Record Label Innovative Leisure to Partner with Clear Channel on Digital and Broadcast Revenue-Sharing
Home of Indie Favorites Hanni el Khatib, Rhye, and Classixx is the Latest Label to Join Clear Channel In Effort to Build Sustainable Internet Radio Business Model
LOS ANGELES, CA and NEW YORK, NY 鈥 July 25, 2013 鈥 Clear Channel Media & Entertainment, the leading media company with a greater reach than any other radio or television outlet in the U.S., and indie music label Innovative Leisure today announced an agreement that will enable Innovative Leisure鈥檚 artists to share in broadcast and digital revenue. The label鈥檚 artists 鈥 including Hanni el Khatib, Rhye, Classixx, Nosaj Thing and others 鈥 will receive a share of revenue for airplay on Clear Channel鈥檚 850 AM/FM stations in 150 U.S. markets as well as on its fast-growing iHeartRadio digital radio platform.
This agreement, along with Clear Channel鈥檚 similar partnerships with other record labels, is helping to develop a sustainable Internet radio business model for all stakeholders 鈥 artists, labels, music fans and radio.
Los Angeles-based Innovative Leisure, which launched less than three years ago, already boasts some of today鈥檚 most talked-about indie artists. Garage rocker Hanni el Khatib, whose album Head in the Dirt was produced by the Black Keys鈥 Dan Auerbach, has performed at some of the year鈥檚 top festivals, including SXSW and Coachella. The label was also behind the launch and success of soulful pop duo Rhye, whose debut album Woman was named one of the best albums of 2013 by the Los Angeles Times. Innovative Leisure will release seven full-length albums in 2013 鈥 including music from Nosaj Thing, Classixx and Bass Drum of Death 鈥 more than doubling last year鈥檚 release total.
Billboard called Innovative Leisure 鈥渁 prodigy among young record labels.鈥 The label has forged partnerships with a number of major brands, including Audi, which featured Hanni El Khatib鈥檚 song 鈥淐an鈥檛 Win 鈥楨m All鈥 in its Super Bowl ad, and American Eagle, which sponsored an animated billboard in Times Square to promote Classixx鈥檚 new album Hanging Gardens.
鈥淛amie, Hanni and聽I started this label to help cultivate artists that we feel passionately about, without confining ourselves to any specific genre,鈥 said Nate Nelson, co-founder of Innovative Leisure. 鈥淐lear Channel鈥檚 reach and connection to music listeners will help bring our artists鈥 music to millions of potential new fans.鈥
鈥淚nnovative Leisure has shown they can think outside the box to move both their company and the industry forward,鈥 said Bob Pittman, CEO of Clear Channel. 鈥淲e are excited to share the music of Hanni el Khatib, Classixx, Nosaj Thing, Rhye, Allah-Las and the label鈥檚 other emerging talent with our listeners regardless of which platforms and devices they want to use to find them.鈥
Clear Channel鈥檚 partnership with Innovative Leisure follows the company鈥檚 landmark revenue-sharing agreement with Fleetwood Mac 鈥 the first direct performing rights partnership between a radio company and an artist. Clear Channel has also formed similar market-based agreements with Big Machine Label Group, Glassnote Entertainment Group, eOne, Dualtone, DashGo, rpm Entertainment, Robbins Entertainment, Naxos, Wind-up Records, Fearless Records, and Zojak World Wide.