JAMES LINK WITH BMG AND COOKING VINYL TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM
LONDON, 19th FEBRUARY 2014 – James have extended their relationship with BMG Chrysalis UK to release their 14th album through the company’s innovative Artist Services model in partnership with leading UK independent Cooking Vinyl.The multi-million selling Manchester rock group first signed their publishing catalogue, including the era-defining hit ‘Sit Down’, to BMG in April 2012.James, fronted by the charismatic Tim Booth, first emerged in the early Eighties with two EPs released on influential Manchester label Factory Records. Their breakthrough came in 1991 when the album Gold Mother reached Number 2 on the Official UK Albums Chart. The following years produced hits like ‘Laid’ and “She’s a Star” together with a string of albums including Seven, Laid, Wah Wah and Whiplash which sold in their millions around the world.Details of the new album which was recorded over the past 12 months will be released shortly.The innovative partnership will see James benefiting from the combined strengths of the two companies, with BMG Artist Services working closely with Cooking Vinyl to direct and manage the world wide album release; BMG bringing a focus on the A&R, creative and publishing elements of the project, and Cooking Vinyl providing product management, marketing and the route to market through their international network.BMG Chrysalis UK EVP Alexi Cory-Smith said, "James have delivered an extremely strong record, and in line with BMG’s commitment to partnering with the independent sector, we are delighted to be working with Cooking Vinyl, one of the world’s leading independents."Peter Rudge, manager of James for the past 27 years, said, "We’re thrilled that BMG and Cooking Vinyl have joined together to market and release this record. The global assets of BMG combined with the specific expertise of Cooking Vinyl, one of the UK’s leading independents, is a powerful combination."Martin Goldschmidt, Chairman of the Cooking Vinyl Group, said, "On paper BMG and Cooking Vinyl are competitors and that is what makes this a landmark deal, offering James the combined strengths of both companies. We have already started working together on James and it already feels like smooth, efficient well-oiled machine." About BMG ChrysalisBMG is an international company focused on the management of music publishing and recording rights. BMG’s services cover the entire range of rights administration, development, and exploitation, placing the needs of songwriters and artists at the heart of its business model. Since its launch in 2008, BMG has established a presence in eight core music markets and now represents the rights to over one million songs and recordings, including the catalogues of Chrysalis, Bug, Virgin, Mute, Sanctuary and Primary Wave, as well as many prominent artists and songwriters attracted by its service-orientated model. BMG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of international media company Bertelsmann, whose group interests embrace broadcasting and TV production (RTL Group), books (Penguin Random House) and magazines (Gruner + Jahr), media services (Arvato) and print (BePrinters). In the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia the company trades under the name BMG Chrysalis.www.bmgchrysalis.com About Cooking Vinyl RecordsEstablished in 1986, Cooking Vinyl has developed a reputation as one of Europe’s prime artist-focused independent labels, inspiring an enviable loyalty among its artist roster. It is also in the vanguard of music companies offering innovative services-only deals that claim no stake in artists’ copyrights.Cooking Vinyl takes full responsibility for the management of a project whether functioning as a label or in a services-only setting. Adding more than just marketing muscle, Cooking Vinyl devises and implements worldwide sales, marketing and distribution plans for its artists, working alongside booking agents and artist managers.Artists signed to Cooking Vinyl include Amanda Palmer, The Prodigy, Marilyn Manson, Underworld, Ron Sexsmith and Billy Bragg. Such is the loyalty and affection among artists for the label that the likes of Frank Black have returned close to 20 times to record fresh collections with them. The Prodigy’s Invaders Music Die was Europe’s biggest selling independent album in 2009.Cooking Vinyl Records is a member of the CV Group of companies, which include Essential Music & Marketing, CV America, Cooking Vinyl Publishing and Cooking Vinyl Property.http://cookingvinyl.com/