Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing.
Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals
Terry McBride and Mark Jowett
as a record label to distribute recordings by the band
Moev
Moev is an electronic band based in Vancouver, British Columbia that recorded on Atlantic Records, Nettwerk Records, Go! Records and Cop International.
History
Moev was formed in 1981 by Tom Ferris and Cal Stephenson. The band released an EP in ...
, but the label expanded in Canada and internationally.
Specializing in
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
genres such as
alternative dance
Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the U.S.) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained American and worldwide expos ...
and
industrial
Industrial may refer to:
Industry
* Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry
* Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems
* Industrial city, a city dominate ...
,
the label also became a major player in
pop and
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
in the late 1980s and 1990s, with label and management clients including
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
,
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...
,
Dido
Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC.
In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...
, and
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reach ...
.
Nettwerk has on its label, management and publishing rosters
Perfume Genius
Michael Alden Hadreas (born September 25, 1981), better known by his stage name Perfume Genius, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Hadreas's music explores topics including sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn's disease, do ...
,
The Veils
The Veils are an English/New Zealand indie rock band fronted by singer and songwriter Finn Andrews.
History Early years, ''The Runaway Found'' (2001–2004)
Finn Andrews was born in London but spent his teenage years at high school in A ...
,
fun.
Fun (stylized as fun.) is an American pop rock band based in New York City. The band consists of Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train and Bleachers), Andrew Dost (formerly of Anathallo), and Nate Ruess (then-former lead singer of the Format).
Fun fo ...
,
Passenger
A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The ...
,
Christina Perri
Christina Judith Perri (born August 19, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. After her debut single "Jar of Hearts" was featured on the television series '' So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2010, Perri signed with Atlantic Records and relea ...
,
Guster
Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and ...
,
Family of the Year
Family of the Year is an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California. It consists of members Joseph Keefe (vocals/guitar), Sebastian Keefe (drums/vocals), James Buckey (guitar/vocals), and Christina Schroeter (keyboard/vocals). Thei ...
,
Leisure
Leisure has often been defined as a quality of experience or as free time. Free time is time spent away from business, work, job hunting, domestic chores, and education, as well as necessary activities such as eating and sleeping. Leisure ...
,
Beta Radio
Beta Radio is an American band from Wilmington, North Carolina. The group consists of Benjamin “Ben” Mabry (vocals, guitar, rhodes, piano, glockenspiel, and harmonium) and Brent Holloman (guitar, vocals, banjo, rhodes, piano, glockenspiel, ...
, and
Ólafur Arnalds
Ólafur Arnalds (; born 3 November 1986) is an Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and producer from Mosfellsbær, Iceland. He mixes strings and piano with loops and beats, a sound ranging from ambient/electronic to atmospheric pop. He is also the ...
.
History
In 1984,
Terry McBride and his friend
Mark Jowett
Moev is an electronic band based in Vancouver, British Columbia that recorded on Atlantic Records, Nettwerk Records, Go! Records and Cop International.
History
Moev was formed in 1981 by Tom Ferris and Cal Stephenson. The band released an EP in ...
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 band
Moev
Moev is an electronic band based in Vancouver, British Columbia that recorded on Atlantic Records, Nettwerk Records, Go! Records and Cop International.
History
Moev was formed in 1981 by Tom Ferris and Cal Stephenson. The band released an EP in ...
was performing.
Once out of college, McBride began managing Moev, for whom Jowett played guitar. Moev was signed at the time to Go Records, a small label in San Francisco that went bankrupt, leaving the band without distribution.
They'd spend time at his small apartment with friends such as the members of the electro-industrial band
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...
, and soon he and Jowett starting putting out their records, along with Moev's and
The Grapes of Wrath
''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award
and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...
.
McBride had previously started a label, Noetix, and though it did not get off the ground, 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's
self-titled EP followed by their full-length, ''
September Bowl of Green''. It piqued the attention of
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
, and paved the way for a distribution deal for the band and Nettwerk as a label in 1986. Also in 1986, Nettwerk brought on Ric Arboit as a third partner and managing director.
Despite having an eclectic initial roster of artists,
Nettwerk gained a reputation as an
industrial dance label, an assumption bolstered by the label's roster of homegrown and licensed industrial acts including Skinny Puppy,
Severed Heads
Severed Heads were an Australian electronic music group founded in 1979 as Mr and Mrs No Smoking Sign. The original members were Richard Fielding and Andrew Wright, who were soon joined by Tom Ellard. Fielding and Wright had both left the band b ...
,
SPK, Manufacture, and
Single 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."
Regardless of intent, the industrial dance and electronic genres proved lucrative and resulted in many international cross-licensing deals. Among them: Belgium's
Play It Again Sam label running the Nettwerk Europe imprint in exchange for Nettwerk licensing
Front 242 in Canada; licensing
Tackhead
Tackhead (styled TACK>>HEAD, sometimes known as Fats Comet) is an industrial hip-hop group that was most active during the 1980s and early 1990s, and briefly reformed in 2004 for a tour. Their music occupies the territory where funk, dub, indus ...
's North American distribution rights from England's On-U Sound; and cross-licensing with Australia's
Volition label which brought Severed Heads and Single Gun Theory to North America.
