MIKKY EKKO (unsigned, unpublished) -- For fans of Thom Yorke and Rufus Wainwright. This Nashville-based artist will showcase for industry insiders on April 2 at The Basement in Nashville.

SXSW DAY FOUR RECAP/HIGHLIGHTS - We hurt. But we marched forth into another day and night of music, booze and BBQ. Caught a bunch of signed artist this night, as we were partying with radio programmers and the (still) expense-card-holding radio promo peeps. White Lies and Razorlight at Stubb's, Cage The Elephant at Antones, and Pendulum at La Zona Rosa. Pendulum was the big winner this night. Everything after that was a blur.

SXSW DAY THREE RECAP/HIGHLIGHTS - We kicked things off on Day Three at the daytime performance by Dallas-based artist Johnny Lloyd Rollins. We'd seen him in the past, and this time around he was fully-plugged-in - VERY good stuff. Lots of publishers in the house from both the US and UK. After Johnny, we stumbled upon a really great SF-based group - Forrest Day. Think Matisyahu/System Of A Down/Sublime thrown into a bong and smoked. These guys are Alt-radio friendly - and still unsigned and unpublished. An early-evening set by Lex Land was awesome (although the sound in the venue/art gallery was horrific) - labels, managers, publishers, bookers - and Perez Hilton! - were in attendnace. We had a bunch of meetings with film/TV music supervisors after this, but managed to catch the tail end of The Bird And The Bee's set. Good times.

SXSW DAY TWO RECAP/HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday night was a bit rough on Team TALENTfilter, so we kept the schedule a bit light - the BMI brunch at the Four Seasons certainly helped cure the hangovers! Ed Harcourt sounded great during his daytime set, as did TALENTfilter fave Meiko (we noticed a bevvy of Alternative radio programmers in attendance KROQ, 91X, KEDJ) - not sure why considering she's more of a Triple A / Hot AC artist ...later in the evening, the place to be was The Parish, where many of the Hotel Cafe regulars performed (funny - three of the lady performers, Lenka, Holly Conlan, and Laura Jansen, wore black & white polka-dotted dresses not knowing the others would wear the same!) Sara Bareilles and The Proclaimers were the 'suprise guests'.

SXSW DAY ONE RECAP/HIGHLIGHTS - Several publishing companies were out to see the daytime Gavin Castleton set...Lots of labels/publishers out to see The Temper Trap (Sony/ATV, MySpace Records, Glassnote, Chrysalis, Epic, Interscope, Bicycle Music among others) as well as radio programmers from KROQ Los Angeles, KUSF San Francisco and 91X San Diego ...Oh Land played an interesting set as well...

More notes as we get deeper into the madness!

OH LAND (unsigned outside Denmark, unpublished, no management) -- Nanna Øland Fabricius, who goes by the name Oh Land, is a 23 year-old Copenhagen-based artist creating some pretty original material. Her debut album, Fauna, has been released in Denmark only through indie Fake Diamond Records. Oh Land will showcase in Austin during SXSW at Pangaea on Wednesday, March 18 at 9:00PM. Shows in L.A. and N.Y. to follow. "Heavy Eyes" is a hot track. Check it when you can!

OH SNAP!
HERE'S THE 3RD ANNUAL TALENTFILTER "SXSW SHOWS TO SEE" LIST!

OK. ..So if you're a regular reader, you remember that we blew it last year and didn't get a list up in time. So it's really the '2nd annual'. Whatevz. But fret not, friends - this year we're being thorough!

Now ...Not including the 14 million 'non-sanctioned' daytime parties offering free beer, handjobs and indie rock, there are over 1800 bands performing at sanctioned showcases in Austin this year. Seriously too much to try and conquer (although those with strong hearts can grab the big ol' list of free shows from our friend Scott Perry at http://www.newmusictipsheet.com).

This year, we took every other 'industry insider list', had conversations with those in the know about shows on their personal 'must-see' lists, and compiled a filtered (heh) concentrated list of all the showcases you NEED to be at. Even if the bands are already signed/published, there will be some people there that you'll want to bump into for networking purposes, etc.

