Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group.

UMPG owns or administers more than 1 million copyrights. They are one of the largest music publishing businesses in the world with more than 47 offices in 41 countries. In 2006, Universal Music Publishing Group acquired BMG Music Publishing for €1.63 billion, the third largest publishing group, making Universal Music the largest music publisher in the world. Evan Lamberg serves as President of the company. ^[1]

Some of the well-known artists that are affiliated with UMPG are: U2, Hunter Hayes, Shania Twain, Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi, Prince, Ashanti, Mary J. Blige, Anastacia, 50 Cent, 3 Doors Down, The Corrs, The Chemical Brothers, No Doubt, Steve Barakatt, Blink-182, Godsmack, Glen Ballard, Stereophonics, Eve, Musiq, Everclear, André Rieu, Beastie Boys, Fatboy Slim, Noir Desir, Sonique, Zucchero, Miguel Bosé, Brian McKnight, Guy Sebastian, Svoy and Kris Allen.^[2]

Some of UMPG's most classic and popular song titles include: "I Will Survive" by Perren/Fekaris; "You're Still the One" and "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain; "Beautiful Day", "Pride (In the Name of Love)", and "Desire", by U2; "Magic Carpet Ride" by Moreve/Kay; "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Perren/Fekaris; "Born to Be Wild" by Mars Bonfire; "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" by Kern/Hammerstein, "Blue Christmas" by Hayes/Johnson; "Strangers in the Night" by Kaempfert/Snyder/Singleton, "The Way You Look Tonight" by Kern/Fields; "Lady Sings The Blues" by Nichols/Holiday, "Candle In the Wind", "Your Song" and "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John/Bernie Taupin; "Girl From Ipanema" by Jobim/Demoraes/Gimbel; "Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down; and themes from the movies The Mummy II, Gladiator, E.T., The Pink Panther, and Jaws, among many others.

UMPG administers the prestigious 60,000 title Rondor Music Catalog and also owns or administers a multitude of prestigious catalogs including: Interscope and Def Jam Music, All Nations Music, Charlie Daniels, Casa Ricordi, Matraca Berg, Prince, Forerunner Music, Epitaph, Greenwich/Barry, Momentum Publishing, and John Philips. UMPG also owns or administers the works of Leonard Bernstein, and Henry Mancini.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Universal Music Publishing UK
• Universal Publishing Production Music

This article about a publishing company is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Engraving using the early Gutenberg press during the 15th century.

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature, music, or information — the activity of making information available to the general public. In some cases, authors may be their own publishers, meaning: originators and developers of content also provide media to deliver and display the content for the same.

Traditionally, the term refers to the distribution of printed works such as books (the "book trade") and newspapers. With the advent of digital information systems and the Internet, the scope of publishing has expanded to include electronic resources, such as the electronic versions of books and periodicals, as well as micropublishing, websites, blogs, video game publishers and the like.

Publishing includes the stages of the development, acquisition, copyediting, graphic design, production – printing (and its electronic equivalents), and marketing and distribution of newspapers, magazines, books, literary works, musical works, software and other works dealing with information, including the electronic media.

Publication is also important as a legal concept:

1. As the process of giving formal notice to the world of a significant intention, for example, to marry or enter bankruptcy;
2. As the essential precondition of being able to claim defamation; that is, the alleged libel must have been published, and
3. For copyright purposes, where there is a difference in the protection of published and unpublished works.

The process of publishing[link]

Book and magazine publishers spend a lot of their time buying or commissioning copy; newspaper publishers, by contrast, usually hire their own staff to produce copy, although they may also employ freelance journalists, called stringers. At a small press, it is possible to survive by relying entirely on commissioned material. But as activity increases, the need for works may outstrip the publisher's established circle of writers.

For works written independently of the publisher, writers often first submit a query letter or proposal directly to a literary agent or to a publisher. Submissions sent directly to a publisher are referred to as unsolicited submissions, and the majority come from previously unpublished authors. If the publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts, then the manuscript is placed in the slush pile, which publisher's readers sift through to identify manuscripts of sufficient quality or revenue potential to be referred to acquisitions editors for review. The acquisitions editors send their choices to the editorial staff. The time and number of people involved in the process is dependent on the size of the publishing company, with larger companies having more degrees of assessment between unsolicited submission and publication. Unsolicited submissions have a very low rate of acceptance, with some sources estimating that publishers ultimately choose about three out of every ten thousand unsolicited manuscripts they receive.^[1]

Many book publishing companies around the world maintain a strict "no unsolicited submissions" policy and will only accept submissions via a literary agent. This shifts the burden of assessing and developing writers out of the publishing company and onto the literary agents. At these companies, unsolicited manuscripts are thrown out, or sometimes returned, if the author has provided pre-paid postage.

