Hola, Muchachos. Watch your mailboxes - RPM Direct's 2nd Unsigned CD release is in the pipeline and on its way to you. Volume 2 features eleven polished and rough musical gems produced, engineered and mixed by various RPM Direct producer/engineer members. Artist and producer information will be posted shortly at Unsigned on our site. We hope you like the disc - it's an eclectic mix of music that travels from Bollywood to Boston to Sydney. Music submissions open for Volume 3 in a couple weeks - don't miss this one! And just in time for summer - get ready for a new look for this beloved little newsletter. Management has decided it's time for some improvements - watch this space for exciting upcoming changes. If you do not regularly receive this newsletter and would like to, please click here. If you have something to contribute, send it here.
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Nettwerk Producer Management Heating It Up With Top Acts Nettwerk Producer Mgmt. clients have been heating things up this spring. Check out the activity of a few of the guys on the roster: Howard Benson has been producing Hoobastank (IDJ) and Adema (Arista) and just did a track with P.O.D. for "The Matrix 2" soundtrack; Clif Magness is producing 2 tracks for American Idol Kelly Clarkson's (RCA) debut album; Mark Trombino is producing the next Living End Record (Warner Bros.); Sean & Dane just co-wrote and produced the next single for Stacie Orrico (Virgin), and are having a smash international hit with their track "Stole'" which they wrote and produced for Kelly Rowland (Columbia); Brad Wood has been producing tracks and will be mixing the next Sensefield album for Nettwerk Records; John Porter is producing Ryan Adam's next record (Lost Highway); Thom Russo is mixing the next Fito Paez record and will be engineering and mixing with Serj Tankian from System of a Down on the band "Slow Motion Reign"s debut album that Serj signed to his Columbia imprint Serjical Strike Records; Greg Collins has been engineering the new Jewel (Atlantic) record for Lester Mendez. For more information contact Alia Fahlborg at (310) 855 0668. ^BACK UP^
Meet Industria Musica's Recording Studios in Milan, Italy
Un molto bello studio! Take a trip to the heart of Milan for an introduction to the new Industria Musica Recording Studios - a premier Italian recording facility. The studio's owner is Italian superstar photographer Fabrizio Ferri. The Studios opened for their first sessions in May of 2002 and found immediate success with two Top 10 projects. Franco Battiato's album 'Fleurs 3' went straight to number 1 on the Italian sales charts and Adriano Celentano's 'Per sempre' also hit number 1 with nearly one million copies sold so far. The new Robert Palmer album was completed in at Industria Musica in December of 2002 with work now being completed on the upcoming Claudio Baglioni album. Studio Uno's Pino Pischetola is one the most credited Sound Engineers in Italy, having worked with many top Italian recording artists including: Claudio Baglioni, Carmen Consoli, Spagna, Anna Oxa, Alice, Subsonica, Paola & Chiara, Ornella Vanoni, Irene Grandi, Franco Battiato, Cristiano De Andrè, Adriano Celentano and also with Depeche Mode, Robert Palmer, Power Station, and more. For more information contact Benedetta Mucchi at Industria Musica Srl Recording Studios and Music production facilities. +39.02.581861 Fax +39.02.58186289 ^BACK UP^
Threshold Sound + Vision Opens In West Los Angeles
When Sony Music closed down their west coast studio facility in Nov. '01, a group of the studio's engineers/editors got together and bought out the assets and formed a new company, Threshold Sound + Vision. While Threshold maintained the majority of the existing Sony clients as well as equipment, they also took over some of 3 Point Digital's assets upon leasing their building at 2260 Centinela Ave. in West Los Angeles. Threshold Sound + Vision is a multimedia facility housed in an 11,000 square foot building on the edge of the Santa Monica border. They recently completed George Augspurger designed Mastering Suite and are currently working on a Mix Room to house the custom Neve 8078. The current configuration holds two Avid 9000 Bays and one Symphony Suite, with several additional suites available for production rooms or additional editing systems. While the staff's history lies in Music Videos and EPKs, this set up is also ideal for TV shows or even Motion Picture Editing. A Sweetening Room will be added later this month with a Sound Designer/Mixer coming on board as well. Here are a few client highlights: Chief Mastering Engineer Stephen Marsh recently completed final mastering for Epic Records artist Ginuwine's fourth album. Titled "The Senior", Ginuwine's latest offering features the guest talents of Snoop Dogg, Method Man and The Big Tymers among others. Threshold's Director of Engineering Peter Barker just finished mixing J.Lo and LL Cool J's "All I Have" performance for air on British television's Top Of The Pops and is currently ensconced in one of Threshold's mixing rooms knocking out a 5.1 mix for "Dick Dale: New Years 2003", a live performance DVD shot this past New Years Eve at the Galaxy Theatre in Anaheim. Each of Threshold's corporate partners is a former Sony Music Studios employee. Together they combine 50 years of experience in the Audio/Video Production world: engineering, editing, facility management and operation. With a healthy client list, including almost every major record label and television network, generated over those years of hard work and networking, Threshold has positioned itself as an immediate player in the Los Angeles entertainment landscape. For more information contact Lee Ann Paynter, Threshold Sound + Vision, Dir. of Operations at 310-571-0500 ^BACK UP^
