When music industry veteran and independent pioneer Allen Kovac first founded Eleven Seven Music and Eleven Seven Label Group in 2006, he recognized that major record companies were no longer focusing on artist development and marketing. Thirteen years later, E7LG, the industry’s global rock powerhouse, has been renamed Better Noise Music.
The consolidation of its labels and rebranding to Better Noise Music is an indication of great things to come across various types of media. Taking what E7LG has learned about developing artists over the years and applying it to all manner of media is the intention.
“Better Noise is more than just a music company,” says Better Noise COO Steve Kline. “We are a content company that creates books, films, documentaries, theatrical productions, tours, and television, that provide opportunities to reach audiences in unique and impactful ways. We’re more than a record label, we develop and nurture artists and bands.”
“Better Noise means we communicate our standards to our artists and partners in just two words,” explains Managing Director of Europe, Dan Waite. “Better Noise is not generic and our standard is excellence. The collaborative way Allen encourages us to work means the artists benefit from everyone’s skill set, whether in the U.S., Toronto, Europe or Australia and this is why we have been able to attract top acts in their genre, like AWOLNATION and Five Finger Death Punch.”
Better Noise founder Allen Kovac was honored by Sir Richard Branson with the INNOVATOR AWARD at the Association for Independent Music (AIM) Awards in London in September 2019. An industry visionary, who anticipated many of the benefits of the digital age, Kovac accepted the honor by noting that indies have gone from 14% market share when the organization started to almost 40% today. He also pointed out the increasingly important role that companies such as Beatchain and BuzzAngle play in the success of the independent sector.
Major new global signings include Five Finger Death Punch, AWOLNATION and Mongolian rock sensations, The HU. Five Finger Death Punch headlines arenas around the world and consistently attains gold and platinum status. AWOLNATION’s innovative indie rock sound and big radio hits have resulted in over 1.5 billion streams. The HU sold out their first UK and North American tours and their album debuted Top 10 on multiple rock album charts around the world. These bands join a roster that includes: Mötley Crüe, Papa Roach, Dirty Heads, Bad Wolves, Fire from the Gods, Nothing More, Escape the Fate, Sixx: A.M. and HELLYEAH. The roster dominated the Mediabase Active Rock radio market with a 20% share.
Better Noise Nashville has also inked its first country-rock act in Cory Marks, set to tour with Gordon Bamford in Spring 2020. Additional new signings from Better Noise International include Bang Bang Romeo (U.K.), Juno-nominated Bleeker (Canada) and Atlas Genius (Australia).
“In addition to expanding into other genres of music, we are moving into different avenues of media,” says GM Rose Slanic, pointing out the Netflix film The Dirt and a Broadway musical based on The Heroin Diaries, by Nikki Sixx, along with a slate of films like Sno Babies (a coming-of-age film about teenagers falling victim to the opiate crisis, featuring 13 songs from the label’s artists) and The Retaliators (a horror film with a soundtrack featuring Better Noise artists) and several documentaries slated for 2020. Publishing ventures include podcasts, audiobooks and books, such as Debbie Harry’s just-released memoirs.
Partnering with FUGA, AMPED and Membran, the company operates a global marketing and distribution platform, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Toronto and Sydney.
