| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music & Entertainment |
| Founded | New York City, New York, USA (1996) |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York Los Angeles, California |
Key people | Paul Morris, Founder and President |
| Website | www |
AM Only is a North American music booking agency with offices in New York and Los Angeles, specializing in the representation of electronic music artists. It manages a roster of over 200 producers and DJs .[1] Clients include many of the largest producers internationally, such as Tiesto, David Guetta, Hardwell, Above & Beyond, and Skrillex. [2]
In 2012, a partnership was announced with Paradigm, one of the "Big Five" U.S. talent agencies. Paradigm's clients include Academy Award winning actors such as Adrien Brody and Laurence Fishburne, and musical artists such as Coldplay and Dave Matthews Band. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Background
editLaying its foundation in the back of a small independent record shop in the East Village of Manhattan in 1996, AM Only began as a booking agency committed to a single purpose: to provide electronic music’s brightest talent a springboard for presenting their sound to audiences and fans across the world. Since then, AM Only has established a headquarters in Brooklyn, New York and an office in Los Angeles, California.
In a March 2014 Rolling Stone publication on electronic music's most influential people, the magazine asserted: "DJ booking in the United States has two eras: Before and after AM Only. The English-born Paul Morris began representing DJs in mid-Nineties Miami, but his agency solidified in 1996, from an office in the back of New York City drum'n'bass shop Breakbeat Science." [7]
Growth
editElectronic dance music, or EDM for short, has been common in one form or another for decades in many countries, but has only found a mainstream audience recently in much of North America. Many AM Only clients have been instrumental to this growth, both musically and through touring exposure since the 1990s.
DJs like Carl Cox and Tiesto have been touring in North America consistently for nearly twenty years.
Many of its artists, buoyed by increased touring demand, have seen major commercial success in recent years. Artists like Tiesto, David Guetta, and Skrillex have seen earnings rivaling mainstream acts like Lil Wayne and Miley Cyrus and found placement in nearly all major North American music festivals. [8]
Paradigm Partnership
editIn 2012, AM Only expanded further into the general entertainment market through a joint venture partnership with Paradigm Talent Agency. Paradigm is a full-service entertainment agency based in Beverly Hills, with offices in New York, Monterey and Nashville, and is considered to be one of the "Big Five" US talent agencies.[9] Paradigm provides representation for clients in motion pictures, television, music, artist marketing, motion picture financing, book publishing, literary rights, theatre, interactive media, stand-up comedy, commercials, and corporate events.
In an interview regarding the partnership, AM Only CEO Paul Morris said "We felt that with the way our scene was starting to interact with the mainstream business, it would make sense for us to look for a partner that could help us execute our overall strategic plan." Paradigm Music Division head Chip Hooper says the two agencies are philosophically compatible. "Paul Morris and the agents at AM Only represent their clients with the same passion and integrity that we have for years, so it's really a meeting of the minds."
Artists represented by Paradigm’s music department include Aerosmith, Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, The Dead, Eli Young Band, Fun., Phish, and Toby Keith.
Festivals
editArtists represented by AM Only have appeared in many major festivals in the U.S., including:
- Ultra Music Festival, Miami
- Electric Daisy Carnival: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Chicago
- Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley, California
- Bonnaroo, Tennessee
- Electric Zoo, New York
- Camp Bisco, Albany, New York
- Lollapalooza, Chicago
- Governors Ball Music Festival, New York
- South by Southwest, Austin
- Electric Forest Festival, Rothbury, Michigan
- Virgin Festival, Baltimore, Maryland
- Electronic Music Midwest, Kansas City
Film
editAs electronic music has become the increasingly dominant trend in American pop, several of the genre's emerging stars have begun to arbitrate deals in partnership with the film industry in Hollywood.
