I was on a major label for many years, and I only knew one way to make music: follow the template that has been in place for years, and work within the system the music industry was built upon. But after years of not having any records released, my label and I decided to part ways, which left me in an incredibly unique position. Due to numerous stipulations and overrides, I couldn’t just go out and sign another major record deal. I was at a place where the standard music-industry template that the large majority of the music industry had always followed was no longer an option for me. Realizing I couldn’t navigate the old system without a traditional label, I was forced to step out of my comfort zone to continue my career. I had to find a way to continue doing what I love without the luxury of a “system” to follow. It was both an exciting and scary place to be. CONTINUE READING

To Be One is an new boy band on the pop landscape. The group’s teenage members, which consist of Madison, Mikey and Jason, first showed their talents as part of the youngest dance crew ever to appear on the MTV series “America’s Best Dance Crew” — parlaying their natural musicality and dance ability, finishing second place on Season 6.

Now the New Jersey-born and bred members of To Be One are making good on the promise they’ve shown thus far by singing, dancing, and becoming full-fledged artists. The group is currently managed by Troy Carter (CEO of Atom Factory) and MTV host/TV personality Layla Kayleigh, and are signed to Carter’s label, Atom Factory Music. Check out their latest video for the song Please Don’t Go Girl.

The band has already made a splash on social media, with over 348,000+ Twitter followers, 208,000+ Instagram followers, and 41,000+ on Vine. In addition to the release of their new single “Please Don’t Go Girl,” and their west coast tour the group is also currently in the recording studio working on their debut album, slated to be released summer 2014.
Contact: info@persona-pr.com

Buzz Track: Dark Waltz

UK based 13 year old Classical Soprano Katie Marshall is catching the attention of both her peers and executives within the music industry.
She was a finalist in ‘The Next Brit Thing‘ and the youngest singer to ever be awarded the prestigious “Sheila Armstrong” award for excellence. The track “Dark Waltz” was written by Matteo Saggese (Katherine Jenkins / Il Divo) and produced by Matteo Saggese and Chris Porter (Alfie Boe / Elaine Paige). Check out the recording of the song here.
Contact: simon@bandhmanagement.demon.co.uk

Kings favorite Mikey Wax has signed a worldwide record deal with Universal subsidiary label Toucan Cove. His last single “Counting On You” debuted on the TOP 40 HOT AC mediabase chart, and was featured as the weekly elimination song on So You Think YOu Can Dance. Additionally his song “In Case I Go Again” was featured on the NBC Summer Olympics, and on ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars. Mikey is working on his new album that they plan to release this summer.
Contact: jonathan@4x4artistmanagement.com

Buzz Track: The Wars At Home

Carbon Tigers, is a four piece pop/rock band from Chicago, IL that has gained the attention of NYLON Magazine, Guitar World, Last.FM, AbsolutePunk, BrooklynVegan, and more. The band will perform upcoming festivals in Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, and Ohio, as well as SXSW. The band has opened for Cold War Kids and Gold Motel and are currently working on a new EP. Upcoming SXSW dates can be viewed here.
Contact: rachel@bigpicturemediaonline.com