Our Favorite Signing Stories of the Year

admits. “I was like, ‘I think I should hit these guys up!’” Prosthetic’s A&R rep Steve Joh confessed he was a fan who pre-ordered the album based on friends’ recommendations. Bretsprecher seized the moment and sent Joh a Dropbox link of the finished album. Not long after, Prosthetic drafted Fires in the Distance a three-album contract.

Before signing, the group consulted with a contract attorney and a signed band to look over the offer. Explains Bretsprecher, “If the label wants to sign you, you’re not gonna turn them off by asking questions or understanding it. A contract in its nature is a commitment. And while you may be excited in the moment, I think it’s really important to take a step back. ... It’s one of the most exciting signatures you could put on a piece of paper, but I think it’s all the more important to keep yourself grounded and level, so everybody involved in that contract is getting what they’re looking to get out of it.” •

CHIKA Label: Warner Records Type of Music: Rap/R&B Management: Elena Awbrey - Tiger Eye Management Booking: Caroline Yim - CAA Legal: Julian Petty - Warner Records Publicity: Aishah White - Warner Records Web: officialchika.com A&R: Chris Morris and Norva Denton - Warner Records

Los Angeles-based Alabama transplant Jane Chika Oranika was determined to pursue music since childhood. She taught herself guitar, took piano lessons, and shared cover songs on YouTube from age nine. Eventually she earned a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music.

A 2016 post, following Donald Trump’s election, brought 17,000 followers and her video blasting Kanye West’s support of the president also went viral. “Once you have an audience,” she says, “you need to understand why they followed you,” and she continually challenged herself to keep writing and improving her craft.

Chika’s confidence led her to the Calvin Klein #MyCalvins campaign in Spring 2019, followed by the single, “No Squares.” Performances at Coachella and on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! came soon afterward. She then toured Los Angeles, visiting labels to find the best fit, which turned out to be Warner Records. She knew what she wanted and an agreement was crafted around creative license and artistic support.

“There is power in building your brand,” Chika says, “especially when it comes to getting signed, because the artist development is done. There is a mutual respect and you will get a fairer deal simply because they assess the fact that you could do this by yourself, so if you’re going to do it with them, they had better make it worth your while.” •

BLOOD FIRE AND RAINWATER Label: Redact Records/Universal Music Group Band Members: Jack Rainwater, guitar, vocals; Tony Dauley, drums, percussion Type of Music: Blues/Rock Publicity: Amy B. Taylor, delilahentertain ment@gmail.com Web: redactrecords.com

A&R: Christopher Haley The 2020 Redact Records release Don’t Hoodoo Me by Blood Fire and Rainwater is not singer-songwriter-guitarist Jack Rainwater’s first rodeo. The Seattle-based band, which also features drummer Tony Dauley, delivers raw and vitriolic blues-rock with road-tested bravado. Both Rainwater and Dauley have honed their craft in nightclubs and dive bars since the early ‘80s. “I knew Tony through the rockabilly and car club event scene,” says Rainwater.

Rainwater partnered with long-time friend and Redact Records label head Christopher Haley. When he began recording tracks at Haley’s studio he had no idea what direction the music would take him. “I was going through a breakup and Chris said, ‘I bet you’ve got a couple songs in you. Let’s record a couple tracks,’” recalls Rainwater. “After we got about three or four songs in, it just kind of happened organically. We had a little money to throw at a record and so did he. So, it started as a couple friends working on a project and evolved into this band.”

Haley was so impressed by how the recording sessions were going with Rainwater and Dauley that he offered to debut Blood Fire and Rainwater as his label’s maiden voyage. With all the in-house promotion and full-service production from Redact, and distribution by Bungalo Records/Universal Music, the duo was on their way.

“I’ve toured in vans and sold merch at shows for years. But after a while you tend to play to the same people and top out. There’s got to be someplace else to go to reach new people and spread that love,” opines Rainwater on the deCHRISTOPHER TIN Label: Decca Gold Type of Music: Classical Management: Claire Long - Music Productions, Ltd. Booking: Claire Long - Music Productions, Ltd. Publicity: Ashley Natareno - Decca Gold Web: christophertin.com A&R: Graham Parker and Lynn Lendway - Decca Gold, Ltd.

Two-time Grammy winner Christopher Tin wasn’t looking for a record label. Indeed, he didn’t even need one. Instead, he independently crowdfunded and released albums under his name. Beyond that, his artist career remained supplemental to demand for his skills as a choral and orchestral composer for film and video games.

Then Tin signed with Music Productions, Ltd., a management team based in the U.K. The firm’s Claire Long and Meg Davies determined the Chinese-American conductor had promise as a major-label artist and floated Tin by Decca Gold, the classical-focused division of Decca Records owned by Universal Music Group.

“I’m the type of person who likes to swim within a large ocean,” he discloses. “And the idea of working with other Decca artists really appealed to me.”

Cleverly, Tin accompanied demos of his new material with a detailed description of his newest album’s conceptual framework. Combined with his social media engagement, independent output and raft of awards, the move made him

an irresistible addition to Decca’s roster. “Specifically in the classical world, unless you have a concept, it’s very hard to market an album,” Tin explains. “A project based around a theme, story or idea gives a lot more angles for the press team to run with.”