Established authors are often represented by a literary agent to market their work to publishers and negotiate contracts. Literary agents take a percentage of author earnings (varying between 10 to 15 per cent) to pay for their services.

Some writers follow a non-standard route to publication. For example, this may include bloggers who have attracted large readerships producing a book based on their websites, books based on Internet memes, instant "celebrities" such as Joe the Plumber, retiring sports figures and in general anyone whom a publisher feels could produce a marketable book. Such books often employ the services of a ghostwriter.

For a submission to reach publication it must be championed by an editor or publisher who must work to convince other staff of the need to publish a particular title. An editor who discovers or champions a book that subsequently becomes a best-seller may find their own reputation enhanced as a result of their success.

Acceptance and negotiation[link]

Once a work is accepted, commissioning editors negotiate the purchase of intellectual property rights and agree on royalty rates.

The authors of traditional printed materials typically sell exclusive territorial intellectual property rights that match the list of countries in which distribution is proposed (i.e. the rights match the legal systems under which copyright protections can be enforced). In the case of books, the publisher and writer must also agree on the intended formats of publication — mass-market paperback, "trade" paperback and hardback are the most common options.

The situation is slightly more complex, if electronic formatting is to be used. Where distribution is to be by CD-ROM or other physical media, there is no reason to treat this form differently from a paper format, and a national copyright is an acceptable approach. But the possibility of Internet download without the ability to restrict physical distribution within national boundaries presents legal problems that are usually solved by selling language or translation rights rather than national rights. Thus, Internet access across the European Union is relatively open because of the laws forbidding discrimination based on nationality, but the fact of publication in, say, France, limits the target market to those who read French.

Having agreed on the scope of the publication and the formats, the parties in a book agreement must then agree on royalty rates, the percentage of the gross retail price that will be paid to the author, and the advance payment. This is difficult because the publisher must estimate the potential sales in each market and balance projected revenue against production costs. Royalties usually range between 10-12% of recommended retail price. An advance is usually 1/3 of first print run total royalties. For example, if a book has a print run of 5000 copies and will be sold at $14.95 and the author is to receive 10% royalties, the total sum payable to the author if all copies are sold is $7475 (10% x $14.95 x 5000). The advance in this instance would roughly be $2490. Advances vary greatly between books, with established authors commanding large advances.

Pre-production stages[link]

Although listed as distinct stages, parts of these occur concurrently. As editing of text progresses, front cover design and initial layout takes place and sales and marketing of the book begins.

Editorial stage

A decision is taken to publish a work, and the technical legal issues resolved, the author may be asked to improve the quality of the work through rewriting or smaller changes, and the staff will edit the work. Publishers may maintain a house style, and staff will copy edit to ensure that the work matches the style and grammatical requirements of each market. Editors often choose or refine titles and headlines. Editing may also involve structural changes and requests for more information. Some publishers employ fact checkers, particularly regarding non-fiction works.

Design stage

When a final text is agreed upon, the next phase is design. This may include artwork being commissioned or confirmation of layout. In publishing, the word "art" also indicates photographs. Depending on the number of photographs required by the work, photographs may also be licensed from photo libraries. For those works that are particularly rich in illustrations the publisher may contract a picture researcher to find and licence the photographs required for the work. The design process prepares the work for printing through processes such as typesetting, dust jacket composition, specification of paper quality, binding method and casing, and proofreading.

The type of book being produced determines the amount of design required. For standard fiction titles, design is usually restricted to typography and cover design. For books containing illustrations or images, design takes on a much larger role in laying out how the page looks, how chapters begin and end, colours, typography, cover design and ancillary materials such as posters, catalogue images and other sales materials. Non-fiction illustrated titles are the most design intensive books, requiring extensive use of images and illustrations, captions, typography and a deep involvement and consideration of the reader experience.

