Apollo Sunshine Forges a Unique Relationship with NYC Indie Label SpinART Records and Berklee College of Music's Student-Run Label Heavy Rotation Records, Music Business Students Gain Firsthand Experience In Album Promotion

Apollo Sunshine's new self-titled album is a joint release by spinART records and Berklee College of Music's student-run record label Heavy Rotation records. The unique relationship between the two labels was an idea that became a working partnership soon after Jeff Price, co-founder of spinART records, met Heavy Rotation faculty advisor Jeff Dorenfeld at a panel discussion at Berklee. Says Price, "Jeff [Dorenfeld] initially brought up the idea of working together. It was a very loose concept at first. We continued to talk back and forth until it fell into the right place, and we decided Apollo's next album would become a co-release done in conjunction with Heavy Rotation Records."

Since 1995, Heavy Rotation has released several compilation CD's under the guidance of Dorenfeld, formerly the manager of the band Boston, tour manager for Sammy Hagar, and tour accountant for Ozzy Osbourne. The label made a splash with 2002's Shekinah: 13 Artists, distributed by Epic Records. The release was the first such collaboration between a college label and major record company. Apollo Sunshine's CD is the first full-length album release for Heavy Rotation. Apollo Sunshine is particularly apt to be breaking this new ground with the label as the band has roots in the college and Heavy Rotation. The group formed as a trio while Jesse Gallagher, Sam Cohen, and Jeremy Black were attending Berklee College of Music. They later added Sean Aylward on guitar, bass, and vocals, becoming a quartet adept at trading instruments on stage and in the studio.

Says Dorenfeld, "Heavy Rotation became aware of Apollo Sunshine because Jeremy brought a demo to class. We loved it and included them on the first Dorm Sessions compilation CD." The band was already being courted by labels and soon signed to spinART records, who have released many successful CD's by artists including Frank Black, the Dears, and the Pixies, among others. The label released Apollo Sunshine's debut album Katonah to rave reviews nationally.

Press: to inquire about photo availability and usage, please e-mail us. Apollo Sunshine Photo by Greg Morris

The partnership offers advantages to both labels as well as the band. Says Price, "The upside is that Berklee has great connections and I believe that by working together we will accomplish more for Apollo Sunshine than we would have alone." At the same time, working on the Apollo Sunshine release gives the students involved in the label, which is the senior practicum for the Music Business/Management major at Berklee, and taught by Dorenfeld, the opportunity to gain valuable firsthand exposure to the music business through releasing and promoting an album by an up-and-coming band. Heavy Rotation alumni have gone on to careers at major and independent record labels, management companies, publishing companies, and music agencies.

Says Price, "I love lecturing and teaching. The idea of being able to educate students directly through experience is something I find very satisfying on a personal level."  On a recent visit to the Heavy Rotation class, Price explained several aspects of the process – from co-ops and initial orders, to creating buzz and tour support- and impressed upon the students the importance of their involvement to the success of Apollo Sunshine's new album, telling the class, "Part of what you're doing is helping promote and sell the record…I need your help, you are my staff."

Says Jeremy, who has been working with the students coordinating the street teams to spread the word on Apollo Sunshine, "I think it's really cool because we have our label that we've been working with for a while, and have a good relationship with, and then we have Heavy Rotation, which is basically dedicated to us right now. There are 30 kids who are psyched about working on our record. It's like having your own private work force. They are very enthusiastic and have been really helpful."

spinART records - a New York based independent record label that has been in business for 15 years - has been in strategic relationships with Sony, Warner Bros., Sire, Polygram Music Publishing, and others. spinART has distributed over 150 releases, including such bands/artists as Frank Black, the Pixies, John Doe, Michael Penn, The Dears, Apples In Stereo, Vic Chesnutt, Jason Falkner, Richard Thompson, Echo & The Bunnymen, Ron Sexsmith, Lilys, The Eels, Clem Snide, and more. The label is currently distributed via Ryko Distribution. In addition, spinART has entered into joint venture deals with the UK-based Cooking Vinyl Records and Canadian-based Linus Entertainment, creating a worldwide distribution and promotion infrastructure for the label. spinART records was the first label in the music industry to offer its catalog of releases via paid download as mp3s.

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over half a century, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today — and tomorrow.

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Margot Edwards
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medwards@berklee.edu