TVT Records

TVT Records was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb in 1985.

History

Gottlieb, a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law, launched the label from his New York City apartment with the release of Television's Greatest Hits. It was an album featuring theme songs from various TV shows, hence the label's acronym TVT (Tee Vee Toons). The album proved so successful that a total of eight volumes would ultimately be released. Unimpressed with the level of service and marketing attention Gottlieb perceived Major labels devoted to developing acts, TVT then turned its attention to signing new acts of various genres. Over the course of its 25 year history until its sale in 2009 of its recorded music assets to the Orchard, the label released some 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-platinum releases. Its biggest artistic discoveries included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, Underworld, KLF, Sevendust, Brian Jonestown Massacre (subject of the Award Winning Documentary Dig!) and Pitbull. Among its biggest commercial successes ranged from release of the triple platinum Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine, to two double platinum releases by Lil Jon, to platinum releases by Snoop Dogg and the Eastside Boyz, Dashboard Confessional and Ying Yang Twins.

TVT was recognized by Billboard for each of the five years from 2001 through 2006 as the largest US Independent Label with sales during this period surpassing $50 million a year. Its success in identifying unique breakthrough talent across a large range of genres was paired by its equally unique business structure as a label that received no funding or distribution support from the Majors. No other American independent label in the modern music business has achieved as many charting albums without the support and underwriting of one of the Majors. But TVT's long history of innovative marketing and focused long term attention to a small roster gave it substantial advantages to the Majors. As such TVT also was subject to attack by these large multinationals either directly in instances of attempted theft of artists or general anti-competitive practices and through indirect means.

The label's publishing arm, TVT Music Publishing, also had success making the top-ten list of Billboard Magazine's Publishers Air Play Chart for each quarter of 2006.

A sub-label, TVT Soundtrax, released albums for films, TV shows, and theater productions. They included Mortal Kombat, Blade, Miss Congeniality, Starsky & Hutch, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, among others.

In 1992, TVT purchased Chicago-based Wax Trax! Records, another independent label that had been successful in the 1980s with the then-new industrial music genre. Wax Trax is credited for helping to bring industrial music to the forefront. Wax Trax! would continue to run for several years after being purchased by TVT, but would subsequently be folded into its parent.

TVT Records also operated TVT Distribution, an independent distribution company. The distribution arm distributed all TVT Records releases as well as other indie labels, which included Vagrant, OverCore, Rap Hustlers, Quannum, Battle Axe, and others. The label was Billboard Magazine's #1 Independent Label for five consecutive years (2001-2006).

TVT lost a ruling when a Florida judge ruled that TVT's sending of a legal letter to retailers had caused retailers to cancel orders to an album Slip N Slide was planning to release. The disputed album was composed of snippets of the vocal tracks from early demo recordings from rapper Pitbull which were mixed in with new musical beds and combined with other rap artists all without the knowledge or involvement of the artist Pitbull. Pitbull was typically on less than 30 seconds of any given song on the disputed "Pitbull" recordings. TVT was seeking to block the release of the recordings which it believed were being deceptively marketed as "new" recordings by Pitbull and also unfairly marketed under the distinctive Pitbull logo that TVT had developed and spent millions creating awareness for. The jury ruled for Slip-N-Slide Records Inc. and awarded a $9.12 million judgment, which the court reduced to $4.58 million. TVT filed for appeal but the judge ruled that in order to stay the judgement pending appeal TVT had to post a bond which TVT was unable to do. The court stayed the judgment until December 7, but in January Slip-N-Slide received a writ of garnishment in Florida and froze TVT's Bank of America bank accounts in Florida. (Daily Deal/The Deal)^[1]

On February 19, 2008, Gottlieb, who was TVT's president, stated "This is not the end of TVT."^[2] The company sold its recording assets in an auction that was held on June 12, 2008, in New York, NY. The winning bid was put by The Orchard. The music publishing assets were transferred to TVT Music Enterprises which continues to operate under Gottlieb's management.

Artists

Current

• 213
• The A'z
• Ambulance LTD
• Marcos Hernandez
• Baldwin Bros.
• The Blue Van
• Bobaflex
• Buck-O-Nine
• The Cinematics
• Da Muzicianz
• Default
• Dude 'n Nem
• Guided By Voices
• The Holloways
• Ina
• Just Jack
• Le Meu Le Purr
• Lumidee
• Magic
• Teedra Moses
• Naughty by Nature
• O-solo
• Oliver Black
• Oobie
• Paris Bennett
• Pay the Girl
• Pitbull
• Snoop Dogg
• The Polyphonic Spree
• The Strays
• Towers of London
• Twisted Black
• Keke Wyatt
• Ying Yang Twins
• Yo Gotti

Former artists

• Autechre (Wax Trax!/TVT)
• Bender
• Birdbrain
• Bounty Killer
• Brian Jonestown Massacre
• Buck-O-Nine
• Catherine
• Closure
• The Connells
• Cubanate
• Cords
• Die Warzau
• Dayinthelife
• Doggy's Angels
• Anne Dudley & Jaz Coleman
• Esham
• Tha Eastsidaz
• Fledgling
• Full Force
• Gravity Kills
• Guided by Voices
• GZR
• In the Nursery (Wax Trax!/TVT)
• Ja Rule
• Jacki-O
• Jack Rubies
• Jim Jenkin
• Joe Budden
• Jurassic 5
• Juster
• Juno Reactor (Wax Trax!/TVT)
• KMFDM (Wax Trax!/TVT)
• The Kicks
• Fledgling
• Full Force
• Kool Keith
• Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz
• Mastamind
• Mic Geronimo (Blunt/TVT)
• Modern English
• Mood (Blunt/TVT)
• NATAS
• New Years Day
• Nine Inch Nails
• Nothingface
• Jimmy Page
• Portable
• Psychic TV
• Psykosonik
• Polygon Window (Wax Trax!/TVT)
• Sister Machine Gun
• Southern Culture on the Skids
• Spookey Ruben
• Rise Robots Rise
• The Saints
• Gil Scott-Heron
• Sevendust
• Speech
• Three Merry Widows
• Tsar (band)
• The Unband
• Underworld
• VNV Nation
• Vision of Disorder
• We Are Going To Eat You
• WHiTEBREAD
• Cash Money Click

References

External links

• Official website