Have a look, and feel free to cut and paste and share with friends!

ONE MORE THING: If you're an artist (or represent an artist) that we've ALREADY FEATURED IN THE PAST (no newbies for this please) are we missed you on our list, E-mail us at TALENTfilter@gmail.com and we'll stick you on here.

Wednesday, March 18
1:45 p.m.	Pete & the Pirates	Red House Pizzeria	1917 Manor Rd.
4:30 p.m.	Asteroids Galaxy Tour	Maggie Mae's	(323 E 6th St) (21+)
5:30 p.m.	Meiko	Austin Convention Center	(500 E Cesar Chavez St) (All Ages)
6:00 p.m.	Mother Mother	Canadian Blast BBQ	Brush Square East tent
8:00 p.m.	The Boat People	Buffalo Billiards	(201 E 6th St) (21+)
8:00 p.m.	Ulrich Schnauss	Elysium	(705 Red River St) (21+)
8:00 p.m.	Edie Sedgwick	Wave	(408 E 6th St) (21+)
9:00 p.m.	Oh Land	Pangaea	(409 Colorado St) (21+)
10:00 p.m.	The Temper Trap	Dirty Dog Bar	(505 E 6th St.)
11:00 p.m.	Roll The Tanks	The Music Gym Patio	(815 E 6th St) (21+)
11:30 p.m.	Haley Bonar	Victorian Room @ Driskill	(604 Brazos St) (21+)
11:45 p.m.	Glasvegas	Vice	(302 E 6th St) (21+)
12:00 a.m.	Eli Paperboy Reed / True Loves	Continental Club	(1315 S Congress Ave) (21+)
12:00 a.m.	Aqualung	Latitude 30	(512 San Jacinto St) (21+)
12:00 a.m.	Gavin Castleton	Prague	(422 B Congress Ave) (21+)
12:00 a.m.	Annuals	Radio Room Patio	(508 E 6th St) (All Ages)
12:00 a.m.	Blind Pilot	Submerged	(333 E 2nd St) (21+)
12:30 a.m.	Echo and The Bunnymen	Emo's Main Room	(603 Red River St) (All Ages)
1:00 a.m.	Ida Maria	Buffalo Billiards	(201 E 6th St) (21+)
1:15 a.m.	Casiotone for the Painfully Alone	Beauty Bar Backyard	(617 E 7th St) (21+)
Thursday, March 19
2:40 p.m.	Loquat	Habana Calle 6	(706 E. 6th St.)
4:00 p.m.	The Jakes	PureVolume House	(323 E. 2nd St.)
5:15 p.m.	Meiko	Cedar Door	(201 Brazos St.)
8:00 p.m.	Castledoor	The Independent	(501 N IH 35) (21+)
8:00 p.m.	Holly Conlan	The Parish	(214B E 6th St) (21+)
8:00 p.m.	Cory Chisel	St David's Church	(304 E 7th St) (All Ages)
8:20 p.m.	Gabriella Cilmi	La Zona Rosa	(612 W 4th St) (All Ages)
8:30 p.m.	Anya Marina	The Parish	(214B E 6th St) (21+)
9:00 p.m.	The Kin	18th Flr, Hilton Garden Inn	(500 N IH 35) (18+)
9:00 p.m.	Wild Beasts	Latitude 30	(512 San Jacinto St) (21+)
9:00 p.m.	Tina Dico	live.create. lounge	(503 Neches St) (21+)
9:30 p.m.	Thao Nguyen	The Parish	(214B E 6th St) (21+)
