Brit Music Scene

The Zutons Dropped By Their Record Label Posted: 15 Jan 2009 12:37 PM PST The Zutons were/are one of my favorite current British bands. I got into them before most people did, before they were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2004. And well before they, or at least their music, crossed over to the mainstream when Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse covered Valerie in 2006. With so much invested in the band, having seen them live a few times and having bought all their albums, I’m gutted to hear that they’ve been dropped by their record label, Sony BMG. The split reportedly happened over Christmas after the record label decided poor sales of their third album, You Can Do Anything, were enough of a reason to let them go. Their last single before they were dropped, What’s Your Problem, also failed to make the Top 40 singles chart, which in this day and age is tantamount to a big failure. A source told The Daily Star: "Expectations were unrealistically high when The Zutons came back from LA with their third album.” "Valerie was being pumped out of every stereo around the world and they were totally being overshadowed by a song from their previous release.” "While it was great that it brought in a bit of money and allowed the band to buy houses and have some cash in their pocket, the label wanted another song in the same style.” "The fact was that the group wanted to make a fresh start and were proud of what they'd recorded." I can’t help thinking that Ronson and Winehouse are part of the problem. Before their version of Valerie became one of this decade’s bestselling songs, and a single played everywhere, from karaoke bars to supermarkets, The Zutons were doing just fine, gigging and selling enough records to satisfy their label. But due to the success of the Valerie cover, which not only helped Winehouse’ career but made Ronson a household name, the stakes were raised and The Zutons couldn’t hope to ever hit them. Their future career was therefore blighted by a cover from their second album. The Zutons haven’t yet made a statement concerning the split from their record label, or announced whether they’re to continue as a band. I really hope they stick it out though and find a new label to work with because they are one of the best British bands around at the moment. Maybe they should do what The Futureheads did when they were cruelly dropped by their label and start their own instead. Or they could nix the idea of physical releases altogether and innovate Radiohead-style by releasing material on the Internet instead. Just as long as they keep gigging, I’ll be a happy man. [Photo Source: From Newscom with permission] Tags: Amy Winehouse, Brit, British, Futureheads, Mark Ronson, Mercury-Music-Prize, Radiohead, Sony BMG, The-Zutons, UK, Valerie, You Can Do Anything Share This

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