Checking In With the UK's Positive* Producer Management
Atlantic crossing - checking in with Carole Davies from Positive* Producer Mgmt. in the UK. Current client updates include: Jon Astley continues mastering top quality records and the studio is now equipped for SACD and 5.1 authoring and mastering. Most recent projects include Moya Brennan's latest album for Universal, re-mastering The Who's Next (Deluxe edition) and DVD for The Who, Live at The Albert Hall. Mark Frith recently completed mixing the debut album for Psychid, who are signed to db records. Mark has also been mixing tracks for Young Heart Attack, for XL recordings. Gary Langan is currently working on an album for Italian artist, Patty Pravo for Sony. Tim Oliver has recently produced the debut album for the High & Lonesome for dB records. He has been busy mixing various projects and is currently working on tracks for Robert Plant. Amanda Kramer is an arranger and keyboard player, recording and playing live with many artists including World Party, Lloyd Cole, 10,000 Maniacs and The Golden Palaminos. She is currently working on a classical project in LA and will be available in April. FYI, Chris Hughes can be contacted through this office. For more details please get in touch with Carole Davies at Positive* T: 01225 311661 F: 01225 482013 ^BACK UP^
Mackie's PR Manager Responds To "Gossip" In Last Newsletter Last week's edition of RPM Direct's beloved and widely read Newsletter included a bit of "gossip" about Mackie and some rumored 'theories' behind recent moves at the company. Like most gossip (and it was qualified as such), there turned out to be little truth behind the statements made and delivered to RPM Direct by an anonymous source. Kyle Ritland, Mackie's PR Manager, asked us if he could set the record straight. We readily agreed - you can find his reply here. May it put an end to any rumors circulating about the company. ^BACK UP^
Parkgate Residential Recording Studios Has Available Studio Time
Parkgate Studio would like you to know that they have studio time available starting now! Parkgate is equipped with Protools, Radar, Studer Analogue, NEVE VR60 and 5.1 Surround capabilities. In addition, the studio houses a massive selection of microphones and outboard equipment. For more information get in touch with Parkgate honcho Dan Priest on 01424 774810 or by visiting www.parkgatestudio.co.uk. ^BACK UP^
New Norah Jones Live DVD Produced By 5.1 Production Services Blue Note Records sought 5.1 Production Services expertise to produce the #1 selling DVD 'Norah Jones, Live in New Orleans' following her huge success on Grammy night. Surround mixing, compression and authoring were all performed at 5.1 Production Services award winning studios in West Los Angeles. The goal was to have the DVD available at retail worldwide on the Tuesday following the Grammy Awards. Having established a 24/7 operation with all the resources for mixing, mastering, graphics design, authoring, compression and quality control under one roof, 5.1 Production Services is in the perfect position to work on different assets simultaneously ensuring a timely delivery of product. The company has recently doubled capacity to serve the growing need for the DVD-Audio format. "We've grown accustomed to the quick turn around times required from the music and entertainment industries. We have the staff to react, and have built a very loyal customer base because they know they can count on us to respond immediately," said Bob Michaels, President of Production Services at 5.1 Entertainment. Recently, 5.1 Production Services was awarded Best Surround Mix, and Best Menu Design at the Surround Music Awards. This year marks tremendous growth for 10-year-old, Los Angeles based 5.1 Production Services, a division of the 5.1 Entertainment Group. As pioneers in DVD technology and 5.1 Surround Sound, 5.1 Production has produced and mixed over 180 DVD-Audio albums and was the first studio to produce DVD-Audio three years ago. The company has mixed and produced projects for companies including Warner Music Group, EMI, Capitol, Virgin, Interscope, Vagrant, Blue Note, Paramount Pictures, Fox Pictures, Sony Pictures, and Universal Music to name a few. 5.1 Production Services is a division of the 5.1 Entertainment Group, a vertically integrated music company which owns the immergent, Silverline, Electromatrix and Myutopia record labels, and 5.1 Music Publishing. The company is a recognized leader in the audio/visual production, release and marketing of music in the DVD format and has released the largest catalog of DVD music worldwide. ^BACK UP^