10:00 p.m.	N.A.S.A.	Emo's Annex	(600 Red River St) (All Ages)
10:00 p.m.	Birds Of Tokyo	Friends	(208 E 6th St) (21+)
10:00 p.m.	The Henry Clay People	The Independent	(501 N IH 35) (21+)
10:00 p.m.	Jim Bianco	The Parish	(214B E 6th St) (21+)
11:00 p.m.	Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip	Aces Lounge	(222 E 6th St) (21+)
11:00 p.m.	Emily Wells	Buffalo Billiards	(201 E 6th St) (21+)
11:00 p.m.	Ed Harcourt	Elysium	(705 Red River St) (21+)
11:00 p.m.	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour	Emo's Annex	(600 Red River St) (All Ages)
11:00 p.m.	Edward Sharpe / Magnetic Zeros	The Parish Downstairs	(214 E 6th St) (21+)
11:00 p.m.	Meiko	The Parish	(214B E 6th St) (21+)
11:10 p.m.	Whole Wheat Bread	Austin Music Hall	(208 Nueces St) (All Ages)
11:10 p.m.	Iglu & Hartly	La Zona Rosa	(612 W 4th St) (All Ages)
11:30 p.m.	Greg Laswell	The Parish	(214B E 6th St) (21+)
12:00 a.m.	Blind Pilot	Club de Ville	(900 Red River St) (21+)
12:00 a.m.	Little Boots	Emo's Annex	(600 Red River St) (All Ages)
12:45 a.m.	Ida Maria	Maggie Mae's	(323 E 6th St) (21+)
1:00 a.m.	Camp Lo	Karma Lounge	(119 W 8th St) (21+)
1:00 a.m.	Hockey	Maggie Mae's Rooftop	(323 E 6th St) (21+)
Friday, March 20
1:00 p.m.	Johnny Lloyd Rollins	Bayou Lounge	(500 E. 6th St. A)
1:00 p.m.	Little Boots	Emo's Jr.	(603 Red River)
3:15 p.m.	Late Of The Pier	Cedar St. Courtyard	(208 W. 4th St.)
3:30 p.m.	The Tender Box	Rusty Spurs	(403 E. 7th St.)
2:00 p.m.	Meiko	Troubadour Saloon	(503 E. 6th St.)
2:00 p.m.	Madi Diaz	Six Lounge	(117 W. 4th St.)
7:45 p.m.	Pete & The Pirates	Cedar Street Courtyard	(208 W 4th St) (21+)
8:00 p.m.	Classixx	Beauty Bar	(617 E 7th St) (21+)
9:00 p.m.	Lex Land	live.create. lounge	(503 Neches St) (21+)
9:00 p.m.	Loquat	Wave Rooftop	(408 E 6th St) (21+)
10:00 p.m.	Madi Diaz	Victorian Room @ Driskill	(604 Brazos St.)
10:00 p.m.	Amazing Baby	Emo's Main Room	(603 Red River St) (All Ages)
10:00 p.m.	You Me At Six	Latitude 30	(512 San Jacinto St) (21+)
10:00 p.m.	Metallica (shh)	Stubb's	(801 Red River St) (All Ages)
10:00 p.m.	Solange / Hadley Street Dreams	Austin Convention Center	(500 E Cesar Chavez St) (All Ages)
11:00 p.m.	Tricky	Austin Music Hall	(208 Nueces St) (All Ages)
11:00 p.m.	Wheat	Maggie Mae's	(323 E 6th St) (21+)
11:30 p.m.	Glasvegas	La Zona Rosa	(612 W 4th St) (All Ages)
12:00 a.m.	DEVO	Austin Music Hall	(208 Nueces St) (All Ages)
