>> from the editor...

Happy New Year. Everyone back to work yet? RPM Direct will very soon return to the world of print directories with our forthcoming print Producer/Engineer directory, published in partnership with the Music Business Registry. Watch this space and the RPM site for more info. Meanwhile, if you have industry related press, news, announcements, client updates, music reviews or something else to contribute, send it here.

>> Antonio "LA" Reid Departs Arista Records

Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, Chairman and CEO of BMG, has announced that Antonio "L.A." Reid has stepped down effective immediately as President and CEO of Arista Records. Until further notice, executive management at Arista will report to Michael Smellie, COO of BMG. Reid became president and CEO of Arista Records in May 2000 after the company's founder and CEO, Clive Davis, left due to BMG's mandatory retirement policy. During his nearly four-years as head of Arista, Reid achieved sales success with albums from new artist Avril Lavigne (Let Go), Pink (M!ssundaztood), Outkast (Speakerboxxx/The Love Below). Reid also signed several label joint ventures with hit-making producers, including Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' Flyte Tyme Productions, Jermaine Dupri's So So Def and the Neptunes' Star Trak. Yet despite these successes, Arista lost a reported $100 million over the past two years under Reid's stewardship. "LA is one of the music industry's top record men. His passion for working with and developing some of the world's best artists is unparalleled," said Schmidt-Holtz. "I sincerely wish him the best of luck in all future endeavors." BMG, the music division of the German conglomerate Bertelsmann, which owns Arista, is declining to comment on rumors that Arista will now merge with RCA/J Records or with Jive after the completion of the forthcoming BMG/Sony Music merger. The 50-50 joint venture, first announced in November '03, would create the world's second-largest record label, combining the recorded music units of Bertelsmann's BMG and Sony Music, but excluding music publishing and CD production assets.

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>> Paul Adams Departs Worlds End For New Magus Entertainment Producer Mgmt. Division

After two years at Worlds End in NY, Paul Adams has moved on and can now be found with at Magus Entertainment. Magus Entertainment managed Aerosmith for many very successful years and now guides the careers of Duran Duran, Darren Hayes, Jade Anderson, The Beu Sisters and DJ Rap. In addition to the Magus artist clients, Magus Entertainment is launching a producer management division. Magus Producers will offer a compact, focused roster, offering support and career development to it's clients. Paul Adams can be reached at Tel: 212-343 1577.

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>> A&R Exec Pete Ganbarg Launches New Production Company/Label, Pure Tone Music

Former Epic/Sony Sr. VP/A&R and 15 year industry veteran, Pete Ganbarg is launching a national search for artists to sign to his Pure Tone production company and record label. Beginning March 1st in Minneapolis, and following in hitting markets such as: Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Hartford, Ganbarg will hold daytime showcases in each city for 10-12 artists carefully chosen from all who've submitted demos. The ultimate goal will be to find a few select artists, in all genres, who'll become the cornerstones of Pure Tone Music's roster. "This is not a contest, but a quest to find the best undiscovered talent out there, regardless of genre," says Ganbarg. "With the formation of Pure Tone, we are not bound by any corporate mandate to find the hottest selling act or trend-driven buzz band in each market. We're looking to get back-to-basics with an old-fashioned, artist development-friendly attitude," he adds. "We want to reach the local artist community, rather than the local industry, to find the best undiscovered and most talented singers, musicians, and bands out there." All unsigned artists interested in performing at one of the showcases are invited to submit 2-3 songs as well as a photo/visual and brief bio/description no later than February 24th, 2004. Acts chosen to showcase will be notified via phone and/or email prior to the showcase date in each market. All styles of music are welcome. Interested artists can submit demos two ways: Electronically through Pure Tone's web site (www.puretonemusic.com), or by regular mail: Pure Tone Music, 700-76 Broadway #348, Westwood, NJ 07675. Ganbarg has been a senior major label A&R executive for over fifteen years at labels such as Epic/Sony, Arista, and EMI/SBK. He has signed and/or A&R'd artists including Santana, Run-DMC, Adema, Blessid Union Of Souls, Revis, Rappin' 4-Tay, Shannon Curfman, Darrell Scott, Barrio Boyz, Black 47, Little Sister/Sister 7, Nona Gaye and Keb' Mo'. Pete Ganbarg can be reached at PGanbarg@aol.com

