Photo by Reid Rolls
Beloved musician, songwriter/producer and co-founder of The Raconteurs, Brendan Benson is thrilled to announce the launch of his own record label and publishing company, Readymade. This spring, Readymade will make its debut on the international stage with new releases from Benson (What Kind of World – 4/21 through BrendanBenson.com to coincide with his son’s 2nd birthday with a 4/24 street date) and the first artist signed to the label, Young Hines (Give Me My Change – 4/10). Benson will be showcasing his new album at SXSW 2012 as well as on May tour dates where Young Hines will support in the U.S.
Readymade was born in the 90’s when Benson released the Wellfed Boy demos under the imprint as a 12″ vinyl. At the time Readymade was merely a concept due to a lack of resources to build a proper record label. Over a decade later Benson partnered with manager Emily White, who brought the idea to fruition, making Readymade a legitimate label around Benson’s musical output. Says White, “Brendan produced 5 albums in 2011, including his own. Launching Readymade gives us the option of a release platform tailored to each album under the same home. We wanted a way for Brendan to be able to create music when and how he wants and be able to put out the music sans any barriers. The answer to what we were looking for is Readymade.”
Launching an artist-owned label has its obvious creative and business benefits from artistic freedom to master ownership. But it can hit roadblocks when it comes to funding the team members that help promote a new release. This is where Readymade has found a truly innovative approach to the traditional business model. Rather than forego promotion or production quality, Benson and his manager developed a team of credible individuals and companies within the industry to work on album releases for a commission taken from music sales and song placements. The new approach allows them to operate without front-end costs while providing greater motivation and potential payoff for all parties involved.
Readymade will be bringing us Benson’s What Kind of World and Young Hines’ Give Me My Change, the first two Readymade releases, as well as the upcoming Benson produced album from Irish duo The Lost Brothers. Each album will benefit from team members and relationships with Thirty Tigers, Downtown Music Publishing, Terrorbird, Big Hassle, Hard Boiled Inc., Toolshed, and Music Alternatives.
Stay posted for music and further news from Readymade and their upcoming releases.
Upcoming Brendan Benson U.S. Tour Dates w/ Young Hines supporting:
MARCH
13 – 16 – Austin, TX – SXSW (Brendan Benson only)
APRIL
28 – Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge (Additional support by The Howling Brothers) *
MAY
03 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live*
05 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom**
10 – San Diego, CA – Casbah*
12 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour*
*On-sale Friday January 6th
**Amex Pre-sale Wednesday January 11th, General on-sale Friday January 13th