12:00 a.m.	Lady Sovereign	Club de Ville	(900 Red River St) (21+)
12:30 a.m.	Asher Roth	Club de Ville	(900 Red River St) (21+)
12:45 a.m.	Primal Scream	La Zona Rosa	(612 W 4th St) (All Ages)
1:00 a.m.	Late Of The Pier	Aces Lounge	(222 E 6th St) (21+)
1:00 a.m.	Dredg	Buffalo Billiards	(201 E 6th St) (21+)
Saturday, March 21
2:00 p.m.	Edward Sharpe / Magnetic Zeroes	PureVolume House	(323 E. 2nd St.)
3:30 p.m.	Meiko	Gibson Showroom	(3601 S. Congress)
3:30 p.m.	The Courteneers	Latitude 30	(512 San Jacinto)
4:00 p.m.	Sonia Leigh	Touche	(417 E. 6th St.)
4:00 p.m.	The Swear	Dizzy Rooster	(306 E. 6th St.)
5:00 p.m.	Echo and The Bunnymen	Bat Bar, Convention Center	(500 E Cesar Chavez St) (All Ages)
5:30 p.m.	Lady Sovereign	Peckerhead's	(402 E. 6th St.)
7:30 p.m.	Lex Land	The Ale House	(310 E 6th St (Alley Entrance)) (21+)
7:40 p.m.	White Lies	Stubb's	(801 Red River St) (All Ages)
8:00 p.m.	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour	Maggie Mae's	(323 E 6th St) (21+)
9:00 p.m.	Samantha Crain	The Ale House	(310 E 6th St (Alley Entrance)) (21+)
9:00 p.m.	The Break And Repair Method	Maggie Mae's Gibson Room	(512 Trinity St) (21+)
9:00 p.m.	Iglu & Hartly	Vice	(302 E 6th St) (21+)
10:00 p.m.	Asher Roth	Vice	(302 E 6th St) (21+)
10:30 p.m.	Elizabeth & The Catapult	The Ale House	(310 E 6th St (Alley Entrance)) (21+)
10:55 p.m.	B.o.B	Austin Music Hall	(208 Nueces St) (All Ages)
11:00 p.m.	Longview	Cedar Street Courtyard	(208 W 4th St) (21+)
11:00 p.m.	The Knux	Vice	(302 E 6th St) (21+)
11:20 p.m.	The Crystal Method	La Zona Rosa	(612 W 4th St) (All Ages)
11:30 p.m.	Buddy	The Ale House	(310 E 6th St (Alley Entrance)) (21+)
12:00 a.m.	Solange / Hadley Street Dreams	Buffalo Billiards	(201 E 6th St) (21+)
12:00 a.m.	Dredg	Emo's Jr	(603 Red River St) (All Ages)
12:00 a.m.	Echo and The Bunnymen	Rusty Spurs	(405 E 7th St) (21+)
12:05 a.m.	Brian Wright / Waco Tragedies	The Ale House	(310 E 6th St (Alley Entrance)) (21+)
12:30 a.m.	Pedestrian	The Ale House	(310 E 6th St (Alley Entrance)) (21+)
12:45 a.m.	Pendulum	La Zona Rosa	(612 W 4th St) (All Ages)
1:00 a.m.	The Used	Cedar Door	(201 Brazos St) (18+)
1:00 a.m.	Fair to Midland	Maggie Mae's Rooftop	(323 E 6th St) (21+)
1:00 a.m.	Whole Wheat Bread	The Parish Downstairs	(214 E 6th St) (21+)
1:00 a.m.	The Crimea	The Rio	(301 San Jacinto Blvd) (21+)

