Thursday, November 15, 2007
The industry-wide slide in sales will be in double digits for the year, a clear indication that the decline is now moving at an exponential rate. Meanwhile, the number of out-of-work industry execs continues to grow, with many of them still struggling to find gigs in the biz—or jobs in another industry, for that matter. For those of you still employed, we hope you’re planning ahead…
JUST LIKE OLD TIMES: Lots of weasel action happening for the
Filip Wilén-managed
Lykke Li. Label reps and publishers were out in full force for the 21-year old Swedish act’s shows in N.Y. during the last couple of weeks. We heard her Mercury Lounge gig was sold out purely from the industry guest list. Label reps who attended shared with us that they were surprised to see that many industry folks filling up the Mercury. Li has been in the Apple recording an album with producer
Bjorn Yttling from
Peter Bjorn & John. It looks like the industry frenzy may shift across the pond for Li’s upcoming
U.K. shows… Meanwhile, the label derby for singer/songwriter
Zac Brown is in full swing, as senior label brass and A&R reps from majors across the board have been traveling to
Atlanta for meet and greets. Expect continued weasel attendance for Brown’s string of shows down South… On the pub tip, we hear there’s a new boutique music publishing company that’s set up shop on the East Coast, flush with private-equity funding. The pubco is being run by a former
Virgin Records exec, while the head of creative is a senior publishing hitter. Rumor has it they’ve been making considerable plays to build their publishing assets. Stay tuned… The pub derby for
Interscope act
Revelation Theory is finalizing a deal with
EMI Music Publishing. The
Idol Roc-managed group, who are finishing up an album with co-producers
Brian Howes and
Josh Abraham, had a flurry of pubcos chasing them… Meanwhile, pub action starting to happen on
Columbia Records act
MGMT. West Coast pub hitters were on hand for the band’s
L.A. dates last week… Finally,
CMJ buzz act
Cut Off Your Hands has signed with
Warner U.K .label
679 Recordings. As we mentioned weeks ago, the New Zealand-based outfit recently released an album on
Niki Roberton’s
IAMSOUND Records, which is turning out to be a hot talent source. Keep an eye out for new IAMSOUND acts
The Slips and
The Black Ghosts…
BUZZIN’: ROAR, Ben Harper and
CSS…
Hit me up: [email protected]BUZZ/GIGS:
SAM SPARRO Mon., Nov. 19, 11 p.m., Viper Room, L.A.
ZAC BROWN Fri., Nov. 23, 11 p.m., Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
LYKKE LI Mon., Nov. 26, 8 p.m., Borderline, London