Canvasback Music Strikes A New Deal With Atlantic October 02, 2009
By Mitchell Peters, L.A.
Former Columbia Records imprint Canvasback Music-best-known for releasing in 2007 the soundtrack to the Academy Award-winning film "Once," which featured music from the Swell Season-has signed a multiyear, worldwide label services and distribution deal with Atlantic Records. Under the partnership, artists signed to Canvasback/Atlantic will have access to label resources under the Warner Music Group (WMG) banner and receive distribution through WEA and Warner Music International.
The first release on Canvasback/Atlantic will be the debut from the London-based rock band Fanfarlo, whose new album, "Reservoir," will be released Oct. 13 in the United States.
As part of the joint venture, Atlantic will house Canvasback founder/A&R veteran Steve Ralbovsky's management company Beekeeper Artists, whose roster includes singer/songwriter Rachael Yamagata and producer Scott Litt. The partnership went into effect at the beginning of September; financial terms weren't disclosed. Canvasback and Beekeeper Artists are headquartered at Atlantic's New York offices.
"Steve Ralbovsky is without question one of the absolute best in the business," Atlantic chairman/CEO Craig Kallman says. "The opportunity to bring Steve into the Atlantic fold was a dream come true. He's the consummate record man in every way, shape and form. His track record speaks for itself."
With more than 25 years of experience working for labels like A&M, Elektra, Arista, Interscope, Columbia and RCA, Ralbovsky is responsible for signing acts including Soundgarden, Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket and the Strokes. He began his career in tour and artist management, then later landed his first A&R role in 1983 at EMI Records. A year later Ralbovsky moved to Columbia, where he signed T Bone Burnett, Matthew Sweet and the Outfield. Other noteworthy signings during his various label stints include Nanci Griffith, Ween, Anthrax, the Breeders, David Gray and Ray LaMontagne.
In 2006, Ralbovsky left an executive A&R role at RCA to again join Columbia, where he oversaw Canvasback while also providing A&R direction for select artists and projects on the label's roster. "It was a label imprint and a developing management partnership," Ralbovsky says. "We created a model whereby we'd use independent operations as well as in-house label services."
The most successful release on Canvasback under its deal with Columbia was "Once," which has sold 719,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Other releases on the imprint included albums by Manchester Orchestra, Annuals and Wild Sweet Orange.
Canvasback's partnership with Columbia ended in May, according to Ralbovsky, who adds that senior management at WMG expressed interest in the label earlier this year. "It was a difficult and challenging decision to make, but for a variety of reasons I felt this would be the best for my colleagues and myself," he says. "It felt like a good move to make."
Ralbovsky expects that most label services (publicity, marketing, promotion, new media, touring) for future Canvasback album releases will be handled by Atlantic. "Initially the intention is to keep it more in-house, because from our point of view, they've got this place populated very well with a lot of great folks," he says. "So we're looking forward to tapping into all the traditional record company departments-maybe a little more than we did in our last relationship [with Columbia]."
Atlantic will also provide services to artists signed to Beekeeper Artists, according to Kallman. "We'll give all our resources to help support the management side of [Ralbovsky's] business and Canvasback."
Ralbovsky says he hopes to expand the management company's roster in the coming months. New signings will be chosen "selectively and focused to our taste," he says. "Less is more, generally, and it has to fit to what we intuitively feel excited about."
The Canvasback/Beekeeper staff includes Jack Hedges, who is the marketing director for the label and oversees touring and finance at the management company; Dan Chertoff, who'll be responsible for A&R and Web management; and Joanna Katz, who'll manage administrative duties.
Meanwhile, Kallman says he doesn't expect Atlantic to enter any similar deals in the near future. "This was a unique opportunity because of who Steve was," he says. "There are very few executives of Steve's caliber, so I don't see many opportunities to repeat this. But obviously wherever there is someone at his level, we'd love to be doing a deal like this."
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