New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Urban Melodic Entertainment) - Highly respected sound engineer Charlie Jones is embarking on a new chapter in his career. He has launched Urban Melodic Entertainment.
After the showcase, everyone in the room kept coming to me saying that the artists, material and the caliber of talent are as good as any signed to a major label. I knew we could be competitive and it was time to take matters into my own hands. BET's "106 & Park." "Showtime at the Apollo." Jamie Foxx's "Laffapalooza." MTV's "TRL." CBS's "Guiding Light." "The Chris Rock Show." These are just a few of the shows mixed by Charlie Jones, or "C.J." as his friends and colleagues know him.
Though he isn't a household name, the shows he has mixed and the talent whose shows he's laid his sonic stamp upon are. And when a TV producer or Executive in Charge of Production needs an audio mixer or "A1" as it's called in the TV world, Charlie is usually on the top-10 list of go-to mixers.
Mainstream with an urban edge is the philosophy for this new company. "Hip-Hop and its influence on pop culture, from music to fashion to Madison Avenue is profound and undeniable. Urban Melodic is where melody and the street come together," Jones said.
Launching the label is a natural progression for this Howard University graduate, who majored in music composition and minored in music business. The New York-based label is an extension of the infatuation with music videos that C.J. developed while working as a freelance audio mixer over a period of 16 years at BET, MTV and VH1. During the past three years he has been developing three artists under his Urban Melodic Productions moniker. The current roster consists of:
In November 2005, C.J., along with colleague Jacqueline Manning did a showcase for then Columbia Records President Steve Greenberg. Manning had worked with Greenberg during his S-Curve Records days to help break recording artist Josh Stone. It became clear in February 2006 that a deal would not materialize due to no fault of any of the parties. At that point, C.J. decided to launch Urban Melodic as an independent label rather than take "another" A&R meeting. "After the showcase, everyone in the room kept coming to me saying that the artists, material and the caliber of talent are as good as any signed to a major label. I knew we could be competitive and it was time to take matters into my own hands."
C.J. set out to create the infrastructure necessary so singles were available to the public once the artists became visible. He began to build a steady fan base via the Internet and singles placed on iTunes and other Internet outlets. He brought in Steve Conner (formerly Creative Director at Burrell Communications in Chicago) as a creative director/consultant to oversee branding and visual presentation and recently hired Issy Sanchez of Elite Music Group as a consultant to handle radio promotion. In the meantime, he has continued recording each artist to complete their albums with targeted 3rd and 4th quarter 2007 album releases.
Jones wears all the hats, from executive, manager and psychologist, to recording engineer, producer and mixing & mastering each project. C.J. also enlisted some friends to help him out on production including Shay Taylor (Ne-Yo, Busta Rhymes), Lawrence "Woo" Allen (B2K, Destiny's Child-remixes), Jason "Loose" Dyer of Natural Born Builders (DTP's I-20, Salaam Remy) and Dave "D.S." Stanley (Mobb Deep, Various Mix tape tracks).
The first single release is "Yeah" from pop diva Emily Jackson. The single will be serviced to radio in March along with the music video being serviced in Mid-February 2007. The music video for "Yeah" was directed by veteran music video producer Jack Marmer (Chris Robinson, Hype Williams, Robot Films), and is Marmer's directorial debut. Marmer produced the music video in conjunction with the Riverwood High School's media arts program in Atlanta, GA. Tim Bemberry, director of the program approached Marmer, who is an alumnus of the high school to do a music video symposium. Jack Marmer went one better and shot the music video at the high school. Marmer brought in industry veterans to handle cinematography, AD, wardrobe, stylist, hair & makeup, audio, lighting and grips, involving the students giving them hands-on experience in making a music video. The students in turn made their own "Making the Video" film.
The treatment has Emily Jackson taking over the high school and turning every location she goes to into a dance off/traveling party. The music video then culminates in a concert. Choreographed by Ci Ci Kelley (Mariah Carey, Outkast, LL Cool J, Laurie Ann Gibson) the music video features some of the hottest dancers in Atlanta. Kelley also oversaw some 200 dancers for auditions. A world premiere is scheduled to take place at the high school on March 26, 2007. The students will also debut their "Making the Video" film project at the premiere.
Up until now C.J. has managed to maintain his full-time position at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York as an Audio Supervisor, overseeing shows such as "Guiding Light" and BET's "106 & Park." He plans to leave his post in Spring 2007 to devote his full-time attention to running the company. Immediate goals for Urban Melodic Records are to partner or joint venture with a major media company by Spring 2007 in time for Emily Jackson's debut album release. Other upcoming releases include Sadiiya Rock's debut single "Ooh La La" in May 2007 and Gyant's single "Triple Double" in June 2007.