Joan Armatrading Returns With New Album, US Label & US Tour
Beloved singer/songwriter Joan Armatrading is back! One of the most enduring and consistently admired artists of the past few decades, Joan has returned with a sparkling new album, 'Lover's Speak'. Although it's been almost eight years since her last album ('95's best selling 'What's Inside'), Joan hasn't missed a beat with her strong set of fourteen all-new compositions. Armatrading is now signed to Denon in the US and 'Lover's Speak' is set to hit stores nationwide on March 25. Any doubts about Joan's masterful songwriting reputation are immediately dispelled as the first few notes of the wonderfully energetic title cut begin to play. Engaging, fresh, emotive and totally devoid of any trendiness or novelty, 'Lover's Speak' sounds totally contemporary and immaculately crafted. The songs effortlessly meld soul, blues and pop sensibilities into a distinctive mix that is unmistakably Armatrading. Joan is in absolute command of her skills having produced the recording and performed almost all of the instruments on the album-the sound of which is guaranteed to delight stalwart fans and garner new converts as well. Born in the West Indies on the island of St. Kitts and shortly thereafter relocating to England, Armatrading has always immersed herself in music and over the years has nurtured one of the most stunningly accomplished careers in pop music. From the first smash single "Love and Affection" released in the mid-70's, the accolades have not stopped showering upon this beloved artist over the course of 17 albums. Never less than critically acclaimed, Joan has performed with the best musicians, given command performances for world leaders, garnered countless artistic and sales awards and to top it all off, a slew of honorary and self-earned University degrees. With the release of 'Lover's Speak', Joan is completely re-energized to take the world stage again. She is currently planning a US tour to kick off in June that will take her around the country this summer. In the meantime, she'd like nothing better than to spread the word on the new project from her home base in London. For more information contact Kurt Nishimura (323) 931-7000 www.denonrecordsus.com ^BACK UP^
Josh Wink Is Tapped To Remix Forthcoming Gus Gus Single Icelandic Icelandic tech-pop collective GUS GUS have tapped club icon JOSH WINK to remix their next single "Desire". "Desire" appears on GUS GUS's critically acclaimed Attention CD (Underwater/Moonshine). A leading artist, DJ, producer and owner of the Ovum label, Josh Wink has consistently pushed the envelope of the cutting edge, while simultaneously releasing commercial singles year after year. In addition to GUS GUS, Wink has recently done remixes including Ladytron's "Blue Jeans", NO Doubts' "Hella Good", Radiohead's "Everything In It's Right Place" and Oakenfold's "Starry Eyed Surprise". Other remixes of note include Lenny Kravitz, Depeche Mode and Tweaker amongst many others. Wink's Ovum label will be releasing the highly anticipated Profound Sounds Volume 2 CD on April 27th in North America. This will be his first mix CD in three years and will feature two exclusive original Josh Wink productions. For more info, check out Joshwink.com, Gusgus.com, Waxploitation.com and Ovum-rec.com. ^BACK UP^
Artist & Producer Manager Jamie Talbot Joins Immortal Ent. Manager Jamie Talbot has joined Immortal Entertainment as an Associate Manager. He will be working closely with the existing roster that includes Fleetwood Mac, Boomkat, Everlast, Tommy Lee, Something Corporate, Skrape, Dilated Peoples, The Cult, Lucia, Alonzo Johnson, Aura as well as the new project by former G n' R members Slash, Duff and Matt. In addition, Talbot will be cultivating new talent opportunities for Immortal. He will continue to write his tipsheet/news column IN THE KNOW for the Music Business Registry. To reach Jamie contact (310) 582-8300 or email jtalbot@Immortalent.com. ^BACK UP^
Stewart Copeland Files Legal Suit Against Reunited 'Doors'
Stewart Copeland, the former drummer for seminal 80's/90's superband The Police, has filed a complaint against Doors founding members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger. Copeland, who was recruited by Manzarek and Krieger to be the drummer for a Doors reunion filed the complaint because they hired a replacement drummer. In the complaint, filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, Copeland claims breach of oral contract and seeks damages in excess of $1 million. The complaint asserts that Copeland's contributions to the reunion brought rave reviews and added credibility to the group. Copeland performed with Manzarek, Krieger, and singer Ian Astbury of The Cult at several dates over the last year, including Ontario, Canada; Fontana, California; and the House of Blues in Los Angeles. They also performed in Las Vegas and in live performance on NBC's Tonight Show. At a late January press event in Los Angeles, Copeland had been suspiciously replaced by drummer Ty Dennis. At the time, Manzarek commented that Copeland was recovering from an elbow injury he suffered when mountain biking a couple months earlier. When referring to upcoming live shows, he said "If Stewart can do it, that's fine. If he can't do it, Ty [Dennis] will do it." The band's original drummer, John Densmore, has also taken legal action against Manzarek and Krieger, seeking an injunction against them using the Doors name. At a February 7 Doors concert in Los Angeles, advertisements and merchandising read "The Doors 21st Century." Stay tuned... ^BACK U P^