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Le Mobile has announced special “My Place or Yours” package pricing for clients who choose to use the legendary remote studio for mixing as well as tracking. According to owner Guy Charbonneau, this flexible structure allows clients to budget a flat fee for the entire project, including mixes in stereo and 5.1 surround. “Basically, if we did the tracking in Le Mobile, then I already have a good idea of what is involved in finishing the project, so I can quote a flat fee for the mixing,” says Charbonneau. “If the mixing takes longer than expected, there’s no extra charge.” As an extra incentive, Le Mobile is offering a no-risk, no-fault guarantee on “My Place” mixes – those done while the truck is parked at Le Mobile headquarters with Charbonneau as a primary mix engineer. “Once I’m confident that we have the tracks we need to finish a successful project, then I can offer my guarantee,” Charbonneau continues. “After we do the mixes, if the client doesn’t want to use them, then there’s no charge for the mixing time.” Charbonneau adds that the “no fault” mixing guarantee could apply to projects not recorded by Le Mobile, after evaluation of tracked material and when he is the primary engineer. Weekly flat fee rates will be quoted for clients who prefer to use a guest engineer for the mixing. For those who choose the “Your Place” mixing option, Le Mobile will travel to a location that is convenient for the client – such as a production company office, suitably large home, or a favorite resort – anywhere in the USA or Canada. More information is available at www.lemobile.com.

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>> RPM Direct Set To Release Producer/Engineer Directory in Print -- UPDATE YOUR LISTING!

RPM Direct and The Music Business Registry have partnered to publish a print edition of RPM Direct's producer and producer management directory. NOTE: If you have a listing in our directory - producers, engineers, mixers, producer managers - MAKE SURE YOU UPDATE YOUR LISTINGS! We want to make sure your information is up to date before printing. Use your login to determine whether or not your listing needs an update - send email to Info@rpmdirect.com with any changes. Interested in advertising in this new directory? For more information about extremely affordable introductory advertising rates, please contact Advertise@rpmdirect.com. Visit RPM Direct online: www.rpmdirect.com Visit The Music Business Registry online www.musicregistry.com

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>> Crest National Buys The Assets of Concord Disc Manufacturing

Crest National, a leader in the film, video and DVD/CD/SACD optical media industries, recently announced the purchase of all assets of Concord Disc Manufacturing in Anaheim, CA. The former Concord manufacturing facility with more than 120,000 square feet of production space increases Crest National's capabilities, allowing the company to better serve its customers' requirements and meet their future growth needs. Crest National currently operates five facilities in Hollywood which encompass a full service motion picture film laboratory, a digital video post production facility, a DVD/CD/SACD manufacturing facility, two DVD design, authoring and encoding studios as well as screening rooms including the world's only Cinerama screening room, a high-end listening room as well as secure, long-term storage. "Crest National is exceptionally pleased to have acquired such an outstanding optical media manufacturing facility in Southern California to meet the ever growing needs of our customers." says Ronald E. Stein, President, Crest National. "It immediately doubles the size of our DVD/CD replication, nearly quadruples our automated packaging capabilities, and it enables us to greatly expand our hand-packaging services. Additionally, it provides sufficient space to bring distribution and fulfillment turnkey services in-house. Most importantly, however, the new facility is already built to enable us to scale quickly in the future as the need requires." The business operations of both companies will be merged seamlessly and every effort will be made to insure that the transition is transparent to the client bases of Crest National as well as the current clients of Concord. John Lee, CEO of Concord Disc Manufacturing, has agreed to be retained as a consultant to insure a smooth transition. Crest National is one of the world's leading media facilities with forty-two years experience providing motion picture film, video, audio, language and DVD/CD/SACD services to major film studios, record labels, software companies and industrial clients the world over. The company has a well-earned reputation for developing new technologies including many industry "firsts" combined with an unwavering commitment to the industry's highest standards of quality and service. More information is available at: www.crestnational.com. For more information please contact: Doug Palmer, Crest National (323) 860-1314

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>> Lippman Entertainment Producer/Engineer Roster Updates