The activities of typesetting, page layout, the production of negatives, plates from the negatives and, for hardbacks, the preparation of brasses for the spine legend and imprint are now all computerized. Prepress computerization evolved mainly in about the last twenty years of the 20th century. If the work is to be distributed electronically, the final files are saved as formats appropriate to the target operating systems of the hardware used for reading. These may include PDF files.

Sales and marketing stage

The sales and marketing stage is closely intertwined with the editorial process. As front cover images are produced or chapters are edited, sales people may start talking about the book with their customers to build early interest. Publishing companies often produce advanced information sheets that may be sent to customers or overseas publishers to gauge possible sales. As early interest is measured, this information feeds back through the editorial process and may affect the formatting of the book and the strategy employed to sell it. For example, if interest from foreign publishers is high, co-publishing deals may be established whereby publishers share printing costs in producing large print runs thereby lowering the per-unit cost of the books. Conversely, if initial feedback is not strong, the print-run of the book may be reduced, the marketing budget cut or, in some cases, the book is dropped from publication altogether.

Printing[link]

When editing and design work are completed, the printing phase begins. The first step is the creation of a pre-press proof, which is sent for final checking and sign-off by the publisher. This proof shows the book precisely as it will appear once printed and is the final opportunity for the publisher to find and correct any errors. Some printing companies use electronic proofs rather than printed proofs. Once the proofs have been approved by the publisher, printing—the physical production of the published work—begins.

A new printing process is printing on demand. The book is written, edited, and designed as usual, but it is not printed until the publisher receives an order for the book from a customer. This procedure ensures low costs for storage, and reduces the likelihood of printing more books than will be sold.

Distribution[link]

The final stage in publication is making the product available to the public, usually by offering it for sale. In previous centuries, an author was frequently also his own editor, printer, and bookseller, but these functions are usually separated now. Once a book, newspaper, or other publication is printed, the publisher may use a variety of channels to distribute it. Books are most commonly sold through booksellers and other retailers. Newspapers and magazines are typically sold directly by the publisher to subscribers, and then distributed either through the postal system or by newspaper carriers. Periodicals are also frequently sold through newsagents and vending machines.

Within the book industry, some copies of the finished book are often flown to publishers as sample copies to aid sales or to be sent for pre-release reviews. The remaining books often travel from the printing facility via sea freight. As such, the delay between the approval of the pre-press proof and the arrival of books in warehouse, much less in a retail store, can be some months. For books that are tied into movie release dates (particularly children's films), publishers will arrange books to arrive in store up to two months prior to the movie release to build interest in the movie.

Publishing as a business[link]

Eslite Bookstore in Taiwan.

Derided in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica as "a purely commercial affair" that cared more about profits than about literary quality,^[2] publishing is fundamentally a business, with a need for the expenses of creating, producing, and distributing a book or other publication not to exceed the income derived from its sale. Publishing is now a major industry with the largest companies Reed Elsevier and Pearson PLC having global publishing operations.^[3]

The publisher usually controls the advertising and other marketing tasks, but may subcontract various aspects of the process to specialist publisher marketing agencies. In many companies, editing, proofreading, layout, design and other aspects of the production process are done by freelancers.^[4][5]

Dedicated in-house salespeople are sometimes replaced by companies who specialize in sales to bookshops, wholesalers and chain stores for a fee. This trend is accelerating as retail book chains and supermarkets have centralized their buying.

If the entire process up to the stage of printing is handled by an outside company or individuals, and then sold to the publishing company, it is known as book packaging. This is a common strategy between smaller publishers in different territorial markets where the company that first buys the intellectual property rights then sells a package to other publishers and gains an immediate return on capital invested. Indeed, the first publisher will often print sufficient copies for all markets and thereby get the maximum quantity efficiency on the print run for all.

Some businesses maximize their profit margins through vertical integration; book publishing is not one of them. Although newspaper and magazine companies still often own printing presses and binderies, book publishers rarely do. Similarly, the trade usually sells the finished products through a distributor who stores and distributes the publisher's wares for a percentage fee or sells on a sale or return basis.