Brief CALI Studio Updates: Burbank, Oakland and San Francisco
Ocean Studios of Burbank, CA recently welcomed back producer/engineer Mark Trombino who was in with Arista artists Gob for tracking and overdubbing. Mark came back again with Dreamworks' band My Chemical Romance to track and overdub new material. Ocean's Dean Nelson and Jason Cupp were assistant engineers. Producer Danny Saber and engineer Dave Jenkins came in to track basics for a new album by the band Prong. Ocean's Jason Cupp assisted. Back in December 2002, engineer/producer Sean Beavan and Pro-Tools engineer Critter were at Ocean with the group Kill Hanna, tracking their next Atlantic album. Ocean's Dean Nelson assisted. For more info go to www.oceanstudiosburbank.com
The Robert Cray Band is currently in pre-production in Studio 880's Studio B preparing for an upcoming album to be engineered by Mark Needham (Fleetwood Mac, Chris Isaak). Gospel star Kirk Franklin took a day out of his touring schedule to work on a remix project in Studio A; Chris Godbey engineered, Marco Martin assisted. Local indie artists, Viv, were in recently tracking basics for an upcoming album release - Adam Rossi produced, Reto Peter engineered. Several City of Oakland Politicos graced 880 with their presence including Mayor Jerry Brown, former Mayor Elihu Harris, and City Manager, Robert Bobb. The City spent two full days in Studio B and Studio C interviewing Oakland VIPs for a cable show aired in January discussing upcoming Mayorial Candidate and current Council President, Igancio de la Fuente. For more information contact Morganne Beck GM 880 Entertainment
San Francisco's Hyde Street Studios welcomed the return of Spearhead who has currently settled into Studio A mixing their latest record with Michael Franti producing, David Bianco engineering and Stephan Armstrong assisting. Groove monsters Sound Tribe Sector 9 recently finished tracking and mixing an outstanding batch of performances engineered by Charlie Beutter. Mark Kozelec of the Red House Painters continues his ongoing project with Aaron Prellwitz engineering. The Ordeal just completed a full length project in Studio A with Gabriel Shepard engineering. Also engineered by Gabriel Shepard was Mystic Tal, who traveled from Las Vegas to track and mix in Studio A. Grand Trine who continues their latest project in Studio A which is being engineered by Matt Kelley. Local band The Evening brought in Alex Newport to engineer their upcoming release which should hit the stores soon. For additional information, contact Jeff Cleland at or 415-441-8934 www.hydestreet.com
^BACK UP^RPM Direct Print Studio Directory On Pre-Sale, Order Yours Today! Looking for the ultimate studio directory that you can hold in your hands and share with your loved ones? RPM Direct is currently producing a print version of our new online studio directory for a January '04 release. But we're only printing a limited number so make sure you secure your copy today! All pre-sale orders will include a complimentary copy of RPM Direct's 2004 Studio Calendar so don't miss out! Please visit Directory Subscriptions for more information about how to pre-order your copy of our forthcoming 2004 International Studio Directory and how to become a subscriber to our online producer/engineer and studio directories.
Missing Out? Check Out The New RPM Direct Newsletter Archive Feel like you're missing out on what we do? Then visit the RPM Direct Newsletter Archive to catch up on reading you may have missed. If you'd like to browse our producer and recording studio directories but you aren't a subscriber, contact contact Jerimaya Grabher to request a password for access. ^BACK TO TOP^
Michael Andrews
Greg Archilla
Rob B./Da Loops
Rob "Fonksta" Bacon
Ball & Vauk
Bruce Brody
Warren Bruleigh
David Castell
Tracy Chisholm
Mike Clink
Jessica Corcoran
Jason Coreare
Andre Cymone
Lee De Carlo
Mike Denneen
EZI-CUT
Tom Frederikse
Tim Friese-Greene
Eric E. Garten
Eric O'Brien Garten
Global Communications
Dito Godwin
Nick Golden
Kelly Gray
Ray Hedges
Mike Hoffman
Ivan Ivan
Bob St. John
Juno Reactor
Rob Kirwan
Ko-Jo
Ken Lomas
Pete Lorimer
Pete Matthews
Gustavo Moratorio
Roli Mosimann
Eddy Offord
Jon P.
Dave (Deptford) Pine
Tony Pizarro
Jon Plum
Poetic
Prophecy Entertainment
Rickidy Raw
Tim Russell
Michael Schlesinger
Paul Schroeder
Malcolm Springer
Ed Stasium
Mike Stewart
Dave Swanson
Louie Teran
Eric "E.T." Thorngren
T-Ray
Victor Van Vugt
Simon Vinestock
Mark Wilkin (Solo)
Please send press releases and other interesting news items to News@rpmdirect.com
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