LABEL BUZZ SURROUNDS TALENTFILTER ARTIST -- Our secret spies tell us that 22 year-old singer/songwriter/pianist Chloe Leighton, first tipped here three months ago, was flown to NY this past week by one major label to to showcase for the big shots... This soulful, jazzified artist will perform again in April at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, but don't be surprised if you hear about one of the other three majors setting up private showcases of their own. This one could get insteresting!

UPCOMING L.A. AREA SHOWS OF NOTE:

Mar 8 -- Tina Dico, Quincy Coleman - The Roxy
Mar 12 -- Castledoor - The Echo
Mar 13 -- Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - Echoplex
Mar 14 -- Katie Costello - Hotel Cafe
Mar 15 -- Meiko, Emily Wells - Saint Rocke
Mar 16 -- Skid Row - House Of Blues
Mar 17 -- Skid Row - Key Club
Mar 31 -- Fitz & The Tantrums - Hotel Cafe

Apr 11 -- Blind Pilot - Spaceland
Apr 13 -- The Henry Clay People - Spaceland
Apr 14 -- Michelle Featherstone - Hotel Cafe
Apr 16 -- Chloe Leighton - Hotel Cafe

RY JARRED (unsigned, unpublished) -- Ry is a Venice, CA-based singer-songwriter - he definitely sits at the same table in the cafeteria with Bon Iver, M. Ward and Citizen Cope. Good vibe - synch-friendly as all get-out, and we think KCRW will be ALL OVER THIS GUY in the coming months. Ry performs at Air Conditioned in Venice on Sunday night (March 8). Expect some weasels in the house. Check out the video for his song "New Glow":

TALENTFILTER ARTIST MOVES FROM INDIE TO MAJOR LABEL! -- Los Angeles band The Airborne Toxic Event, first written about here back in January 2008, have been scooped up from Shout! Factory/Majordomo to Island/IDJMG. Singer Mikel Jollett tells L.A. blog Buzz Bands, "It's a great deal, we're pumped up." And what of the folks at Majordomo? "Majordomo has a really good stake in this thing — they were very much a partner," Jollett said. "It's a good situation for everyone involved."

Congrats to the band (and the folks at Shout! Factory, Majordomo, and HITS Magazine / The MGMT Company!)

A QUESTION FROM THE MAIL BIN -- From time to time we get E-mails from industry folks regarding the artists we write about - sometimes we get tips, sometimes we get comments about the acts we've featured - and sometimes we get general questions about the state of the biz. A note we received tonight we feel deserves a prompt response, so here it is along with our answer!


Hey TALENTfilter,

I've really enjoyed your blog, and appreciated the support that you've been giving independent artists.

I currently work with a small artists' collective based out of Portland, Oregon.

We believe that creative marketing in a digital age is enabling more and more artists to become what we like to think of as "middle class musicians" (something much harder to imagine ten years ago). But reading your blog, I've come to wonder if perhaps the day of record companies will never end (and if such myopic independence, as in avoiding all record companies, might be counterproductive).

Considering the fact that many of your featured artists go on and accept contracts from record companies (be them small or large ones) I would like to know what your opinion is on the issue. Or even what those artists have reported since about their experience.

Do you think it's really still worthwhile to sign with a label?

Honestly, reflecting over the success of our bands this past year, I've come to appreciate the flexibility and freedom that comes with being unsigned... but I've also come to wonder how much more meaningful their musical experience might be if supported by more financial capital and greater industry networking (the two things that labels seem to offer).

Sorry for my ramblings... but such esoteric debate no longer seems confined to the field of academia, but rather towards artists who struggle on for the sake of music and for the sake of community. So your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks for all you do!

Carl Hoiland

Canoe Music:

An Artists Collective

http://www.canoemusic.net

Hi Carl - thanks for reaching out - and thanks for checking out the blog.

The "day of record companies" isn't going to end any time soon, but those record companies won't be structured in their current form for much longer.

Record companies are in the business of selling, as we heard one label President say, "shiny round things that nobody wants to buy anymore." That's their business. Selling something that people either don't want, or can get for free.

Obviously they won't be able to keep the lights on with that model much longer.

The labels are realizing (ridiculously slowly) that they have to participate in other sources of an artist's revenue in order to make money. Problem is, they're still staffed up the way they've always been staffed, so when they try to justify participating in, say, an artist's publishing revenue, they can't, since they're unable to contribute anything of value in that area. They're simply not set up as a publishing company! Same with merch. Same with touring.

Once record companies staff up to provide service in all the areas they're looking to participate in revenue-wise, those pesky 360 deals will look a bit more fair (Side note: Don't believe everything you read - you can still get a fair-ish deal from a label - they're not all 'required' to do 360 deals - if they want you badly enough, they'll play ball).

Anyway, if an artist is currently trying to figure out whether to partner with a record label, they first need to think about what they're looking for the label to do for them. What is the end-game?

If it's simply to get their music into as many earholes as possible, then working with a major label is still certainly a great way (possibly still the best way) to go. They've still got the best
relationships at radio, video, traditional retail and traditional press. They've still got their higher-profile acts to use as leverage. They've still got checkbooks.

