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CBS Corp. Revives CBS Records Label
December 15, 2006 at 5:51 AM (PT)
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CBS RECORDS is back, as CBS CORPORATION revives the brand for a new music venture with an emphasis on promoting music and artists by integrating them into CBS TV shows. The label has a deal with APPLE to sell music through the iTUNES MUSIC STORE and will pursue other digital distribution partnerships and may later sell through physical distribution at retail via deals with "outside parties." Industry veteran LARRY JENKINS will consult the launch, working with CBS' AMY OSLER and JEFF SELLINGER.
"CBS is one of the most powerful entertainment brands in the world, and music represents a natural and complementary extension of our content assets," said Pres./CEO LES MOONVES in a press release. "With more consumers choosing the online download model as the preferred way to purchase their favorite songs, we have an opportunity to use our unique and broad collection of media platforms to create a new music label paradigm for a small price of admission."
"The marriage of television and music with CBS Records offers tremendous creative and commercial potential for everyone," said CBS PARAMOUNT NETWORK TELEVISION ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Pres. NANCY TELLEM. "Our artists will have access to an incredibly powerful medium (television) to drive music sales; our television producers will have greater flexibility to use music as a creative enhancement in their shows; and our Company will be able to reduce the Network and studio’s music licensing cost center while transforming it into a new revenue stream."
Music from the label will be incorporated into shows airing on CBS and sister network THE CW as well as on shows produced by CBS PARAMOUNT for other networks and on CBS' "INNERTUBE" broadband channel.
Initial signings include WILL DAILEY, PJ. OLSSON, and indie band SENOR HAPPY. The label is based in LOS ANGELES and will be part of TELLEM's CBS ENTERTAINMENT division. CBS sold the original, long-established CBS RECORDS, the parent of COLUMBIA and EPIC, to SONY in 1988, and SONY retired the CBS name.

