About
What is Battery?
RCA/JIVE Label Group, half of Sony Music Entertainment, put a firm foot forward in the urban music market with the creation of the imprint Battery Records, in July of 2008 based in New York City. Intended to nurture young urban talent, in an age where such development is sorely lacking, Battery Records marks Sony Music’s unswerving dedication to music quality and breadth across all genres.
Who is Battery?
Heading the imprint is savvy industry lifer Neil Levine, who most recently was head of Capitol Music Group’s urban division. Levine has now assumed the title of Senior Vice President and General Manager of Battery Records, reporting to RCA / JIVE Label Group COO Ivan Gavin. Levine’s rap roots trace back over twenty years, when he formed Round the Globe Music, a marketing and promotions company aimed at championing the then-fledgling art form. He then spun that entrepreneurism into founding the legendary Penalty Recordings. Stops at TVT Records, Ryko, and Imperial Records would follow. Charged with uncovering and cultivating young talent for Sony Music, Neil brought his ample talents to a Sony Music family comparably able.
What goes on with Battery?
Battery’s first crop of up-and-comers spanned the South including The GS Boyz and their dance craze, Stanky Legg, which is closing in on over one million in digital and mobile sales combined. Battery also welcomes established artists, still viable in the marketplace, who seek new situations that include non-traditional deal models. These innovative models, intended to revitalize the flagging music industry and promote across multiple platforms, include: touring/ merchandising arrangements and DVD releases. Other tasks under the Battery banner include releasing material from the RCA/JIVE Label Group catalogue, and overseeing the early-stage development of certain acts signed to the RCA/JIVE Label Group.
“This will provide a broader platform and offer a greater margin of success for our evolving urban artists and new artists in general,” said Tom Carrabba, EVP & GM, JIVE Label Group’s executive vice president and general manager.
How do we work?
Urban-centric labels typically sign ten to fifteen artists a year alongside an existing roster. In that logjam, less prominent artists are often deemed expendable while resources are funneled toward the label’s top acts. Albums get cut but never released. Not so with Battery Records, which aims specifically to promote fresh young talent and prepare said talent for the world’s biggest stages. The development energy and raw enthusiasm Battery promises smacks of the early days of hip-hop’s genesis. Now for 2010 and beyond, Sony Music Entertainment is prepared to push urban music into an as-yet unseen stratum. The timing couldn’t be better.
