After 15 years of releasing records through both major and independent labels, Ben Kweller has announced the formation of his own label, The Noise Company. The Austin-based label will be home to all future Kweller releases, beginning with his infectious new album, Go Fly A Kite, set to hit stores February 7, 2012. The Noise Company has signed on with the Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) to distribute all of its releases.
Signed to Mercury Records when he was 15, and then ATO when he was 20, Kweller, now 30, is interested in being in a situation in which he has complete control. Kiko Velez, Head of A&R at The Noise Company says, “Ben has released successful records with a variety of inspiring partners and has gained a great deal of wisdom and experience.” Velez continues, “That experience combined with a large and loyal fanbase, puts him in an ideal position to take advantage of the unique landscape of today’s music industry.”
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“When I signed my first record deal 15 years ago, many artists had little understanding of, or interest in, the contracts that would eventually bind their musical future,” says Kweller. “I was one of those artists. Fortunately, I’ve been lucky to make my music with little interference. I’ve worked with some great people, most of whom I remain friends with today. Unfortunately, we’ve all been operating within an antiquated system that doesn’t work anymore. The Noise Co. is another step in creating my own system. It gives me the opportunity to work directly with people in the industry who were previously ‘off-limits’; from ADA to manufacturers, to independent promoters, radio programmers to the lady at GS1 who assigned our UPC code that’ll appear on all our releases.”
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He laughs, “There’s a lot of geeky stuff involved, but as a die-hard music junkie and record collector, these things get me excited!” He adds, “It’s the real deal, not just an artist self-releasing his music. We have a real staff, real funding, real distribution, and I look forward to eventually helping other artists achieve their goals too.”
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“We’re thrilled to be working with Ben Kweller and his newly-launched Noise Co.,” said Amy Dietz, ADA’s Vice President of Label & Artist Development. “We at ADA are long-time fans of Ben’s music, and his understanding of how to reach fans complements ADA’s philosophy of offering our label partners the right tools that fit their needs to make deep connections with their audience.”
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The label will have a global presence as well, having already secured deals with Lively Up in Japan and Shock in Australia.
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Kweller concludes, “Business aside, I now have a direct channel to deliver music to my incredible fans.”
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Go Fly A Kite will be Kweller’s fifth studio album and will surely satiate the appetite of those “incredible fans.” The album hits hard with the unforgettably melodic and heartwarming fuzzed-out Rock ‘n’ Roll that first put Kweller on the map with his debut, 2002’s Sha Sha. With Go Fly A Kite, Kweller proves that he has progressed yet managed to keep the deft songwriting sensibility and diversity for which he is known and loved. While appearing effortless, it’s clear how hard he has worked on making one of the finest albums of his career.
http://www.benkweller.com
http://www.thenoisecompany.com