The advent of the Internet has therefore posed an interesting question that challenges publishers, distributors and retailers. In 2005, Amazon.com announced its purchase of Booksurge and selfsanepublishing, a major print on demand operation. This is probably intended as a preliminary move towards establishing an Amazon imprint.^{[original research?]} One of the largest bookseller chains, Barnes & Noble, already runs its own successful imprint with both new titles and classics — hardback editions of out-of-print former best sellers. Similarly, Ingram Industries, parent company of Ingram Book Group (a leading US book wholesaler), now includes its own print-on-demand division called Lightning Source. Among publishers, Simon & Schuster recently announced that it will start selling its backlist titles directly to consumers through its website.^{[citation needed]}

Book clubs are almost entirely direct-to-retail, and niche publishers pursue a mixed strategy to sell through all available outlets — their output is insignificant to the major booksellers, so lost revenue poses no threat to the traditional symbiotic relationships between the four activities of printing, publishing, distribution and retail.

Industry sub-divisions[link]

Newspaper publishing[link]

Newspapers are regularly scheduled publications that present recent news, typically on a type of inexpensive paper called newsprint. Most newspapers are primarily sold to subscribers, through retail news stands or are distributed as advertising-supported free newspapers. About one-third of publishers in the United States are newspaper publishers.^[6]

Periodical publishing[link]

Nominally, periodical publishing involves publications that appear in a new edition on a regular schedule. Newspapers and magazines are both periodicals, but within the industry, the periodical publishing is frequently considered a separate branch that includes magazines and even academic journals, but not newspapers.^[6] About one-third of publishers in the United States publish periodicals (not including newspapers).^[6]

Book publishing[link]

Book publishers represent less than a sixth of the publishers in the United States.^[6] Most books are published by a small number of very large book publishers, but thousands of smaller book publishers exist. Many small- and medium-sized book publishers specialize in a specific area. Additionally, thousands of authors have created their own publishing companies, and self-published their own works.

Within the book publishing industry, the publisher of record for a book is the entity in whose name the book's ISBN is registered. The publisher of record may or may not be the actual publisher.

Directory publishing[link]

Directory publishing is a specialized genre within the publishing industry. These publishers produce mailing lists, telephone books, and other types of directories.^[6] With the advent of the Internet, many of these directories are now online.

Academic publishing[link]

Academic publishers are typically either book or periodical publishers that have specialized in academic subjects. Some, like university presses, are owned by scholarly institutions. Others are commercial businesses that focus on academic subjects.

The development of the printing press represented a revolution for communicating the latest hypotheses and research results to the academic community and supplemented what a scholar could do personally. But this improvement in the efficiency of communication created a challenge for libraries, which have had to accommodate the weight and volume of literature.

One of the key functions that academic publishers provide is to manage the process of peer review. Their role is to facilitate the impartial assessment of research and this vital role is not one that has yet been usurped, even with the advent of social networking and online document sharing.

Today, publishing academic journals and textbooks is a large part of an international industry. Critics claim that standardised accounting and profit-oriented policies have displaced the publishing ideal of providing access to all. In contrast to the commercial model, there is non-profit publishing, where the publishing organization is either organised specifically for the purpose of publishing, such as a university press, or is one of the functions of an organisation such as a medical charity, founded to achieve specific practical goals. An alternative approach to the corporate model is open access, the online distribution of individual articles and academic journals without charge to readers and libraries. The pioneers of Open Access journals are BioMed Central and the Public Library of Science (PLoS). Many commercial publishers are experimenting with hybrid models where older articles or government funded articles are made free, and newer articles are available as part of a subscription or individual article purchase.

Tie-in publishing[link]

Technically, radio, television, cinemas, VCDs and DVDs, music systems, games, computer hardware and mobile telephony publish information to their audiences. Indeed, the marketing of a major film often includes a novelization, a graphic novel or comic version, the soundtrack album, a game, model, toys and endless promotional publications.

Some of the major publishers have entire divisions devoted to a single franchise, e.g. Ballantine Del Rey Lucasbooks has the exclusive rights to Star Wars in the United States; Random House UK (Bertelsmann)/Century LucasBooks holds the same rights in the United Kingdom. The game industry self-publishes through BL Publishing/Black Library (Warhammer) and Wizards of the Coast (Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, etc.). The BBC has its own publishing division that does very well with long-running series such as Doctor Who. These multimedia works are cross-marketed aggressively and sales frequently outperform the average stand-alone published work, making them a focus of corporate interest.^[7]

Independent publishing alternatives[link]

Writers in a specialized field or with a narrower appeal have found smaller alternatives to the mass market in the form of small presses and self-publishing. More recently, these options include print on demand and ebook format. These publishing alternatives provide an avenue for authors who believe that mainstream publishing will not meet their needs or who are in a position to make more money from direct sales than they could from bookstore sales, such as popular speakers who sell books after speeches. Authors are more readily published by this means due to the much lower costs involved.

