| Nettwerk Music Group | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1984 (1984) |
| Founder | Terry McBride, Mark Jowett, Ric Arboit,Dan Fraser |
| Distributor(s) | Nettwerk/Direct Distribution |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Location | Vancouver, B.C. Los Angeles New York London Hamburg Sydney Nashville Toronto Denver Amsterdam |
| Official website | nettwerk |
Nettwerk Music Group is an independent record label founded in 1984.[1][2]
The Vancouver-based company was created by principalsTerry McBride and Mark Jowett[2] as a record label to distribute recordings by the bandMoev, but the label expanded in Canada and internationally.[2] Initially specializing inelectronic music includingalternative dance andindustrial,[2] the label expanded its roster to includepop,rock and numerous singer-songwriters in the late 1980s and 1990s. Early artists includedColdplay,Sarah McLachlan, andBarenaked Ladies.
In 2023, Nettwerk recapitalized to invest in catalog acquisitions and artist investments.[3] The label was named in Billboard’s Indie Power Players list in 2024.[4]
In 1984,Terry McBride and his friendMark Jowett attended — and both dropped out of — the University of British Columbia. McBride had studied civil engineering while Jowett took classes in creative writing, theater and English. The two met at a house party where Jowett's electronic music bandMoev was performing.[5]
Once out of college, McBride began managing Moev, for whom Jowett played guitar. Moev was signed to Go Records, a small San Francisco label that went bankrupt, leaving the band without distribution.[6] They'd spend time at his small apartment with friends such as the members of the electro-industrial bandSkinny Puppy, and soon he and Jowett starting putting out their records, along with Moev's andThe Grapes of Wrath.[7]
McBride had previously started a label, Noetix, and though it was unsuccessful, he and Jowett were willing to give the record business another try. The company officially opened its doors in 1985. Their first release was The Grapes of Wrath'sself-titled EP followed by their full-length,September Bowl of Green. It piqued the attention ofCapitol Records, and paved the way for a distribution deal for the band and Nettwerk as a label in 1986.[8] Also in 1986, Nettwerk brought on Ric Arboit as a third partner and managing director.[9]
Despite having an eclectic initial roster of artists,[6] Nettwerk gained a reputation as anindustrial dance label, an assumption bolstered by the label's roster of homegrown and licensed industrial acts including Skinny Puppy,Severed Heads,SPK, Manufacture, andSingle Gun Theory. On this point, George Maniatis, one of the label's early promotion managers, stated:"'Remission' (Skinny Puppy's mini-album), which was one of our first releases, grabbed everybody by the you-know-whats... Because of it, everybody assumed we were just industrial dance. But we never set out in that direction — It's just that they hit first."[10]
Regardless of intent, the industrial dance and electronic genres proved lucrative and resulted in many international cross-licensing deals. Among them: Belgium'sPlay It Again Sam label running the Nettwerk Europe imprint in exchange for Nettwerk licensingFront 242 in Canada; licensingTackhead's North American distribution rights from England's On-U Sound; and cross-licensing with Australia'sVolition label which brought Severed Heads and Single Gun Theory to North America.[10] Cross-licensing, including distribution through the majors (Capitol for Skinny Puppy andAtlantic for Moev), and respectable club chart performances (including singles by Manufacture, Severed Heads, and Moev) all contributed to significant visibility and growth for the label at the close of the 1980s.[9]
The label's reputation as a strictly electronic dance imprint would soon change. At a show in Halifax, McBride met nineteen-year-old singer-songwriter namedSarah McLachlan[11] – he'd been introduced to her music through Jowett, and tried to recruit her to front Moev. Her parents initially rejected the idea, saying she was too young,[11] but by then she had her moved out of her parents home and rented an apartment down the street while in her first year of art school. McBride offered McLachlan a five-record deal, and she agreed, saying “Ok. Sure. Why not?"[12]
At this point, McBride and Jowett had moved Nettwerk into a new office, and McLachlan relocated toVancouver to write, finishing her debut,Touch, in 1988. The first single, "Vox", was a hit, and led to her signing a worldwide deal withArista Records (Nettwerk retained her for Canada). She followed up withSolace in 1991 andFumbling Towards Ecstasy in 1993.Surfacing in 1997 contained two hit singles: "Building a Mystery" and "I Will Remember You", and winning twoGrammy Awards.
In 1994, Nettwerk switched its distribution from Capitol–EMI toSony Music, laterSony BMG.
Lilith Fair was initially McLachlan's idea;[13] she was tired of the standard touring, and wanted to do something different, something inventive. Though McBride was resistant at first, he pushed forward, and they assembled a lineup that they then were told was "suicidal":Paula Cole,Aimee Mann,Patti Smith,Lisa Loeb and McLachlan to close.[14] It was a success, and the next summer they launched a touring version; it grossed $16 million, a large portion of which was donated to women's charities.[13] Founded by McLachlan, McBride, Nettwerk co-ownerDan Fraser and New York talent agentMarty Diamond, Lilith Fair was the top-grossing festival tour of 1997 and ranked 16th among the year's Top 100 Tours. In 1998, Lilith Fair grossed just over $6 million and remained the top-grossing summer concert package tour of the season.[15]
Nettwerk then signedBarenaked Ladies, at the time viewed as a novelty act.[16] After steady radio promotion, McBride booked the band for a show atCity Hall Plaza inBoston to launch their albumStunt.[17] The concert drew 80,000 fans, and the first single, "One Week", reached number one on the charts, also earning the band aGrammy nomination and aJuno Award for Best Pop Album. They have since gone on to sell over 10 million albums.
Nettwerk brought onDido in 1999, as well asSum 41.Avril Lavigne was sixteen when she walked into the Nettwerk offices; Arista had sent her to McBride, hoping to figure out what to make of her.[18] Though Lavigne would release her records through Arista, she continued with Nettwerk for her management.[19]
In 2000,EMI decided against a North American release forColdplay's debut albumParachutes, which was distributed by subsidiaryParlophone in the United Kingdom. This led Nettwerk to pick up the album and make it available in Canada and the United States.
Nettwerk embraced new digital formats.[20] McBride studied reports showing the sea change in fan preference, and realized that he'd rather cater to the growing MP3 culture rather than work against it. In 2005, Nettmusic became one of the first major music companies to sell MP3s free of DRM (digital rights management),[21] and supported the consumer case in the battle against theRecording Industry Association of America. Nettwerk has offered to pay the legal fees of a teenager in Texas who is being sued for downloading songs.[22]
At the same time, Nettwerk continued to focus on other new, innovative and both artist-and-fan friendly models. McBride conceived of a concept he called "collapsed copyright", set to revolve around a new business model that empowered artists themselves and not just the corporations. The premise allowed artists to release music under their own label (therefore retaining the intellectual property), marketed and promoted through Nettwerk.[23]
On June 9, 2010, Nettwerk announced that for its distribution and marketing in the United States, it would depart from Sony Music and its catalogue would now be distributed byWMG'sAlternative Distribution Alliance.[24] In 2013, Nettwerk raised $10.25 million in equity financing to sign artists and purchase catalogs.[25]
In July 2016, Nettwerk sold its publishing catalog toKobaltInvestment Fund, an independent investment fund established in 2011.[26]
In September 2017, Nettwerk Records announced that The Ballroom Thieves joined the label roster.[27]
In 2008, Nettwerk founder Terry McBride revived a retired sub-label of Nettwerk calledNutone Records, with the objective of releasing devotional, chant and world music. He also launched a chain of wellness centers in Canada called YYoga.[28]
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| Other | |
