Long Island pop punk act Stereo Skyline has signed to Columbia Records. For fans of Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. Check them out in our editorial ‘Breaking The Cycle‘.

Mick Schultz, the producer / co-writer for Jeremih’s smash hit song “Birthday Sex”, has recently entered into a co-publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing. Contact: Dan Friedman

Here is a unique article that appears in Nashville News via The Daily Swarm about the demise of the indie band Be Your Own Pet. Unlike this indie act, most artists would never admit that they are not worthy of a major recording deal, even though it’s extremely common.

“Looking back, Stein says, it was impossible for a bunch of teenagers to fathom the level of commitment required to the industry, and that shortsightedness made them take for granted a deal that most bands would kill for.

“We were treated like a major-label band, but we were 16-year-old punks,” says Stein. “We were so well taken care of. We’d go to New York, and we’d get three or four hotel rooms.”

And their experience with the label was overwhelmingly good for the most part. Nobody lost their A&R guy to a merger. The label never told the band how to dress.

“The people we worked with were great, but I think there’s a lot of outdated morons at major labels spending too much money on young bands,” he says. “And we were fortunate enough to be one of them.”

Arizona act Raining and OK has become a KOAR favorite with the recent release of the EP “Always” which was produced by Matt Grabe (Goodbye Tomorrow/ The Maine). The band follows in the same footsteps as Coldplay and U2 with their soothing harmonies and ambient soundscapes while still keeping a pop sensibility. Our favorite tracks are Loveless and Shadows. The band has a show at the Knitting Factory (Hollywood) in September. Contact: nate@kmamanagement.com

The Rust, a 4 piece rock act who hails from Nashville recently won a battle of the bands featuring 100 bands in the Midwest and The Buzz in Nashville will begin to spin the song “Missing You.” Confirmed for the fall tour with Secondhand Serenade, Thriving Ivory and Parachute. The band is supporting and generating a buzz on their self released 2008 debut album, Anticipation, which was produced by Jon King (Augustana, Alabaster Box, The October).
Contact: chris@maltesemanagement.com