( LABEL & BAND HISTORIES )

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Starting with a financial boost from Harper's college savings, to
the anger of his father, Live A Little Records only had one act four years ago.
Through word-of-mouth, viral marketing and a whole lot of flights between
Seattle, Chicago and New York, Harper was creating industry buzz the good old
fashioned way. And by taking his time, signing bands one-by-one.

After Harper added his best-friends Gordon (a nationally syndicated radio DJ)
and Bennett (a number one hit music producer), to the formula, success was
bound to follow. LALR has produced 13 number one hits, 6 platinum selling
albums, co-sponsored two hit summer tours and the fastest selling live concert
DVD in Wal-Mart history. After the massive success of LALR's national Shake
It Up Tour and its European sequel, All Shook Up, the label has grown into a
powerhouse.

With five bands signed today, LALR is looking to expand to other genres.
They're taking a break from touring to get back to the good stuff: making and
selling music. And that requires lots of money to fly from coast to coast,
snatching up new talent before the competition can. But never worry, like
success, LALR (and their employees) have lots of money too. The only
problem? The label just lost one of it's star producers, Lucas Santel, to their
biggest rival - Wild Card Records. So what did LALR do? Sign their first solo
act, of course! Let the games begin...

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Three and a half years ago Winchester, Ashford, James and Rodgers
decided to start a dance rock band. Parker joined as their lead singer later
(thanks to MySpace). He auditioned and The Bathroom Radio was born! Their
debut album did well, but their second album was a massive success. It
triggered what is now known in the US as 'TBR fever'. The album sold four times
platinum and resulted in two sold out tours. Their anticipated third album (that
was just recently released) didn't fail - it conquered the charts in Europe and
America. But rumors say that Parker might leave the band soon for a solo
career... and the other boys don't like that all.



Three years, four sold out tours and three platinum selling albums later,
Hysteria is returning to the states as the most talked about band of the
moment. What started off as a nameless group in a Virginia Beach basement,
none of the five boys predicted they'd be so huge. The All Shook Up Tour
was full of drama for them. Their original drummer and lead singer, Lucas
Santel, left the band. But Santel was replaced by former Via Chicago
guitarist, Joshua Bell. With two longtime friends out for good, everyone
expected Hysteria to crash and burn. Instead their fans supported them.
Now as they come back to the studio, it seems like the whole country is
watching and waiting for new songs. Scheduled to release their fourth album in
the fall, Bell and the boys are being secretive and their fans are loving it.



Believe it or not, Revved and Ready formed at a talent show following
Johnson’s rendition of a Dashboard song. Bowen, Garrett, and Ramone
had been scouting for a lead singer for months and after a hard search,
they stumbled upon the vocalist that jump started their careers. After
almost six years and three albums, the band powered by amazing
instrumentals did their first concept album five months ago. Critics and
fans are still on the fence about it. But R&R is over it. One of the more
mainstream bands at Live A Little Records, Johnson and the gang has
expressed interest in touring again, but the label is more interested in
another album. So what will they do? Who knows at this point!



The Davenport Sisters are the full package. They've got the look, the
voices, the cute guys playing guitar and drums. But the one thing they
lacked was a label. For four years, The Great Romance performed
around Phoenix but felt they weren't going anywhere. The day after
high school graduation, they packed their bags and moved to NYC.
They struggled there for a year. But luck was on their side, because
Live A Little Records producer, Jake Bennett was in the building during
one of their shows. He was so impressed he approached them directly,
pulled some strings at the label and got them signed in a flash. Their
debut album, an electro-pop-club disc, was a hit with fans - not so
much with critics. So The Great Romance is getting... well, romantic.
And for their second album, they're going a little less electric and a
little more acoustic.



Who would have thought a former juvenile deliquent, briefly jailed for
armed robbery as a pre-teen, could turn his life around so
drastically? Rome began as an underground rapper based in Brooklyn,
where he made his own mixtapes. He was popular locally, but craved
national love. He finally got his wish when a song from his last
mixtape was played on Travis Gordon's radio show. It led to a
signing by Live A Little Records. His album won't come out for
another two months, but he's already being touted as the next
big thing in popular music - and as healthy competition for
Tegan Miller and Lucas Santel.