Skrillex, the dubstep D.J. who won three Grammys in February 2012 and who Forbes magazine estimated earned $15 million that year, composed an original score with Cliff Martinez (formerly of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) for the director Harmony Korine’s film “Spring Breakers.” Skrillex, 24, also recorded material for one scene of the Disney animated film “Wreck-It Ralph,” featuring John C. Reilly as the voice of a repentant video game villain. [10]
John Houlihan, a film supervisor who has worked on more than 60 soundtracks on major films, said: “I think it’s their day in the sun, and Hollywood is very trendy,” he said. “An EDM artist like Skrillex is pushing frequencies and using new instrumentation that is so intense, his music has the potential to drive a modern action scene more effectively than a traditional Hollywood orchestra.” [10]
Knife Party's remix of Porter Robinson's "Unison" was featured in the the trailer for Red Tails in 2012. Skrillex's track Bangarang was featured in the trailer for the movie The Watch in the same year.
In 2014, the soundtrack for sci-fi action film Divergent was produced by Gesaffelstein, Zedd, and Skrillex, among others.
Virality
editIn 2012, producer Baauer's track "Harlem Shake" garnered international media attention when a YouTube video set to its music developed into an Internet meme of the same name. The media response to the meme helped increase the single's sales, as it charted at #1 for five consecutive weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached #3 in the United Kingdom and #1 in both Australia and New Zealand. During the song's chart run, Billboard enacted a policy that included video streams as a component of their charts.[11]
Billboard magazine cited "Harlem Shake" as "the biggest viral sensation since PSY's 'Gangnam Style'".[12]
Shakira, in a recent video posted on her YouTube channel, stopped traffic in Barcelona, Spain, to get out of her car and dance to Skrillex's "Drop It Hard." The video attracted over 625,000 views in a week. [13]
Roster
editAM Only represents over 200 artists, DJs, and producers from around the world. The roster constitutes a significant share of artistry from all electronic music genres, including house, electro, trance, dubstep, techno, and trap, among others. On its website, it mentions that "attention has been paid to talented producers, dynamic performers, and visionary innovators in their respective genres."
A partial list of artists represented by AM Only:
Awards
editAgency
editIn March 2014, Rolling Stone published a list of the "50 Most Important People in EDM", naming AM Only founder/president Paul Morris #5 overall in front of clients like Skrillex (#8) and Richie Hawtin (#34). AM Only agent Lee Anderson was also mentioned for his work with Skrillex, Zedd, Laidback Luke, and SBTRKT. [7]
In August 2012, AM Only agent Lee Anderson was named one of Billboard's "40 Under 40" due in part to his work with Skrillex. [14]
In November 2012, AM Only was nominated for "Independent Booking Agency of the Year" at the annual Pollstar Awards.
In 2012, the American Music Awards added a Favorite Electronic Dance Music category. Artists were nominated based on sales & airplay, and the winner, chosen by fans was David Guetta, over other heavyweights like Calvin Harris and Skrillex. [15]
In January 2013, AM Only CEO Paul Morris was named #7 behind Pete Tong on inthemix's inaugural Power 50, denoting the 50 most influential players in EDM worldwide. Agent Lee Anderson was named #37 to the same list. [16]
In February 2013, four AM Only artists were nominated for mtvU Woodie Awards:
- Zedd for The Breaking Woodie (Best Emerging Artist)
- Skrillex for Best Video Woodie (Best Video of the Year): “Bangarang”
- Knife Party for Tag Team Woodie (Best Collaboration): “Antidote” vs Swedish House Mafia
- Angger Dimas for Tag Team Woodie (Best Collaboration): “Beat Down” with Steve Aoki & Iggy Azalea
GRAMMYs
editAt the 2013 Grammy Awards, Skrillex won three awards while both David Guetta and Deadmau5 performed with the Foo Fighters, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown.[17]
At the 2014 Grammy Awards:
Zedd was nominated and won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording with "Clarity", also featuring Foxes.
Disclosure was nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album with "Settle".
Cedric Gervais was nominated and won Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical with his remix of Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness". Also nominated were Sultan & Ned Shepard for their remix of Locked Out of Heaven.