Tin came to the negotiating table with specific ideas regarding the contract’s structure. Still, Tin acknowledges the difference between what he knew and what he thought he knew. “My concept of how one puts out a release has been completely turned on its head,” he states. “You look back on how you did things before and say, ‘You knew nothing. This is how things are really done.’”

Tin’s Decca debut album, To Shiver the Sky, debuted on Aug. 21st. •

These are all talking points that have consumed our collective consciousness since the global pandemic hit in early March 2020. Here in the United States, no matter your politics, the pandemic has affected every walk of life and all aspects of business. One of the hardest hit has been the music industry. The National Independent Venue Association reports live events provide 75% of all artists’ income and that, while nearly 90% of all U.S. businesses have reopened in some capacity, many independent venues remain shut. However, in the following article, instead of ruminating over the obvious chaos and pervasive hardship the pandemic has caused for artists, bands and venues across the country, Music Connection examines creative ways folks are beating the odds and ABBIGALE ROSE moving things forward.

Mike Wagner is an independent drummervocalist from the central Michigan community of Houghton Lake. He and his son Jimmy front the popular James Michael Duo. They perform at a number of resorts and open-air venues throughout the state. “We were fortunate because almost all of our gigs this past summer were at outdoor venues,” recalls Wagner after this past Memorial Day weekend when a number of northern Michigan bar and restaurant bans were lifted. “It was tough when the lockdown first came about. One of my last gigs was March 11th, and then we were pretty much off for 11 weeks. I’ve never had that much time off in my whole career. It was starting to get depressing. But I really can’t complain. A lot of my friends weren’t working at all this past summer. A lot of them had fuller bands and were booked at indoor clubs.”

Wagner has found that diversity––and remaining mobile and compact––has kept him working through current precarious times. “We had a great summer, but as it gets colder things taper off,” says the percussionist. “Since we live in a resort area we’ve been busy. Even before COVID hit I always would book two to three months in advance. And with our duo, and even a trio, it’s been a little easier finding work.”

Solo performer Abbigale Rose is an awardwinning singer-songwriter from Toledo, OH. As a full-time musician she has been weathering the pandemic doing porch concerts, livestream events, coffeehouses and clubs to pay the bills. “Generally speaking there’s usually enough distance between me and the audience on stage,” comments Rose on personal protocols as a solo performer. “I make it a point to tear down my own equipment. I carry hand sanitizer and always make a point to wear a mask whenever I’m not behind a microphone.” And she says she is working hard doing promo, trying to book gigs and working on songs. “Things don’t just fall to you. You have to put effort in. But getting a fifty percent return on that this year has been hard.” However, Rose sees a bright spot in her personal approach to performance. “Solo acts have a real chance in this climate,” she says. “Compared to bands, solo acts seem to be more economically efficient. So, probably in the winter months, hopefully, solo acts will be preferred.” “There’s a lot of potential here but I don’t know what that potential is yet,” adds Rose. “The larger musicians are doing drive-in concerts but smaller musi- MICHELLE LORDI cians like me don’t have that. You’ve just gotta be willing to hustle for it and experiment.”

Michelle Lordi is an award-winning jazz singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, PA. In addition to being an artist she is also a promoter who has run a weekly jazz gig in suburban Philadelphia for six years. When the pandemic hit, Lordi swiftly sprung into action to find alternative outdoor spaces with ample social distancing. She offers her unique perspective on the changing face of jazz presentation today. “We’re used to improvising in our music and in life,” says Lordi. “For the jazz world, I think a good thing that will come out of this pandemic is a better focus on the audience and an effort to make things more entertaining and visually appealing. Jazz has suffered a bad reputation as being boring or aloof. But I think that you’re gonna see a lot of innovation and flexibility coming out of jazz. I also see a lot of hope when you have that ability to adapt. This pandemic is dire, but it’s not the end.”

Also Lordi poses relevant questions she, and many of her colleagues, face every day. “The issue of livestreaming is a wake-up call to artists to get your fan base organized,” says the songstress. “If Facebook or YouTube are not viable options, see if you can you get your fans over to Patreon or another streaming service. Are your fans willing to pay to see you? It’s about trying to connect with an audience on many levels. It’s a new landscape and we’ve got a lot of figuring out to do.”

One presentation avenue that seems to be gaining popularity in these socially distanced times is the drive-in concert. City National Grove of Anaheim and Nederlander Concerts are one of the originators of this concept, with their “Drive-In O.C.” series. “The pandemic has been devastating to the concert business,” says City National Grove general manager Jordan Harding. “But like everybody, we’re trying to think outside the box and find ways to find fans with live entertainment experiences. With drive-ins, we’ve essentially created a venue outside of our venue, with a contactless model to host events.”

Launched this year in July, “Drive-In O.C.” brings live music and movies to fans in the comfort and safety of their own vehicle. From ticketing to concessions and restrooms, they’ve left no stone unturned. “Before fans arrive they can order meal kits and snack boxes when they purchase tickets,” explains Harding. “Upon arrival we scan their tickets and then direct them to a parking spot. And then they receive a welcome card, with information on how to access food, beverage, merchandise—all of which is ordered via the app we built—and delivered to