BAND AND RECORD LABEL RESEARCH

Music Video Task

MUSE

Muse are an English alternative rock band from Devon, formed in 1994.

Muse are known for their energetic and extravagant live performances and their fusion of many music genres, alternative rock, heavy metal, classical music and electronics.

Labels: Warner Bros, Helium 3, Taste, Mushroom, Dangerous.

PRIMAL SCREAM

Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow.The band were a key part of the mid-1980s indie pop scene, but eventually moved away from this, taking on more psychedelic and then garage rock influences, before incorporating a dance music element to their sound. Labels: Creation, Elevation, Sony, B-Unique Records.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE

Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from California, USA, formed in 1997.

They developed a style of riff-oriented, heavy rock music. Their sound has since evolved to incorporate a variety of different styles and influences

Labels: MCA Music, Inc., Interscope.

AUTOLUX

Autolux is an avante-garde rock group formed in 2001. Although initially lumped into the Silverlake alternative rock scene, they have soon come to be categorized by their unconventional sonic moods and have recently started incorporating electronic rhythms and beats into their music.Labels: TBD Records, ATP Recordings.

BIFFY CLYRO

Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band.

After their first three albums, the band expanded their following significantly with the release of their fourth Puzzle in 2007 creating more mainstream songs, distancing themselves from their more unusual dissonant style.

Labels: Beggars Banquet, 14th Floor, Roadrunner.

TOOL

Tool is an American Progressive Metal band from California, USA, formed in 1990.

Tool emerged with a heavy metal sound on their first studio album in 1993, and later became a dominant act in the alternative metal movement.

Labels: Tool Dissectional, Volcano, Zoo.

RECORD LABEL SHORT-LIST

DangerousCreation

B-Unique Records

ATP Recordings

Beggars Banquet

DANGEROUS

Sawmills Studios, created in 1974 near Golant on the banks of the River Fowey in Cornwall, England is best known for it’s recording studio used by musicians such as Robert Plant, Oasis, Muse, Razorlight, The Stone Roses and Ride. The present owner of the studio, Dennis

Smith, formed a record label based at Sawmills, Dangerous Records, releasing the first two EPs by Muse, who began their career at Sawmills and later formed taste Media for the band.

“Although the record label itself seems quite small, the studio is well known and signs quite famous bands, so they may not be interested in my band.”

CREATION

Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960’s band ‘The Creation’, whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Freen and Foster were also in the band Biff Bang Powl, which was also the title of a The Creation song. The label was revived at one point in 2011 for the release of compilation album, ‘Upside Down’, spanning songs from the label.

At first the label sounded quite promising. Though it is very old fashioned and no longer exists, which is a shame as my song sounds quite modern.

BEGGARS BANQUET

Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austen, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. They have released music by Biffy Clyro, Buffalo Tom, The Charlatans, The Cult, and The Go-Betweens. In 2008, Beggars Banquet became a catalog label only, closed to new signings.

Beggars Banquet sounds like the kind of label who may have signed my artist. Their previously signed bands have some similarities in their music with my track. I will definitely be considering this as one of my record labels!

B-UNIQUE RECORDS

B-Unique Records is a London –based record label, founded in 2001 by Mark Lewis and Martin Toher. B-Unique has been a division of Atlantic Records UK since 2008. However, its existing roster such as Kaiser Chiefs and The Twang remains a distribution deal with Universal Music Group.

As a label they had further success with the release of several artists licensed from the Vagrant roster including Alkaline Trio, Saves The Day and Rocket From The Crypt.

Another potential record label, though some of their artists do not sound as heavy or dark as my track.

ATP RECORDINGS

ATP Recordings is a record label that was started in 2001 by London concert promoter Barry Hogan of Foundation/All Tomorrow’s Parties. It was originally created to bring out compilation CDs after events.

The label eventually moved on from just doing compilations for the festival to sign bands like Bardo Pond, The Magic Band, Deerhoof and White Out. They have also expanded its roster to include Apse, Death Vessel, The Drones, The Scientists and Autolux. After listening to some of the other artists on the label’s roster, I decided that they probably wouldn’t be interested in signing my band.

MAKING A DECISIONAfter all of this research into bands and their record labels I have only found one that I feel would be suitable and likely to sign my band. I have decided that Beggars Banquet would be the most fitting record label to sign my band to their roster. Their current roster had the most similar sounding bands to my track than any of the other record labels I looked into. I have taken into account that they are now a catalog label only and hopefully I can still use them as my record label.