Cross-licensing, including distribution through the majors (Capitol for Skinny Puppy and
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
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 eighties.
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 named
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...
– 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, 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?"
At this point, McBride and Jowett had moved Nettwerk into a new office, and McLachlan relocated to
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
to write, finishing her debut, ''
Touch
In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...
'', in 1988. The first single, "
Vox", was a hit, and led to her signing a worldwide deal with
Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...
(Nettwerk retained her for Canada). She followed up with ''
Solace
Consolation, consolement, and solace are terms referring to psychological comfort given to someone who has suffered severe, upsetting loss, such as the death of a loved one. It is typically provided by expressing shared regret for that loss and ...
'' in 1991 and ''
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
''Fumbling Towards Ecstasy'' is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on 22 October 1993 in Canada, 15 February 1994 in the United States, 24 May 1994 in Japan, and 14 August 1994 in Australia. It was prod ...
'' in 1993. ''
Surfacing'' in 1997 contained two hit singles; "
Building a Mystery
"Building a Mystery" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan from her fourth studio album, '' Surfacing'' (1997). At a live performance, Sarah explains the song as being "basically about the fact that we all... have insecurities t ...
" and "
I Will Remember You", and winning two
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
s.
In 1994, Nettwerk switched its distribution from Capitol–EMI to
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
, later
Sony BMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
.
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 ...
was initially McLachlan's idea; 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
Paula Cole (born April 5, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter. After gaining attention for her performances as a vocalist on Peter Gabriel's 1993–1994 Secret World Tour, she released her first album, ''Harbinger (Paula Cole album), Harbing ...
,
Aimee Mann
Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...
,
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946)
is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album '' Horses''.
Called the "punk poe ...
,
Lisa Loeb
Lisa Loeb (; born March 11, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and actress. She started her career with the number 1 hit song "Stay (I Missed You)" from the film '' Reality Bites,'' the first number 1 single for an artist ...
and McLachlan to close. It was a success, and the next summer they launched a touring version – it grossed $16 million, a large portion of which was donated women's charities. Founded by McLachlan, McBride, Nettwerk co-owner
Dan Fraser
Dan Fraser (born c. 1963 in Castor, Alberta) is the President of Nettwerk Management and one of four co-founders of the Nettwerk Music Group, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Nettwerk Music Group is now an international organiz ...
and New York talent agent
Marty 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.
Nettwerk then signed
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reach ...
, at the time viewed as a novelty act. After steady radio promotion, McBride booked the band for a show at
City Hall Plaza in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
to launch their album ''
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...
''. The concert drew 80,000 fans, and the first single, "
One Week One Week may refer to:
* One Week (1920 film), ''One Week'' (1920 film), a short film starring and co-directed by Buster Keaton
* One Week (2008 film), ''One Week'' (2008 film), a Canadian feature film directed by Michael McGowan
* One Week (song), ...
", reached number one on the charts, also earning the band a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
nomination and a
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
for Best Pop Album. They have since gone on to sell over 10 million albums.
Nettwerk brought on
Dido
Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC.
In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...
in 1999, as well as
Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McCas ...
.
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
was sixteen when she walked into the Nettwerk offices; Arista had sent her to McBride, hoping to figure out what to make of her. Though Lavigne would release her records through Arista, she continued with Nettwerk for her management.
In 2000, EMI decided against a North American release for the album of a new signing by their British sub-label
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
. This album, ''
Parachutes
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...
'' by the band
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
, was picked up by Nettwerk for release in Canada and the United States.
Nettwerk embraced new digital formats. 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
Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures (TPM) such as access control technologies can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. ...
), and supported the consumer case in the battle against the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. Nettwerk has offered to pay the legal fees of a teenager in Texas who is being sued for downloading songs.
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
''Into the Rush'' is the debut studio album by American pop rock duet (music), duo Aly & AJ. The album was released on August 16, 2005, by Disney-owned label Hollywood Records. The album features 14 tracks, including the singles "Rush (Aly & AJ s ...
", 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.
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 by
WMG's
Alternative Distribution Alliance
Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) is a music distribution company owned by Warner Music Group, which represents the rights to various independent record labels. ADA provides "independent artist and label partners with access to the resource ...
. In 2013, Nettwerk raised $10.25 million in equity financing to sign artists and purchase catalogs.
In July, 2016, Nettwerk sold its publishing catalog to
KobaltInvestment Fund, an independent investment fund established in 2011.
In September 2017 Nettwerk Records announced that The Ballroom Thieves joined the label roster.
Nutone
In 2008, Nettwerk founder Terry McBride revived a retired sub-label of Nettwerk called
Nutone Records, with the objective of releasing devotional, chant and world music. He also launched a chain of wellness centers in Canada called YYoga.
Nettwerk roster
Music roster
Management roster
Publishing roster
Artists
Writers
See also
*
List of record labels
File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg
File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
File:Bingola1011b.jpg
Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...
Sources
*
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Canadian independent record labels
Online music stores of Canada
Companies based in Vancouver
Industrial record labels
1984 establishments in British Columbia
Record labels established in 1984
Bluegrass record labels
EMI