Crownn Records Story Part II

RELOCATION TO BERLIN

The move and expectations that were met with tenacity and grit.

POPKUMM BERLIN 2004

The night we showcased what was to become from potential signings. The bands displayed their intentions for attention.

THE RELEASES

2004 is when we started releasing at least 5 records per year.

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RELEASE EXPLAINATION(S) GRANTED DISTRIBUTION

A short summary of records that are still relevant today and the recituals of standards we still keep in 2024

A recharge in the Irish music industry while maintaining status in Germany for the continent of Europe.

Greetings,

THE FACTS FROM THE FOUNDER

Within this edition is the second part of a Crownn Recording Group story. To be consistent with the previous issue, these are the facts

The year 2003 was a confusing one Earlier in the spring, we hosted Johnnie Johnson (The Father Of Rock and Roll) in Munich, with the help of our mentor Kim Commander Kelly (RIP) and by the end of the summer of 2003, I was looking out of the balcony in Neukoln, Berlin.

Just like that, it was an instant move from one visit on a Friday and some convincing from Wayne and Christine Levonitis. Three hours later, I had the perfect apartment with a large office room. By the following Monday, we were searching for a DSL company to install the internet.

My objective in moving to Germany was about growth for the label. I missed Ireland, but we knew we were only going to grow as far as the small circle would allow us Leaving Munich meant we had to eat our taste in the finner things in life

Rob Marin visited that summer as well as another artist from Chicago by the name of Angel Both were eager artists and nice people

Damien joined me after Oktoberfest in Munich but departed just before Christmas of that year 2003. A Crownn Entertainment band, Phantom Black, moved into the apartment downstairs. A-Dizzle from Underground Rapstar was our neighbour who witnessed us unloading the van following the overnight drive from Munich.

Berlin was magical, still pure and reasonable finance-wise. It had only been fifteen years since the Berlin Wall had fallen. It was madness, chaos, fantastic food and everyone was helping each other Berlin was a city where artist and small entertainment companies could take their time to find their place in the industry

Beer was cheaper than water!

This issue highlights the bands that shaped the standard that we have strived for since From 2003-2007, Crownn were releasing five albums a year

We also stretched our wings in the distribution trade by establishing a small independent distribution company in Ireland, by the name of Granted Distribution. It was a short-lived operation, but we were able to negotiate future distribution for deals for Crownn Records

These were our monumental years and a time I refer to when speaking to potential signees. We are proud we survived it.

RELOCATION TO BERLIN

The complete outline of Crownn Records' relocation from Munich, Germany to Berlin The bands, the city and the nightlife with the lazy opportunities that existed over the second five years of Crownn Records. Crownn Records will always be a Berlin label.

The move to Germany was challenging as there was so much to learn about business

During the Crownn Entertainment Consultants experiment number one, there were several casualties for which Jerome Fitts took full responsibility. But it was not for a lack of ambition.

There was a time when I convinced Carson Enhardt to join me on a trip to America (Florida, Alabama and New Orleans). It was a good trip, although our relationship changed due to excessive drinking I do, however, think Carson was encouraged by my courage

At any rate, that summer (2002) was when we separated from Waters Edge so the trip to America did not go down too well with the Waters Edge crew. It did not phase us. We were the ones who had sacrificed our lives by moving from Dublin with no real money, while both Dave and Dennis were worth a few million each.

Silvia Honig in the Munich office- 2003

Mick in the Munich office

One of the first exhibits from Crownn Entertainment Consultants (C E C) turned Worthwhile Management via Crownn Records was the band Phantom Black from Ontario, Canada.

In the summer of 2003, the band took a leap of faith and relocated to Berlin. They were eager to get into the industry, although, at the time, we did not appreciate the level of commitment and sacrifice the band had made by the move Damien, who recruited and signed the band to C E C was in New York and did not get involved with the band

Phantom Black had a distinct sound that was part of the scene in Berlin at the time They never reached their full potential based on the circle of influences within Berlin.