Recent developments[link]

The 21st century has brought a number of new technological changes to the publishing industry. These changes include e-books, print on demand and accessible publishing. E-books have been quickly growing in availability in major publishing markets such as the USA and the UK since 2005. Google, Amazon.com and Sony have been leaders in working with publishers and libraries to digitize books. As of early 2011 Amazon's Kindle reading device is a significant force in the market, along with the Apple iPad and the Nook from Barnes & Noble.^{[citation needed]}

The ability to quickly and cost effectively Print on Demand has meant that publishers no longer have to store books at warehouses, if the book is in low or unknown demand. This is a huge advantage to small publishers who can now operate without large overheads and large publishers who can now cost effectively sell their backlisted items.

Accessible publishing uses the digitization of books to mark up books into XML and then produces multiple formats from this to sell to consumers, often targeting those with difficulty reading. Formats include a variety larger print sizes, specialized print formats for dyslexia,^[8] eye tracking problems and macular degeneration, as well as Braille, DAISY, Audiobooks and e-books.^[9]

Green publishing means adapting the publishing process to minimise environmental impact. One example of this is the concept of on demand printing, using digital or print-on-demand technology. This cuts down the need to ship books since they are manufactured close to the customer on a just-in-time basis.^[10]

A further development is the growth of on-line publishing where no physical books are produced. The ebook is created by the author and uploaded to a website from where it can be downloaded and read by anyone.

Standardization[link]

Refer to the ISO divisions of ICS 01.140.40 and 35.240.30 for further information.^[11][12]

Legal issues[link]

World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva

Publication is the distribution of copies or content to the public.^[13][14] The Berne Convention requires that this only be done with the consent of the copyright holder, which is initially always the author.^[13] In the Universal Copyright Convention, "publication" is defined in article VI as "the reproduction in tangible form and the general distribution to the public of copies of a work from which it can be read or otherwise visually perceived."^[14]

In providing a work to the general public, the publisher takes responsibility for the publication in a way that a mere printer or a shopkeeper does not. For example, publishers may face charges of defamation, if they produce and distribute libelous material to the public, even if the libel was written by another person.

Privishing[link]

Privishing is a term for publishing a book in such a small amount, or with such lack of marketing, advertising or sales support from the publisher, that the book effectively does not reach the public.^[15] The book, while nominally published, is almost impossible to obtain through normal channels such as bookshops, often cannot be special-ordered and will have a notable lack of support from its publisher, including refusals to reprint the title. A book that is privished may be referred to as "killed". Depending on the motivation, privishing may constitute breach of contract, censorship,^[16] or good business practice (e.g., not printing more books than the publisher believes will sell in a reasonable length of time).

See also[link]

General: Accessible publishing Concentration of media ownership Digital publishing List of publishers List of book distributors Mass media Open access publishing Open publishing Publication Self-publishing Serials, periodicals and journals Small press Writing Zines

Publishing on specific contexts: Academic publishing Books published per country per year Document management system Scientific literature Writing circles

Journalism portal Publishing tools: Desktop publishing Electronic publishing Mobile publishing Web publishing tools

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (July 2009)

External links[link]

Look up publishing or publisher in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Publishing

Wikisource has original works on the topic: Book Industries and Trade

• International Publisher's organisation

Rob Wells is a multi-platinum, award-winning producer/songwriter based in Toronto & Los Angeles.

Wells has worked with Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Adam Lambert, Nick Lachey, Miranda Cosgrove, Mika, Backstreet Boys, Paloma Faith, Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton John, Daisy Dares You, Boyzone, Matt Dusk, Marie-Mai, Shiloh, RyanDan, Ry Cuming & many others.^[1]

Rob's work has been featured on So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars, One Tree Hill, The View, Late Show with David Letterman, Laguna Beach, House Of Carters, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Instant Star,^[2] & 20th Century Fox's Flicka.

