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SIGNING STORIES
NRG Pictures
Marc Broussard
Date Signed: September 2012
Label: Vanguard Records
Type of Music: Soul/Pop
Management: Eric Baker, ebaker@newbreedmm.com; Doug Shaw,
dshaw@wilspro.com
Booking: Lynn Cingari, lcingari@paradigmagency.com
Legal: J. Reid Hunter / Serling Rooks & Ferrra, LLP, reid@srfllp.com
Publicity: Lucy Sabini / Vanguard Records, lsabini@vanguardrecords.com
Web: http://marcbroussard.com
A&R: Kevin Welk
When a label makes a good impression on an artist, it can pay
large future dividends. Louisiana-based singer-songwriter Marc
Broussard witnessed that firsthand after working with Vanguard
Records briefly before being snapped up by Atlantic Records. “Years ago,
between my Island Def Jam contract and my deal with Atlantic, I signed a
one-off deal with Vanguard for my record S.O.S.: Save Our Soul,” the artist
explains. “I found that experience to be highly enjoyable. Unfortunately for
Vanguard, Atlantic stepped in and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I was
a little too young and näive to understand the implications of what I was
embarking on.”
“It was a natural fit for
me to re-approach
[Vanguard Records].”
When Broussard’s deal with Atlantic came to an end, he decided to
lookup Vanguard and see if they’d like to work together once more. “It was
a natural fit for me to re-approach those guys,” he recalls. “I knew that it had
been a great relationship during S.O.S. and they seemed eager to work with
me again.”
Once he was released from Atlantic earlier in the year, Broussard and
his team reached out to Vanguard, a New Jersey-based label. A deal was
reached in the fall.
One of the significant differences that Broussard notes about his experience
with Vanguard is that he feels more supported than with past labels.
“Recently I played three shows in the L.A. area,” the singer says. “Over the
course of those shows, the entire Vanguard West Coast staff was able to
see me perform. That’s not something you can say about every label. It’s a
much more focused staff. They don’t have 40 releases in a given quarter.
We’ll be able to maximize the effort of a smaller group of people because it’s
such a focused operation.”
A Life Worth Living (ALWL) is planned for release sometime in the spring.
It will be preceded by an EP that includes a number of Louisiana-centric
songs. A tour is being planned for when ALWL drops.
——Rob Putnam
Angie Johnson
Date Signed: 2012
Label: Sony Nashville
Type of Music: Country
Management: Craig Campbell
Booking: CAA Nashville
Legal: Michael Johnson / Katy Griffin Emkema & Colbert
Publicity: B. Craig Campbell / Campbell Entertainment Group / craig@
campbellentertainmentgroup.com
Web: http://officiealangiejohnson.com
A&R: Lisa Ramsey
Before following her dreams to be a country singer, Angie Johnson
enlisted in the US Air Force, to follow another dream. After serving in
the Middle East, she resumed her action of a different kind. She used
her GI bill to promote herself as a singer and started a Kickstarter campaign
to raise money to fund a professionally produced demo. “I raised $30,000 in
30 days,” says Johnson. “The next thing I knew, I had a call to meet with the
president of Sony Nashville!”
It wasn’t quite that instantaneous. A guitarist she knew from the scene had
mentioned Johnson’s name to Sony Nashville A&R executive, Lisa Ramsey,
who highly recommended the artist based on her online performances. In
a novel move, the label offered to match her Kickstarter funds to enable
Johnson to record and master an EP, which is now slated for a January
release.
“I raised $30,000 in 30 days.
The next thing I knew, I
had a call to meet with the
president of Sony Nashville!”
Her deal with the label includes other options, depending on the
performance of that release.
With success on Kickstarter, why go with a label? “The support of a major
label means that you can get your music out to so many more people. It
creates a much bigger impact to grow an audience,” Johnson says.
Media exposure is no stranger to Johnson. Before signing with Sony
Nashville, she appeared on CNN’s Headline News (HLN) network. She
also was a contestant on The Voice. “I learned how much it takes to put
on a television production. It didn’t expand my artistry, but it was a great
experience,” she says of major TV network exposure.
While in the Air Force, Johnson had the opportunity to perform at several
bases, which also expanded her repertoire. “We have to be diverse at those
performances, and be able to perform anything, from Rihanna to Journey,
and to play with different people. It’s a great way to gain experience.”
Johnson has also performed at several NFL games. “My military experience
is a big draw."
——Brett Bush
26 January 2013 www.musicconnection.com