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Ponti put his money—and time, effort, sweat and commitment—where his mouth was, spending up to five months setting up the two records by sending out 150k CD samplers, launching a website with viral players downloaded by more than a million people, and sending the two out on their own promotional tour.

BARDIC KEEPS BANGING AWAY

Founder Songwriter Jack Ponti Puts His Resources to Work on Breaking New Acts, as Ben Arthur, Jennifer Marks Gain Traction
When we first checked in with Jack Ponti last March (see hitsdailydouble.com, March 22) his Bardic Records label, a co-venture with London-based partner Akbar Shamji, was about to put out its first two releases, Ben Arthur’s Edible Darling and Jennifer Marks’ self-titled debut.

Ponti put his money—and time, effort, sweat and commitment—where his mouth was, spending up to five months setting up the two records by sending out 150k CD samplers, launching a website with viral players downloaded by more than a million people, and sending the two out on their own promotional tour.

The plan is kicking into high gear. Marks has just launched a summer tour with Cyndi Lauper this week. She charted on R&R’s Hot AC chart, gathering early phones and picking up Top 40 indicators. The single, "Live," is eing used on all TV and radio advertising for Spielberg’s The Terminal and by Mattel for its new Barbie DVD.

Arthur is currently on the Modern Troubadours tour with fellow singer/songwriters Abra Moore, Teitur and Vienna Teng, an in-the-round storyteller set-up with all artists splitting the costs of crew and advertising. The jaunt was created by Bardic’s Matt Beckerman and The Agency Group’s Jordan Burger as a way to expose new talent with a dearth of summer touring opportunities for acts like these. Arthur’s first single, "Maryann," drew solid numbers at Triple-A, while the second single, "Tonight," is slated to come out next month, with a new video already in production. He’s already toured Europe, where his album will be the initial release on BardicUK, distributed by Pinnacle.

Sleep Station, the label’s latest act, comes to Bardic from its deal with Eyeball Records, the label which produced such hit emo acts as Thursday and My Chemical Reaction. The band, whose new single will hit radio within the next month, will launch a tour with Steeltrain and Linbeck.

The label’s ace producer Mike Shipley just finished the debut of Dutch rockers Werring, described by Ponti as "Wham! meets Savage Garden meets Def Leppard."

"We have other joint ventures with other indie labels on tap, and are also considering signing some new bands," says Ponti, who is currently benching 400 lbs. and shoulder pressing 200 lb.

Coming up on the label’s one-year anniversary, Ponti has proven he can more than carry the weight.

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