Tiesto
editTiësto has been nominated for and won more awards than any other DJ worlwide, with over 50 major awards globally since the year 2000. He was the first DJ to hold DJ Magazine's "No. 1. DJ in the World" title for three consecutive years: in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and has been in the Top 3 for twelve consecutive years.[18] Tiesto was voted by the Dutch people as the 40th greatest Dutchman of all time.[19]
David Guetta
editDavid Guetta has won at least 17 major awards as a DJ, producer, and icon, as well as for his recordings, albums, and remixes at the Grammy Awards, DJ Awards, Brit Awards, MTV Music Awards, and World Music Awards among others. The full list can be found here.
| Year | Award | Nomination | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | World Music Awards | David Guetta | World's Best Selling DJ | Won |
| 2010 | Grammy Award | "I Gotta Feeling" (as Producer) | Record of the Year | Nominated |
| Grammy Awards | "The E.N.D." (as Producer) | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards | "When Love Takes Over" (with Kelly Rowland) | Best Dance Recording | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards | "When Love Takes Over" (Electro Extended Remix) | Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical | Won | |
| Grammy Awards | One Love | Best Electronic/Dance Album | Nominated | |
| World Music Awards | David Guetta | World's Best DJ | Won | |
| World Music Awards | David Guetta | World's Best Producer | Won | |
| World Music Awards | David Guetta | World's Best Selling French Artist | Won | |
| 2011 | Grammy Awards | "Revolver" (David Guetta's One Love Club Remix) | Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical | Won |
| 2012 | Grammy Awards | "Sunshine" (with Avicii) | Best Dance Recording | Nominated |
| Grammy Awards | Nothing But The Beat | Best Dance/Electronica Album | Nominated |
Skrillex
editSkrillex emerged as a star within the increasingly popular genre, securing multiple wins at the Grammy Awards, MTV Music Awards, and the Annie Awards since 2011:
| Year | Award | Nomination | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Grammy Award | Himself | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| Grammy Award | "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" | Best Dance Recording | Won | |
| Grammy Award | Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites | Best Dance/Electronica Album | Won | |
| Grammy Award | Benny Benassi feat. Gary Go – "Cinema (Skrillex Remix)" | Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical | Won | |
| Grammy Award | "First of the Year (Equinox)" | Best Short Form Music Video | Nominated | |
| MTV Video Music Award | "First of the Year (Equinox)" | Best Electronic Dance Music Video | Nominated | |
| MTV Video Music Award | "First of the Year (Equinox)" | Best Visual Effects in a Video | Won | |
| 2013 | Grammy Award | "Bangarang" | Best Dance Recording | Won |
| Grammy Award | Bangarang | Best Dance/Electronica Album | Won | |
| Grammy Award | Promises (Skrillex & Nero Remix) | Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical | Won | |
| Annie Award | "Wreck-it Ralph" | Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production | Won |
References
edit- ^ "AM Only: About". Retrieved 4/3/2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "DJ Magazine: "Top 100 DJs"". Retrieved 4/3/2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Fishburne set for 'Man Of Steel'
- ^ Bay Teams With Andy Garcia for 'Admissions': Cannes
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter: "Paradigm and Music Agency AM Only Merge"".
- ^ "Variety: "Award Season Wrap: Riddles and Confusion"". Retrieved 4/3/2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "50 Most Important People in EDM". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Weisman, Aly. "The Highest Paid DJs in the World". Business Insider. Retrieved 4/3/2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Awards Season Wrap: Riddles & Confusion
- ^ a b Anderson, Stacey. "Electronic Dance Music Goes Hollywood". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ Knopper, Steve. "How Baauer Took 'Harlem Shake' to Number One". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "Baauer's 'Harlem Shake': Warner Bros. Strikes Deal With Mad Decent for Distribution, Services". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ Herbert, Geoff. "Viral Video of the Day: Shakira stops traffic to dance to Skrillex 'Drop It Hard' dubstep". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ Mason, Kerri. "Billboard "40 Under 40"". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ "American Music Awards 2012: A big night for Justin Bieber". CBS News. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "inthemix Power 50". inthemix. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ Sisario, Ben. "Electronic Dance Concerts Turn Up Volume, Tempting Investors". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "Tiesto". thedjlist.com. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
- ^ Muther, Christopher (June 14, 2007). "How to speak Dutch (design)". Boston.com. Retrieved 2007-07-14.