They recorded and released the single "Run", to support the album "Zero Tolerance" under their moniker The band played a series of short tours throughout Germany and Ireland

Carsten Enhardt of C E Promotion on a night out in Florida Summer 2003

V I N Y L S T I L L A V A I L A B L E

C H R I S T M A

The day after Popkom 2004, the band returned to Canada They were not signed to Crownn Records

Popkum 2004 was a blast it was The event was the last time Crownn Records held a gathering of bands to expose to the media and our distributor. At the time, Cargo was still our distribution company for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The bands that attended were Eden Atlanta, who flew from America with the expectations of being signed, Wallmark, Phantom Black and a band from France that never spoke to us. There were also SubMasters, who helped us relocate to Berlin via Wayne and Christine Levonitis We never properly thanked the two of them for their efforts.

POPKOMM 2004

The event took place in a drunken watering hole (ExPot), which was the perfect location for a Crownn event. Jeff Alexander was the event announcer and Nancy Djor was the navigational host for the bands participating. Carsten Enhardt attended, as well as a representative from Cargo Records.

Unfortunately, we never reached a deal with Eden Atlanta and their song "Rayne" is still a Crownn favourite and would be one of the first accountable regrets. We should have prioritised the band We simply fucked up and did not know what we were doing

Carsten Enhardt of C E Promotion on a night out in Florida Summer 2003

Rob Marin promoting OCB Rolling Papers

Summer 2003- Berlin

RELEASES 2003-2007 REARVIEW

In the fall of 2004, Rearview decided to leave our Worthwhile Management/Crownn Records association. The band recorded the Maxi-Single "Milkyway" in Kingston, Canada and played a couple of shows in America that were cut short due to their lack of support from Schuren Travel. We did, however, release the maxi single Rearview in Ireland and Germany. It sold enough to give us some credibility within major retail

We continued onwards as if nothing had happened.

The band also secured sponsorship deals papers. Schuren Travel was a delayed flig band relationship with Stefan Schuren bas y

Earlier that year, we had our first German release with a series of simultaneous releases with Underground Rapstar, produced and compiled by Anthony Douglas (A-Dizzle) and distributed by Cargo.

BY SHAWN GARCIA

The Underground Rapstar compilation was marked with problems due to the legitimacy of A-Dizzle antics, even though there were iconic rap stars who appeared on the album.

PAQUET

The opening track featured none other than actress Michelle Rodriguez and consisted of German Rapstar Megaloh, Dog Pound and Kurupt. The record solidified our presence in Germany and reached the German charts during the only month of its release. In the summer of 2004, an eye-opening experience within the German music industry happened The album was removed from the retail. Yes, that is correct, the CDs were taken from the shelves and returned to the distributor

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HELENE

Continued..

All seventeen thousand copies were later destroyed It was a self-sabotage of nearly €200,000 euros within a month. The worst part is Cargo fined us from future sales due to this disgusting experience.

What happened was an experience that is all too familiar in Germany. The original producer of the Megaloh track had differences with A-Dizzle and claimed he did not have permission. After a series of phone calls between Micheal Schuster and Jerome, there was the obvious sit down for a rational reason not to take the record off the shelf.

We thought why? We could have given the original producer the credits on the next shipment from A-Dizzle royalties

The producer, whom we would not dare name as he has not done anything since 2004, wanted the record taken off the shelf to hurt both the label and A-Dizzle. It worked as we were under German law He has not been heard from again.

After this embarrassment, the relationship between Crownn and Cargo was impaired This happened weeks after a trip to sign a band that Michael Schuster, the owner of Cargo, had managed by the name of Ensimi.

ENSIMI

Ensimi is:

Franz Gunnarsson: Guitar, Back Vocals.

Arnar "Addi" Þór Gíslason: Drums.