A smart artist (or manager) knows that while the artist might never see a dime from record sales, all of the exposure and awareness-building that's happening as a result of the label's efforts IS, actually, increasing the artist's profile. So their tour guarantees go up. More people come see them live. More people buy their T-shirts. More music supervisors and ad agencies want to license their music. More earholes are filled with the music.

Yes, the artist may have to give up their precious masters, but as recorded music becomes less and less valuable, honestly? Let 'em have the stinkin' masters - they're not gonna be worth anything anyway!


Cheers,

Team TALENTfilter

Feel free to hit us with comments - TALENTfilter@gmail.com

LOS ANGELES / NEW YORK RADIO NEWS -- Watch for CBS-owned Talker KLSX to flip to a Top 40 format beginning next month in what appears to be an attempt to battle Clear Channel-owned KIIS. Is CBS planning to make a similar move in New York? Active Rocker WXRK (92.3 K-Rock) and AC outlet WWFS (Fresh 102.7) are the weakest links in the company's NY chain. Our money is on their flipping Fresh 102.7. Makes sense, no? WRXP, the Triple A station in New York is gonna go away sooner than later, so CBS can just tweak WXRK's music to compensate for disenfranchised Triple A listeners, while using the Fresh 102.7 stick to battle Clear Channel's Top 40 WHTZ (Z100). More news as it happens!

(***Editors note: Looks like that format flip at KLSX Los Angeles happened sooner than we'd tipped! To that, be on the lookout for some changes/announcements in the Programming departments at other CBS outlets [ie: KROQ Los Angeles]***)

TALENTfilter ARTIST UPDATE -- Miranda Lee Richards' new album, Light Of X, was released in the U.S. through Nettwerk Records last week - it's currently a Top 5 Singer/Songwriter album on iTunes (See? We TOLD you iTunes would finally wisen up and change the Folk category to Singer/Songwriter!) ...Miranda is doing a monthly residency at Spaceland in Los Angeles.

L.A. goth-rock outfit Dommin, first tipped to you in February 2007 and signed to Roadrunner Records in June 2008, finally have a date set for their debut album's release - on May 12, Love Is Gone will hit stores Stateside. Watch a teaser video HERE.

Unsigned/unpublished singer/songwriter/pianist Michelle Featherstone (tipped to you in June 2008) will celebrate the self-release of her new album titled Blue Bike on February 28 at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. It will be available digitally soon thereafter. Michelle has more of her songs placed in films and TV shows than any artist on your label. Why are you sleeping on this girl? Wakey wakey, genuises!!

Gavin Castleton, first tipped in July 2007, has had his new single "Coffeelocks" played on influential Los Angeles radio station KCRW almost every morning for the past two weeks. "Coffeelocks" is available now digitally through indie label Five One. Gavin is still unsigned and unpublished. He's a prolific songwriter who has self-released 7 solo albums in the last four years. He's also put out 7 albums with his other band Gruvis Malt, and 2 with another side project, Ebu Gogo. Scroll down a bit to watch the video of Gavin recording a remake of the Prince classic "Nothing Compares 2 U".

Unsigned/unpublished Irish singer/songwriter/guitarist Paul Casey, tipped in April 2007, has had several of his songs recently licensed for U.S. TV shows - the latest of which, a new track, titled "Blow Away The Clouds", will appear on MTV's "The Real World" on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Check out unsigned/unpublished NY artist Goot, tipped here in February 2007, finally getting some MySpace love - a feature on the front of the MySpace Music page - good morning!

AMANDA GHOST NAMED PRESIDENT OF EPIC RECORDS - She'll join the label on Feb. 16 and fill the opening made when Charlie Walk left in December 2008. Ghost comes from the music side of things, having been a Grammy-nominated songwriter and a performer; she's worked with Beyonce, James Blunt, Jordin Sparks, Kanye West, Shakira and Jay-Z and released her debut solo album Ghost Stories on Warner Bros. in 2000, as well as other records in the U.K. on her own label, Plan A Records.

According to our sources, it's possible that almost half of the current roster could be dropped, and there could be further house-cleaning, staff-wise, in the A&R department.