Catching up with Lippman Entertainment we find their roster as busy as ever as the new year turns the corner. Here are a few recent highlights: Gary Tole just mixed two great Indi records, Joe Bonamasa and ZO2. Joe Bonamasa has sold over 15,000 records and Gary mixed both of these records in his home studio for next to nothing. Gary just finished working with Bon Jovi and has worked with artists from Eric Clapton, David Bowie and Whitney Houston to Rival Schools and Wakefield. Tim Harkins is currently in pre-production with the band The Drama who recently signed with Jonathan Davis of Korn to his Elementree label. Tim will be co-producing the record with Jonathan Davis as well as engineering and mixing. Chris Fudurich recently finished demos with the band Sommerset who will be performing at the Viper Room on January 15th at 7:30 pm. Chris is also producing a record with the band Lo Cale AM and then producing an EP for the Florida based band Rory. Mark Renk, vocal coach and vocal producer, continues his vocal coaching with artists ranging from POD to Helmet. Mark will be producing a record for the band Krave while he continues to vocal coach and vocal produce. Denny Weston Jr. continues to write following his success of writing one song and producing three on the multi-platinum Hilary Duff record "Metamorphosis." Denny has been developing artists and continues to work with Hilary and her sister. More info and discographies on all of the above and more can be found at www.lippman-ent.com or by calling the office at (310) 689-6500

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An unfortunate fact in the recording industry is that successful records result in audits by royalty participants. This is partly due to the entrenched distrust that artists have for record companies and partly to simple prudent business practices. If an artist sells hundreds of thousands or millions of units around the world, it would be the rare company that could move that many pieces of product without making a mistake. Sometimes the mistakes are just mistakes, and sometimes an audit holds up a mirror that reveals what happens under the record company hood, warts and all. And the "all" category can be very interesting. An audit is usually conducted by an accountant to verify the books and records of the record company that backup accounting statements. From the record company's point of view, audits are a necessary evil. At major labels, the administrative cost associated with an audit is usually much more burdensome than dealing with any subsequent payments generated by the audit itself. In fact, fiscally sound record companies will reserve funds on the contingent-liability side of their financials to deal with audits that they know are in progress or are likely to occur. This reserve includes an unsegregated amount to cover artist, producer, mixer and remixer royalty payments.

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>> Heading North Mastering Upgrades with Z-Systems and Urei

Heading North Mastering recently upgraded its mastering suite with Z-Systems z-16.16 Digital Detangler and Universal Audio 2192 Master Digital Audio Interface. Heading North Mastering is a home-based mastering suite that caters primarily to independent music clients. The decision to upgrade to these two technologies was a natural choice for Heading North. The Z-Systems z-16.16 will provide increased flexibility and will allow for increased workflow while providing improved digital signal distribution throughout the mastering suite. After listening to several digital converters Heading North Mastering chose the Universal Audio 2192 Master Digital Audio Interface as the A/D/A for Heading North's analog signal path. Heading North Mastering has also been celebrating the recent Best Latin Jazz Grammy nomination of EMI/Bluenote recording artist Jane Bunnett's most recent CD 'A Cuban Odyssey'. The CD was recorded at various studios and concert venues in Cuba and was mastered at Heading North. For more information on Heading North Mastering please contact Ron Skinner at 416-778-7789 or email heading_north@hotmail.com

>> Digidesign To Receive Oscar For Pro Tools System

Avid Technology, Inc. recently announced that its audio division, Digidesign, will receive an Academy Award of Merit from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Oscar statuette, which will be presented at the Scientific and Technical Academy Awards on February 14, 2004, will recognize Digidesign for the design, development, and implementation of the Pro Tools digital audio workstation, which is renowned as the standard for creating and editing motion picture soundtracks. "Winning an Oscar for Pro Tools is an incredible honor for us," said David Lebolt, Avid vice president and Digidesign general manager. "We've come this far thanks to the amazing dedication and hard work of our entire staff and third-party developers, and the incredibly valuable input we've received from the post community. It feels extremely gratifying to everyone on the Digidesign and Avid team to see the Academy recognize how Pro Tools has profoundly changed the creative process for audio postproduction, allowing increasingly innovative and inventive use of sound in motion pictures. This recognition further demonstrates how committed we are to making the best possible tools for enabling and inspiring the creative audio artist." David Krall, Avid's president and chief executive officer, commented, "For two decades, Digidesign has pioneered the world of digital audio production, shaping the way professionals create soundtracks and music for feature films. The Oscar is the industry's most prestigious award, and we're extremely proud to see the Academy recognize Digidesign as the gold standard for sound in motion pictures. This award is especially meaningful to us, because Avid received its first Oscar statuette five years ago for the Film Composer system. Only a handful of companies have won two statuettes - and it feels great to be one of them." www.digidesign.com

