Zac Brown's Southern Ground Artists label now falls under the Universal umbrella with a new partnership between John Varvatos Records, Republic Records and Big Machine Label Group.
Brown and co. shared the deal Friday (Sept. 19) with Billboard at the iHeart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas. "I think we got the dream together," Brown said about the partnership, which will get his band's next release, tentatively scheduled for spring 2015. "I sought out John because of his execution as a brand master with Varvatos -- I don't think anyone's in his league or arena in what he does. And the horsepower [Republic and Big Machine] have in what they've done and to have all this together is a huge deal. It's a big day to get it together, and an evolution of the band continuing to grow and to better ourselves."
It's a solid move for all parties involved, especially Southern Ground's stable of talent that includes Blackberry Smoke, The Wood Brothers and Niko Moon. Scott Borchetta, president of Big Machine, said he's been working on a relationship with Brown since "day one." "So over the years, knowing him from a distance, I was always working the managers [ROAR's Bernie Cahill and Will Ward] and just really admiring the musicianship and the trueness of everything Zac and his band stand for."
Republic CEO Monte Lipman partnered up with Varvatos earlier this year, a move that's been instrumental in improving the way the label boss views the business. "What I like about him is that he doesn't know the rules," Lipman said about the fashion designer. "It forces us to think differently. He'll ask us questions that sometime sound outrageous, but are sometimes sort of genius."
Brown and his band took the stage later adorned in Varvatos wear.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
