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"We had an A&R mandate to sign acts that defined the personality of Andy Slater’s Capitol Records, and the Vines fit perfectly into that."
——Ron Laffitte, Capitol VP A&R

VINES ARE GROWING ON
THE CAPITOL TOWER

Aussie Punk-Rockers Enjoy Boffo First-Week With New Album Headed for Top 15 Bow

Capitol’s rock stable just added another winner to a collection that includes Radiohead, Coldplay and Doves.

Aussie punk-rock foursome The Vines are off to a red-hot start in the States after the release this Tuesday (7/16) of the band’s debut Highly Evolved album. The label’s superb marketing/promotion campaign, spearheaded by Sr. VP "On Your" Mark DiDia and Sr. VP Promotion Dan "Mother" Hubbert, is kicking in bigtime.

This is the first act signed to Capitol by President Andrew Slater—in this case with VP A&R Ron Laffitte—that has come out during his regime.

Commented DiDia: "I'm so proud of our staff for taking Andy Slater's vision and seeing it all the way through. No detail was overlooked in bringing this record to the public. And our timing appears to be perfect. This is an album that has captured the spirit of the renewed rock movement. From day one, we set out with our overseas partners to execute a true global marketing plan, and I believe we're on our way to an unqualified success."

Thanks in large part to Best Buy’s $5.99 promotion this week, the band’s sales look headed for 50k and a Top 15 debut on HITS Top 50 Album chart. The record’s also been fueled by MTV Buzzworthy.com and MTV2 Blowtorch play for the single, "Get Free," and blanket exposure on PoMo radio.

The band entered the U.K. album chart at #3. Their SRO national tour just got under way with a televised MTV concert from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on July 9 and runs through Aug. 10. The group just performed on Conan O’Brien Tuesday (7/16), with a David Letterman appearance slated for Aug. 19.

Laffitte explained that he first received a demo on The Vines from an Australian production company, and when he heard "Get Free," the first single, "it was undeniable." He then took Slater to hear the band in the studio, where they fell in love with the group. "They have this incredible style and personality," he said. "Andy and I both felt that Modern Rock radio was starting to undergo a shift with the success of garage-rock bands like The Strokes and White Stripes."

Hubbert points to early airplay from the likes of KROQ and WXRK as well as strong MTV support for the successful launch: "We needed upfront spins in the appropriate dayparts to maximize impact the week of the album’s release, and I think we accomplished that. We fed each market the U.K. press, including the NME cover, but we basically let the music do the talking."

VP Rock & Alternative Promotion Gary Spivack has done his part in delivering a Top 10 PoMo radio hit: "The first-week sales really speak volumes as to what PoMo airplay can do. MTV2’s Blowtorch and MTV Buzzworthy.com also deserve credit, making sure radio’s not in a vacuum. It’s been a labor of love since we first heard the band's demos last year. There’s a musical evolution out there that The Vines are at the forefront of—and we’re not done yet."

After recording the band in L.A., Slater and Laffitte arranged to have the group release their debut album on U.K. EMI label Heavenly Records, home of both Doves and Beth Orton, starting the buzz in England which has now spread like wildfire to the U.S.

Added Laffitte: "We had an A&R mandate to sign acts that defined the personality of Andy Slater’s Capitol Records, and the Vines fit perfectly into that. Though we couldn’t have imagined that it would happen this quickly."

Sr. VP Sales Joe McFadden called the label's approach a "textbook" setup. "Retail really embraced the band from the start, which has manifested itself in a great launch with huge customer awareness. Obviously, we think that the [Best Buy $5.99] price-point is a factor, but every account has weighed in."

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