Brands Get in the Groove: The Hot New Record Labels That Aren't

Brands Get in the Groove: The Hot New Record Labels That Aren't

Gap, Mumm Napa Wines, and Pottery Barn Kids To Release New Music Sets by Rock River Communications, Inc.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- So you wanna be a rock 'n roll star? Work hard, pay your dues, and hope you are lucky enough to be signed to a record deal by Gap, Volkswagen, or Tommy Bahama. As major record labels grapple to hang onto dwindling slices of the music retail pie, consumers are turning to a new kind of "record company" for music -- trusted lifestyle brand names.

Driving this dramatic shift in consumer behavior is a small company tucked into an old mill building in the Mission section of San Francisco. With its latest exclusive release hitting Gap retail stores worldwide this week, Rock River Communications is quietly revolutionizing the way consumers discover new music.

Although a few companies have attempted self-producing CDs, the bulk of brand name music releases are produced by Rock River, the pioneer in molding the delicate, symbiotic relationship between brand identities, artists, and music-motivated consumers. The artists earn ancillary income while reaching a new pool of eager listeners and the consumer gets a song mix that matches her like a well-worn pair of jeans. The brand builds profits while earning the elusive and most coveted of assets: a cache of cool.

"Our clients need to connect with their customers, and we've proven that music provides the perfect vehicle. It's an incredibly rewarding process for our clients, for us, and especially for music fans," says Jeff Daniel, Rock River's president.

GapKids also recently turned to Rock River for insight into reaching its consumers for its Back To School promotion this fall. The result: Rock River's HangTunes(TM), the hangtag in the form of a 3" mini CD packed with music from artists Smash Mouth, FatBoy Slim and Lil Romeo, adorns many pairs of GapKids jeans and tees this season.

Rock River emerged in 1995 assembling carefully tailored anthologies of existing music, often mining deep into the archives of the major record companies to breath new life into overlooked gems by classic artists such as Pearl Bailey, Louis Armstrong and Celia Cruz. An increasing number of its releases now feature never-before-heard music that Rock River produces on a custom basis for its clients.

With studio credits ranging from Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" to The Full Monty and Dora The Explorer, Rock River provides clients with access to top tier production talent. New recordings by Alana Davis, Keith Urban, Madonna, Missy Elliott, and Alanis Morissette all grace the grooves of recent Rock River client releases for Gap, Jose Cuervo, W Hotels, Jaguar, Pottery Barn, Skyy Vodka, and Verizon Fios.

Rock River's DJ remixes of classic Christmas material from the likes of Bing Crosby topped Apple's iTunes charts last year, and eager consumers will find Rock River's newest holiday remixes on upcoming Rock River CDs including those from Old Navy and Mumm Napa Wines.

About Rock River Communications (http://www.rockrivermusic.com/)

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA and Brattleboro, Vermont, Rock River was founded in 1995 by musician and music producer Billy Straus with the mission of providing an alternative pipeline to deliver music to consumers. With the upcoming release of its 80th Rock River CD, Straus' first client Pottery Barn embodies the original company vision for bringing great music directly to consumers.

Source: Rock River Communications, Inc.

CONTACT: Billy Straus, Founder & CEO, +1-802-387-3800, billy.straus@rockrivermusic.com; or Jeff Daniel, President, +1-415-285-2550 ext 250, j_daniel@rockrivermusic.com, both of Rock River Communications, Inc.

Web site: http://www.rockrivermusic.com/

------- Profile: Ent