Þorbjörn "Tobbi" Sigurðsson: Keyboard. Guðni Finnsson: Bass.

In April 2004, the trip to Reykjavík, Iceland, was memorable. We had officially stretched our wings and signed an international band that most independent labels had never ventured into. But Ensimi was worth it.

The single Yug Hurts was on rotation on various Irish radio stations to support the album Ensimi in major retail stores, most notably HMV and Tower Records, all credited to Michael O'Mahony's work

Michael Schuster had fallen away from the band. The power of his ownership of Cargo was just a waste of imagination Nothing happened with his association and he was reluctant to distribute the record in Germany.

Micheal was also reserved about the information we required to release a record in Germany. We never understood why he would not support a label under his distribution company and the band he managed.

We also flew the owner of our distribution company to Iceland to witness his band playing in front of 20,000 people.

Ensimi is a highlighted signature of Crownn

The circle surrounding Ensimi had all of the components in place for the band to excel.

Crownn issued a sizable advance and the band never complained nor were there any issues. Jerome worked with the distribution company Cargo as Head Of International Affairs and their manager was the owner of the distribution company

Their lead single, Yug Hurts, is a hidden classic and the rest of the album will force anyone to push the repeat button on the CD player.

We are still massive fans and supporters of the band.

Wallmark, on the other hand, with their Everything, Anything, Something album, was a success in Ireland. At that point, Wallmark had played over 200 gigs on the Emerald Isle. We were smitten.

It is no secret that Wallmark set the standard and body of mechanism for Crownn Records. They were everything that we required

a. A close relationship with management. Mick was part of the starting of this band

b A working band that played live gigs till their body dropped dead

c. Above all, remarkable music. Every track on the album is brilliant.

Just like most things that destroy the beauty of music, alcohol and sex were part of this extraordinary experience. The immoral examples from Crownn were the worst examples adults could show to pave the way for an impressionable hardworking band.

OCTOBER EPISODE

At this point, Mick was a year sober, while the rest of us would leave our morals at home and continue to put our lives in the bottle of alcohol All of which behind the remarkable music were our egos.

When we were preparing the release of a metal record from a group from Denver, Colorado, by the name of October Episode, things were out of hand The record was released in Ireland followed by a short tour.

The Silent Film album sold well while the band's objectives were met.

From 2005 to 2006, Crownn Records was nothing more than a stepping-stone label and we embraced it as such

Records such as The Fury fit as the rapper was a regular on the summer festival circuit. We were always supportive of genuine hip-hop.

At the end of 2005, we branched back to Ireland with our own Granted Distribution company. The idea was to distribute independent records from artists in Ireland that had been overlooked. It was also a saviour for Michael O'Mahony employment-wise. He asked for the company set up and received the stock, the idea and office space on 1 Merrion Road, Dublin 2.

We released reissues from everyone and catered to a hot record in Ireland at the time by a band called Angles Of Mon, whose single Madame Zane was a regular in most pubs and live venues.

The 300 different catalogue records that Mick placed on the shelf were mainly from hip-hop artists who had sold millions.

Granted Distribution was essentially distributing their start-up records such as G Unit, and The Game.

Granted provided a much-needed additional revenue stream as well as a learning curve for future distribution acquisitions for Crownn By the summer of 2006, the distribution part of our operation had burnt Mick out

Mick left us with more than 8,000 records (CDs) by various artists and a ton of bills from Granted

As much love we had for Mick, we had no idea how burned out he was nor realized that he had no intentions of riding or dying with the idea of Crownn

He took Wallmark with him, who never released another record nor toured and Mick went his separate way. We never laid eyes on Mick again after eight years of association. Wallmark never released another record.

The highlight was the release and distribution rights to Portugal's finest Plastica “The Red Light Underground” and Cee-Rock's “The Fury” albums. Both sold well in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

By the fall of 2006, our roots from the Crownn tree had started to spurt at Popkum Berlin again (2006) with a flirtatious meeting