THE DREAM IS WORKING
DreamWorks Records is wide awake and kicking.
The label is in high gear, with hit albums by R&B icons the Isley Brothers, hard-rockin’ newcomers A.F.I. and The All-American Rejects, neo-soulsters Floetry, metal stalwarts Powerman 5000 and flag-waving Nashville acts Darryl Worley and Toby Keith.
"It was always our intent to build a full-service, diversified label," says principal Michael Ostin about the eclectic roster. "It’s a testament to our A&R people, our country division and the delivery system we’ve put in place. We feel good about the future in a time of unprecedented challenges for the business."
It’s been almost eight years since industry legends Mo Ostin, his son Michael and longtime associate Lenny Waronker ankled Warner Bros. to launch the DreamWorks Records division of the newly minted Hollywood studio in Oct. ’95 with entertainment giants Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.
From its first releases, George Michael’s Older and the platinum Rent original-cast recording, through such critically acclaimed acts as Rufus Wainwright and the eels, DreamWorks has tried to preserve its founding trio’s roots in long-term artist development against the backdrop of a rapidly changing industry environment.
After the arrival of industry vet John Barbis in August 2000, DreamWorks artists began rewarding that patience, scoring hit records by Powerman 5000, Papa Roach, Nelly Furtado, Alien Ant Farm, Jimmy Eat World and Lifehouse.
"My timing couldn’t have been better," Barbis laughs. "Mo, Lenny and Michael had those records on deck. I was just able to put them on a schedule and generate activity. We made a few changes until we had the right balance with the right records. The luxury and ability to stay with records and bring them home has added a real credibility factor to the company."
Under Urban head John McClain, soul mainstays the Isleys surprised everyone with a #2 bow on the album chart for Body Kiss, selling 134k copies. Bay Area goth rockers A.F.I. bowed at #7 in March with Sing the Sorrow, now approaching gold. Teenage Okie pop-punks The All-American Rejects’ self-titled bow is also near gold, bowing at #25 and still in the Top 50 a couple months later. Neo-soul duo Floetry is gaining momentum for the track "Say Yes" at Urban Mainstream, while its album, just below the Top 50, is closing in on gold.
The label’s Nashville operation, started in June ’97 by James Stroud, has taken advantage of the public’s current patriotism with a pair of pro-America anthems in Worley’s "Have You Forgotten" and Keith’s "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)." Worley’s album is selling 40k per week, while Keith’s Unleashed is now over 2.5 million in OTC sales.
"We’re the last independent major standing," Michael Ostin assert. "It’s a testament to David, Jeffrey and Steven, who gave us the latitude and freedom to do this on our own terms. We’re able to do the best thing for the label, the company and our artists without answering to a board of directors or Wall Street analysts. Which reminds me, sell all my Vivendi-Universal stock."