MUSIC DIRECTOR AT WRXP NEW YORK RESIGNS -- Bryan Schock, MD and on-air personality at Triple A WRXP New York, leaves the building to relocate back to southern California for personal reasons. Schock programmed Alternative 91X San Diego for many years prior to the move to NY. Does he know something we don't about Emmis' plans for the New York signal? The ratings have been horrible since they've signed on ...Stay tuned! We wish the best of luck to Mr. Schock - he's one of the good ones.

WHAT'S UP AT BUZZNET? After laying off more than 10% of its workforce before the holidays, some more have left the building this past week. Jeezus.

INTERSCOPE LAYS OFF 75 STAFFERS TODAY -- That's the unconfirmed report we're getting - very quietly, 75 folks in various departments were handed pink slips. Not good.

KORDA MARSHALL RELAUNCHES INFECTIOUS RECORDS -- (ripped straight from Music Week) -- Marshall, who founded Infectious in 1994, has teamed up with his one-time business partner, Mushroom Records founder Michael Gudinski and music, theatre and sports entrepreneur Michael Watt, who have both taken a significant shareholding in the new company.

The first signing to Infectious Records are Australian band The Temper Trap, who are signed in Australia to Gudinski’s Liberation Music.

Marshall, who left Warner Music in October 2008, says “I’m incredibly excited about going back to running an independent label. These are really interesting times for the music industry, which continues to evolve and although there are still big challenges to overcome I believe there are fantastic opportunities for labels who are willing to embrace new ideas and new ways of working with artists.”

In addition to the label Marshall plans to launch music publishing and artist management arms.

Marshall has also hired former Infectious Records executives Pat Carr of Remote Control and Mirelle Davis of Wind Up Bird as consultants to oversee General Management and International Marketing respectively for the new company. He has also engaged Robert Horsfall and Mike Skeet’s teams at Sound Advice to handle the company’s legal and financial affairs.

UPCOMING L.A. SHOWS OF NOTE

Jan 26 -- Bangkok 5 - Roxy
Jan 28 -- Astra Heights - Viper Room
Jan 29 -- Holly Conlan - Hotel Cafe
Feb 2 -- Aushua - Silverlake Lounge
Feb 4 -- Johnny Lloyd Rollins (early 7PM) - Hotel Cafe
Feb 4 -- Little Boots (late) - Spaceland
Feb 10 -- Mark Lanegan - Troubadour
Feb 11 -- Castaneda - Club Moscow (Boardners)
Feb 12 -- Jonneine Zapata - Silverlake Lounge
Feb 18 -- Castaneda - Club Moscow (Boardners)
Feb 21 -- Meiko (w/ Joshua Radin) - Henry Fonda

\m/ \m/

Mar 16 -- Skid Row - House Of Blues
Mar 17 -- Skid Row - Key Club

REBECCA JORDAN (unsigned, unpublished) -- If Corinne Bailey Rae had a smarter, cuter, hippy-dippy L.A.-based cousin, it'd be Rebecca Jordan. She's self-funded and self-released her debut EP, The Trouble With Fiction, and the video of her take on Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" is currently being featured on mtvU's "The Freshmen" program. Check her MySpace page to hear other songs from the EP - we like "This Town" and "Hey Kid."

Side note: Rebecca (who also sometimes spells her name Rebekah), wrote Kelly Clarkson's song "Beautiful Disaster."

Peep the "Dreams" video here:

LOS ANGELES ALTERNATIVE RADIO SUPPORTING BABY BANDS - L.A.-based TALENTfilter band Iglu & Hartly, who we first reported on in early 2008 (and have since signed with Mercury in the UK and Universal Republic in the U.S.), have their first single, "In This City" officially added into regular rotation on L.A. Alt-outlet KROQ. As there is no 'official' add date set, this is a huge score - and will more than likely make the Uni Republic folks rush the single to the rest of the Alternative radio panel. Woo hoo!