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A mixed bag of sounds, Wild Card Records, is the youngest of all the up-and-
coming labels (they've only been around for about four years). Founder and
CEO, Dillard, was merely the heir to a jewelry empire who cared more about
music than diamond mines. Her cousins, Ford and Dillard-Smith, who were more
business minded, helped start Wild Card Records to avoid a life of boring
socialite dinners and yacht parties.

Under Dillard, Ford and Dillard-Smith, Wild Card was made to be creatively free.
The label has taken a particular liking to pop-rock, but they accept all genres.
The three hired lots of friends to work for them, who were passionate and
dedicated. Wild Card talent scouts traveled the West Coast, combing clubs,
talent shows and music festivals for unsigned acts. Queens of Apology and
Burning Empires were the firsts. After nabbing global pop sensation Tegan
Miller before LALR could, Wild Card became a certified threat to other labels.
And after signing Broken Heroes, they were a force to be reckoned with.

In need of even more financial perks, the label became a division of Jive
Records a month ago. Despite this business move, Wild Card Records is still
very much in control of their label, their acts and their unique blend of sounds.
They're getting more money and publicity to spread those sounds around the
country. No wonder they stole Lucas Santel from Live A Little Records...

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It's been almost two years since Staite and Carpenter quit their jobs to work
full-time on starting a band. Not long after that, they met Lovett and Burton.
Queens of Apology was then officially born. With a little luck, they got a record
deal and after a lot of hard work and late nights in the studio they had their
first record completed. Before they knew it, this quartet from Seattle was
on top of the world in America and a part of the Swear to Shake It Up Tour.
They just released their album in Europe and consequently took the
continent by storm. The girls have new material ready to go - but will
internal drama hinder their chances for super stardom?



San Diego, California is the birthplace of Broken Heroes. The band was
formed when the three boys met in high school. Unfortunately, the band
couldn't seem to get off the ground, and after two years of trying to make it,
they went looking for a fourth member. And they found that 'something
extra' in vocalist/pianist, Scott. So Broken Heroes was no longer a boys-
only group, but that was fine with them. The addition of a girl gave the band a
new sound and new popularity. Their first album, a critical and commerical
success, was what put them on two whirlwind tours. Now with their first big
break in years, Broken Heroes is right in the middle of recording their highly
anticipated second album.



Meet the girl who just one year ago was a ‘nobody’ working in her mother’s
bookstore in Perth, Australia. Her career took a rocket start after she
posted a few of her songs on her MySpace. Miller soon found herself in the
middle of a tug-a-war between several labels who wanted her. She was later
flown to LA where she met execs from Jive and Wild Card Records. She
signed with Wild Card and was recording her debut album in days. After
two smash hit singles, 'I Kissed A Girl' and 'Hot n Cold' - her album soared
to number one on the pop charts worldwide. Miller is now an international
household name. The fame happened so quickly, Miller can hardly believe it -
or handle it. There's been no word yet on her second album, but new songs have
already popped up on the internet...



As one of the more controversial artists signed to Wild Card Records, the
former front man of Hysteria, Lucas Santel, is causing quite a stir.
Most had thought that Santel would have signed to Live a Little Records
because of his history in Hysteria and his recent employment as one of
their record producers. But he shocked fans by snubbing the label to walk
into the arms of their biggest competition. Reportedly, there were creative
differences; they wanted him in a new electro-pop band, while he wanted to
start a more mellow solo career. When WCR caught wind of his lack of contract
to LALR, they quickly offered him a deal he couldn't refuse. So now he's
back in the studio with a different label, facing the scrutiny and
disgust of fans and critics alike. Time will only tell if this
decision will be his downfall.



With only one album released, featuring the #1 hits 'I Don't Care'
and 'Americas Suitehearts,' Burning Empires is the most popular
new band of the year. After getting done with their first tour, they were
invited to the All Shook Up Tour. Stevenson, Christopher, Mickleson and
Jones began playing together just two years ago when Stevenson put up
a flyer at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada. Christopher and Mickleson were
the first to join. Jones, a good friend of Christopher's, came later. They
were soon discovered by Wild Card Records and signed on the spot, releasing
their first album soon after. And even though their music may sound similar to
most bands, the lyrics and videos are what attract their fans. Even though
they've just started, Burning Empires is writing new songs for their second
album as we speak.



