Universal Music Enterprises Inks Label Deal With Andy Gould’s T-Boy Records
Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) has joined forces with veteran rock manager Andy Gould to form a new label, T-Boy Records, which will serve as an umbrella label releasing new music and albums from established iconic hard-rock bands with major followings. It was announced today by UMe President/CEO Bruce Resnikoff and Gould. The first T-Boy signings will be announced shortly, with releases scheduled for later this spring and summer.
Gould, who currently heads his own Spectacle Entertainment Group, has managed Rob Zombie since his days in White Zombie. Gould’s track record includes sales exceeding fifteen million worldwide and seven Grammy nominations with Zombie including securing deals for Zombie to become one of only a handful of people to have unprecedented success for six feature films as the writer and director. Gould has also co-managed such acts as Linkin Park (with Rob McDermott), Pantera (with Walter O’Brien) and Guns N’ Roses (with Irving Azoff). The label is named after his first job in England as a “tea boy,” fetching cups of tea for legendary Beatles producer George Martin and his renowned AIR London Studio team.
“We have had a great deal of success in the past with Rob Zombie,” explains Gould about his decision to take the new venture to UMe. “We want to sign rock bands with brand names that do good business on the road, and have been underserved by the major label system. The idea I had arose out of discussions with the other managers of major hard-rock acts who all felt their artists could benefit from an improved label experience. We’re looking to super-serve this niche audience, which is tremendously loyal, and is often even larger internationally than here in the States.”
Specializing in marketing catalog, UMe President/CEO Bruce Resnikoff is used to promoting music with a brand-focused philosophy. “Over the years, we’ve shifted our strategy away from being a traditional catalog label into a branding and marketing company. Andy has his finger on the pulse of bands that have a huge touring base that can sell a great deal of music in both the audio and video formats. This music is a brand in and of itself. Our expertise is in finding the connection between those brands and the consumer. It’s about taking a talent we have here and using Andy’s expertise to identify the right brands and make the right records in that area. There are a limited amount of label outlets for this kind of iconic hard rock. It’s about taking new music to those fans, while at the same time expanding that audience base to a new group of buyers.”
Gould is also looking to be active in licensing his catalog to films, TV and commercials, stating, “I want to be a one-stop shop for metal and hard rock, whether they’re putting together compilation albums like 20 Greatest Rock Hits or the soundtrack to the next Iron Man movie.”
T-Boy Records will give the bands they sign their own labels, and merely serve as the parent company, coordinating promotion, marketing, social media, licensing and publicity through UMe. Added Gould: “I can bring my expertise as a manager knowing what these bands want, which is to know someone at the label is looking out for them. The major record companies are no longer providing these kinds of services. UMe under the direction of Bruce Resnikoff was the number one catalog label for 2012 with the most number of charting hits according to Billboard. UMe has taken several albums to the top of the Billboard charts and currently has the No. 3 album in the country. This kind of hard work and proven success is what I want for my bands.”
Source: Universal Music