Indie 103-1 Los Angeles has been heavily supporting Brooklyn-based Amazing Baby as of late. Their song "Head Dress" is in a solid all-daypart rotation. While the band's MySpace page states that they're signed to "psilocybe", we know that the announcement of a major label signing is coming shortly.

TALENTFILTER UNSIGNED ARTIST UPDATE - Some of the artists we've written about on the blog are steadily building some traction on their own without the help of a record label - here's a bit of an update:


HOLLY CONLAN (unsigned, unpublished) had her song "OK" featured on this week's episode of "90210" - another one of her tracks, "You Are Goodbye" on this week's episode. A regular performer at L.A.'s Hotel Cafe, her holiday track was included on the venue's Hotel Cafe Presents: Winter Songs compilation (Epic) - she'll perform at the Hotel Cafe on January 28. KCRW Los Angeles loves her, iTunes loves her ('single of the week' this summer) - you should too.

GAVIN CASTLETON (unpublished), signed to uber-indie Five One Records, recently recorded (and videotaped) a remake of the Prince classic "Nothing Compares 2 U" which is f**king mind-blowing - this YouTube link was forwarded to us by a manager:

N@th1ng C@mpare$2U (cover) live


It won't be released, but it'll certainly help create awareness of Gavin as an artist. His album titled Home will be released by Five One in mid-February, and the first single, "Coffeelocks", will be serviced to Alternative Specialty radio this week. Hear "Coffeelocks" here.

Eighteen year-old Hermosa Beach singer/songwriter KATIE COSTELLO (unsigned, unpublished) has moved to the east coast - several labels including Jive and Atlantic have shown serious interest. Katie has dates on both coasts posted on her MySpace page.





JOHNNY LLOYD ROLLINS (unsigned, unpublished) has picked up a significant amount of label interest since we wrote about him after last year's incredible performance at Sundance - he'll be in Los Angeles meeting with labels and publishers in February, and has a show confirmed at the Hotel Cafe on February 4. Expect multiple majors in attendance.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! While you're recovering over the weekend, take a sec to mark these dates on your calendar - we'll have some unsigned artist updates, industry nooz and new acts to tip you to during the week:

Jan 5 -- Low Stars (and Sarah Bareilles but shhh) - Hotel Cafe
Jan 9 -- Chloe Leighton - Hotel Cafe
Jan 15 -- Meiko - Hotel Cafe
Jan 28 -- Astra Heights - Viper Room
Feb 4 -- Johnny Lloyd Rollins - Hotel Cafe

Seems the bookers at every other venue in Los Angeles aside from the Hotel Cafe forgot about bands for January! Yikes.

A&R COMINGS AND GOINGS... Sadly, this is less about comings and more about goings. Several A&R staffers were let go this week as part of a major restructuring at Epic Records US -- Andy Gershon, Jeff Wooding, along with young guns Daniel Werner and Seth Cassel have exited... Keith Naftaly is also rumored to be leaving before year's end. At MySpace Records, A&R exec Jon Pikus has exited... Rumorers are rumoring that there will be a shakeup in the Atlantic Records A&R department soon as well, as new A&R chief Pete Ganbarg could soon trim the fat from a rather large A&R team. Also, what's up at Downtown? On a happier note, Brad Aarons just joined Warner Chappell as VP A&R.

(*More news - Jeff Aldrich has been let go from Warner Bros. Rumor has it he'll head to NY to take a position with Jive. Are there more layoffs ahead at WB? We hear there will be more before the end of the year*)

CHLOE LEIGHTON (unsigned) -- 22 year-old singer/songwriter/pianist Chloe Leighton has become the #1 Unsigned Jazz Artist on MySpace. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Chloe has spent time living in Paris and now calls Los Angeles her home. It's still very early days for Ms. Leighton, but she's got a number of really well-put-together songs ...Norah Jones-meets-Sara Bareilles. Standout tracks featured on her MySpace page include "Chocolate Cake" and "If You Only Knew".

Chloe will spend the rest of the year updating her MySpace page, getting new photos done, and will continue to write and record. She's got a publishing deal with HoriPro, but she's available for worldwide signing and licensing.