Named after 'New London' - the Boston apartment complex the three
members of ANL grew up in - the boys knew from early ages that they
wanted to be music superstars. Originally, they were terrible. But
time and practice made them better. They were an indie band for
years and years. They were discovered accidentally when their lead
singer hit on a Wild Card Records talent agent. ANL moved to LA and
signed with the label, but didn't begin recording immediately.
Instead they bumped heads with their producers, agents and managers.
After a 10-month stall, their first major studio album has finally been
released and everyone is finally happy with the outcome. But the guys fear
they're being over shadowed by some of the bigger names on the label.

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Born from a childhood dream between best-friends, Knight and Moretti, Eightball
Records started in Moretti's basement. The label was always meant to be for
alternative musicians and any music that didn't fit with the mainstream stuff.
For almost nine years, Eightball Records was stagnant - thanks to school,
family problems and Knight and Moretti's recreational drug use. It wasn't until
after high school that Knight and Moretti began to take themselves seriously.
They took out a loan from the bank and bought a studio.

Knight and Moretti went several months with no acts because of their refusal to
open their label to wannabe pop stars. It was Knight's girlfriend, Taylor, that
discovered their first band, Goldmine Valentine on vacation in London. Eightball
Records not only signed them - but they signed two more bands in the span of
three months. Practically an overnight success, the Eightball acts became
chart-toppers and revenue started coming in at alarming rates.

The underdogs, or the little label that could, quickly became a household name
in Chicago, after Bleed in Blue became nominated for a Grammy. But they are
also becoming known as the most controversial, because of their beef with both
Wild Card and Live A Little Records. Some are even beginning to call them
sell-outs after breaking away from their rock roots and signing an
underground rap duo.

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These Londoners started their band after only one conversation
about their love of music in a coffee shop. The early days
were a bit rough. Success was slow coming and they released their
first two albums independently. It was so rough some days that the band
almost called it quits. Instead, they moved to America where they
thought their chances at success would be better and it eventually
paid off. After three years, they were signed to Eightball Records and
landed a big tour. It was on that tour that their fame picked it up
dramatically. Now they have a loyal fanbase and the sky is most
certainly the limit when it comes to what Goldmine Valentine will do next.



This Toronto quintet have been playing together since middle school.
Despite sending songs to various record labels as teens and posting
their music online they never really seemed to catch their big break.
They almost got a contract once but broke it off when they realized
the label wanted to make them the new 'Pussycat Dolls'. Even though
their road to stardom was rough they didn't quit. It was only a year
ago that people started to really notice them. Which led to them
getting signed by Eightball Records, where they made the music they
wanted to make. A few months later their debut single was released
and it became a moderate success. But their album? It took over the
internet. In a way these girls aren't ready to hit the studio so quickly
after the All Shook Up Tour. Instead they've got some big promotional
stuff going on so they can cross over from the internet into the mainstream.



These rock-rap-alternative boys are already big stars in the industry.
They've been recording for five years, have three platinum albums and
have been nominated for a Grammy - twice. Critics hate them, but they
don't care. Friends since high school, Bleed in Blue will never break
up or cave to petty band drama. The only headlining drama they made
was last year when they broke a multi-million dollar contract with
Columbia - to sign with Eightball where they were offered three album
deals and considerably less money. Some think they're crazy. But to
them, it's not about the money. Never has, never will be. It's all
about the music and they'll preach that 'til they die.



Best-friends from childhood, the rappers of Tag Team got their name
from their obsession with the WWF as kids. Music wasn't always their
original plan. The two wanted to start a label but didn't have the money.
So instead they turned to producing. But after a year of that, they became
so disgusted with the no-talent acts using their awesome beats, they
decided to just keep all their beats and write their own songs. They
became underground kings in Green Bay. When they moved to Chicago,
their music really took off. They grabbed the attention of Eightball
Records producers and were skeptical at first, but decided to sign anyway.
They're doing promotional stuff in Chicago at the moment, but don't worry -
they have two albums in the making. And they know they're gonna be big.