture. The first project will be an October release Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture. Although I've seen some folks questioning this here and there online, I think it's potentially a great combination since I think Wu-Tang artists are much closer aesthetically to a lot of the stronger indie artists than they ever were to other chart topping acts.

Rawkus Records returns with a distribution deal with RED distribution. Rawkus is also creating artist management and film divisions.

The former Mr. Smurf's ColliPark Music has a marketing and distribution deal with Asylum Records.

According to anonymous sources, The Inc. has finally left Island Def Jam and Irv Gotti has been offered a job by WMG as prez of Atlantic Records.

Rick Rubin's American Recordings moves to Warner Bros. Records.

The EMI Group's Latin music unit is being renamed EMI Televisa Music and profits will be shared by Grupo Televisa who will provide Latin marketing muscle in the U.S. and Mexico.

SMACK White Entertainment is joining with Koch Records to produce The SMACK Album: Volume 1, a special edition combination cd/dvd.

Def Jam Launches Roc La Familia

I'd seen references to Roc La Familia, other than the earlier Roc-A-Fella releases, and then basically forgot to follow up. Now more official press is announcing the launch of Roc La Familia, a new imprint on Def Jam Recordings to focus on Latin music. What caught me by surprise is the planned emphasis on "reggaeton, reggae, calypso, tribal and West Indian music."

However, the first signing is Aztek Escobar who's described as a "Houston-based Colombian rapper" and is said to have a mixtape out with a track featuring Jay-Z called Problem Houston. I haven't found a link to that but the track is showing up all over the place with variations on the title and there are other tracks with Jay-Z and Aztek also in circulation.

Apparently, Aztek was signed before the Roc La Familia announcement and there are already controversies about his background. I'm not intrigued enough to dig further but I'm sure we'll hear plenty more on the topic.

Juan Perez, described as "Carter's longtime partner in his New York studio Baseline and the 40/40 Club", will be Roc La Familia's prez. And, I love this part, the article goes on to state that a "Def Jam spokeswoman said there would be a dedicated label staff, in a number to be determined." That's good. They'll need a staff.

According to a news item at SOHH, Escobar's debut album will be entitled Columbian Necktie. Hey, is that a reference to those grown up clothes all the rappers are wearing today? Or does it refer to a topic discussed in the OJ trial?

Wu-Tang Latino, Tego Calderon, Royce the 5'9", Koch & D-Block, C.L. Smooth, Lifestyle

The RZA and Ray Acosta have formed a Latino hip hop label Wu-Tang Latino. Acosta, the former VP of Musica Latina and Marketing at UBO is the Prez. A single with Rameses featuring Mef is due out momentarily and a mixtape with multiple artists including Rameses, Ruster, NP Killah, Shown Black and Gil is expected in August.

In related news, reggaeton star Tego Calderon has signed with Atlantic Records for a multi-album deal on his own imprint, Jiggiri Records. His first album with Atlantic is titled The Underdog/El Subestimado and is expected to drop in October. Calderon has also signed for another year with Hennessy's "Never Blend" campaign. Apparently more announcements of reggaeton artists getting new label deals are expected soon.

Royce the 5'9" is making the best of things at indie label M.I.C. Records with multiple albums in the works. Though it would be interesting to know how he really feels, the reality is that being on an independent can actually work out better for an artist, if he or she is willing to take ownership of the project and has a decent contract.

Koch Records and D-Block Records are joining forces in a marketing deal in which Koch will release multiple D-Block albums.

Shaman Work Recording recently announced the signing of C.L. Smooth to a diverse roster that includes MF DOOM and Wale Oyejide.

Bing and H.I.T. have come together as Lifestyle and will release their first album Lubrication on Lethal Entertainment.

Labels: Cam'Ron, Green Lantern, P. Diddy, Damon Dash

Dipset News: Cam'Ron and Diplomat Records signed a multimillion dollar deal with Warner Music Group's Asylum early last week. Jim Jones is Warner's new director of black music (is that really a position?) and Juelz has signed a joint venture with Def Jam.

I finally took a closer look at the DJ Green Lantern interview about leaving Shady Records. Basically he got stuck between Jadakiss taping him without telling him, which was probably illegal since audiotaping without one's consent is illegal in most states, and the fact that once the tape came out he had to leave the label due to 50 Cent's over the top issues with beefs.

Here's more on P. Diddy's plans with Warner.

Just because the Damon Dash Music Group's offices are moving, doesn't mean they're moving on. But things don't look so good for ODB's album.

Latin Music Awards, P. Diddy & Pitbull Form Bad Boy Latino, Fat Joe to Executive Produce Libertad Music Festival 2005

Performers at last night's Billboard Latin Music Awards included reggaeton star Daddy Yankee, who was joined by P. Diddy for the finale, and hip hop act Crooked Stylo. Daddy Yankee won for best reggaeton album, a new award, and Akwid was honored for rap/hip-hop album of the year. Here's the complete list of winners.

P. Diddy was a late addition to the list of presenters and joined Pitbull for the occasion, probably because, as reported in the Miami Herald, P. Diddy and Pitbull<