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>> Telefunken Makes North American Debut At Winter NAMM

Telefunken North America, which recently won the prestigious TEC Award for Studio Microphone Technology, recently exhibited at NAMM for the first time. The two-year old company manufactures a full line of quality hand-built condenser microphones, featuring the now world famous Ela M 251, already a standard with leading artists, engineers and producers in Rock, Country, Jazz and Classical recording. The faithful reproduction of the legendary Ela M 251 (circa 1960) has proven a success with the film industry, as well, with credit in movies such as Seabiscuit and Scary Movie III. Following in the tradition of hand-crafted vintage microphones, the newly expanded ELEKTROAKUSTIC line now includes the Ela M 12, Ela M 14, Ela M 270 (Stereo version of the 251), and the prized U47 -- remade in all its original glory. Introduced at NAMM was the new cardioid-only Telefunken Ela M 14 tube microphone. Offering uncompromised sonic performance and mechanical design at a reasonable price, the Ela M 14 features a single-sided CK-12 - inspired capsule, NOS Telefunken EF732 tube, and custom transformer. The M 14 is the first original design microphone from Telefunken NA, taking the best elements of the Ela M 251 and the Ela M 12 and combining them into a new and affordable version. During the NAMM Convention, Telefunken NA hosted a gala listening party at Ocean Way's renowned Record One Recording Studios. Studio owner and engineer Allen Sides will man the console with performances by The Howard Fishman Quartet, popular jazz ensemble that has taken NYC and the East Coast by storm. Telefunken NA -- "Built to a standard, not to a price." 860.882.5919 www.telefunkenusa.com

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>> Al Teller Joins Board of Directors of INgrooves

Al Teller, the former Chairman & CEO of MCA Music Entertainment Group, including the record label and publishing division, and former President of CBS Records and Columbia Records has joined the Board of Directors of INgrooves. San Francisco-based INgrooves, a digital label and distribution company, has quickly established itself as a leading provider of Dance & Electronic music content to digital music services like iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody and MusicMatch. In his role on the Board, Mr. Teller will lend his 30 years of music industry experience to INgrooves and its goal of creating the dominant record label in the new digital era. Mr. Teller says, "I am excited to be joining INgrooves' Board of Directors. The music industry is undergoing fundamental change, and there is an enormous need for new companies to address the needs of artists and consumers in a more effective manner than provided by established music companies. INgrooves is speaking to those needs directly by giving artists and labels seamless access to digital distribution and providing music fans the ability to discover new music. Privately held INgrooves redefines the role of the music label and the music label's relationship with artists in the digital music era. As a leading digital music content owner and marketer, INgrooves is uniquely positioned to efficiently access and utilize worldwide digital distribution outlets, developed by large corporations such as Apple, Wal-Mart & Microsoft, for the greater benefit of the artists. Central to INgrooves' successful operations is the marketing and promotion of its artists through revenue- generating commercial licensing opportunities in the TV, film and video game industries, streaming and terrestrial radio programming and other high impression media. www.ingrooves.com

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>> Recording Session Notes and Other Updates...

Steven Scharf Entertainment launches official website: www.stevenscharf.com. Visit for up to date info on record producer and film & tv composer roster, unsigned artists, music licensing (independent artists and Carlin America), bios, discographies, music clips and more. Steve Scharf can be reached at SSCHARF@carlinamerica.com

Solange has returned to SugarHill Recording Studios to begin tracking a new album with engineer John Griffin. The CD will be her follow-up to last year's debut, "Solo Star." The music tracks recorded at SugarHill are produced and composed by Troy Johnson and performed by students from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). Johnson's other credits include Solange's "Solo Star," 2Pac and Kelly Rowland. For more information, visit our website at www.sugarhillstudios.com

Avatar Studios recently hosted legendary guitarist George Benson was recently in putting the finishing touches on his new record. Alec Head engineered with assistance from Ross Petersen. Legendary bassist Charlie Haden recently recorded his new Verve release with guest Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Jay Newland engineered with help from Ross Petersen. For more information, visit www.avatarstudios.net

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