In 2005, Wells (along with Christopher Ward) placed first in the International Songwriting Competition's Top40/Pop Category with the song "There's Us",^[3] which was later recorded by Alexz Johnson, Backstreet Boys and Jennifer Ewbank.

Wells received a SOCAN #1 award for Matt Dusk's "All About Me", having reached the top of the Canadian AC Radio Charts in August 2006.^[4]

In the summer and fall of 2008, Rob appeared on YTV's "The Next Star" as a music producer.^[5] He was also on an episode of E!'s "House Of Carters".^[6]

In the winter of 2011, his co-written song "Comme Avant" with Marie-Mai spent 11 weeks at #1 in Quebec.

He is the younger brother of writer/producer Greg Wells.^[7]

Selected discography[link]

• Stereos (Self Titled) by Stereos
• My World by Justin Bieber
• My Worlds Acoustic by Justin Bieber
• For Your Entertainment by Adam Lambert
• Kiss & Tell by Selena Gomez
• Unbreakable by Backstreet Boys
• What's Left Of Me by Nick Lachey
• Brother by Boyzone
• Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? by Paloma Faith
• Duet by Ronan Keating
• Sparks Fly by Miranda Cosgrove
• Happy Ending by Mika
• Back In Town - by Matt Dusk
• Stereos by Stereos
• Picture Imperfect by Shiloh
• Somewhere Else by Eva Avila

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rob Wells on Myspace
• Rob Wells on Songwriters Association of Canada

Rachael Yamagata
Yamagata in 2005
Background information
Born	(1977-09-23) September 23, 1977 (age 34) Arlington, Virginia
Genres	Adult alternative Indie Blues rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Piano Guitar Vocals
Labels	RCA Victor Warner Bros. Frankenfish Records/Megaforce Records
Associated acts	Bumpus Bright Eyes
Website	www.rachaelyamagata.com

Rachael Yamagata (born September 23, 1977)^[1] is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from Arlington, Virginia. She began her musical career with the band Bumpus before becoming a solo artist and releasing four EP's and three studio albums. Her songs have appeared on numerous television shows and she has collaborated with other musicians including Jason Mraz, Rhett Miller, Bright Eyes, Ryan Adams, Toots and the Maytals and Ray Lamontagne.

Early life and education[link]

Yamagata's childhood was divided between her divorced parents; her father, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney; and her mother, an artist/painter living in New York City.^{[citation needed]} Yamagata graduated from the Holton-Arms School for Girls in Bethesda, Maryland and attended Northwestern University and Vassar College.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

Yamagata became the vocalist for the Chicago group Bumpus and spent six years touring, writing and recording with the band before leaving in 2001 to begin a solo career. In September 2002, she obtained a two-record deal with Arista's Private Music and her self-titled EP produced by Malcolm Burn, Rachael Yamagata EP was released in October.^{[citation needed]}

Her first full-length album, Happenstance, followed in June 2004 and received favorable reviews.^{[citation needed]}The album produced by John Alagia at Compass Point Studios featured the song "I Want You" and she made videos for the songs Worn Me Down and 1963.

Yamagata toured with Mandy Moore and contributed a song to Moore's 2007 album, Wild Hope.^[2]

In May 2008, Yamagata released a three-song EP, Loose Ends. A full length album Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart was released in October 2008. The song "Jonah" was included as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album and another bonus song "He Loves You Deep Inside" was made available online.^[3] Billboard characterized the album as much darker and sadder in tone than its predecessor.^[4] That same month, a two-song live acoustic video performance appeared on LiveDaily Sessions and featured the songs Faster and Sunday Afternoon.^[5]

In April 2009, Yamagata performed her song Elephants on the television drama One Life to Live.^[6]

Yamagata digitally released a new album in the fall of 2011 through Pledgemusic. Her third studio album Chesapeake was released through Frankenfish Records in October 2011.^[7]

Yamagata has appeared numerous times as a guest vocalist for other artists including: Jason Mraz's Did You Get My Message?, Fireflies and The Believer by Rhett Miller and on Toots & the Maytals's True Love, the song Barfly by Ray Lamontagne, and several songs on Ryan Adams' Cold Roses album. She contributed vocals to six tracks on the Bright Eyes album Cassadaga.

Yamagata contributed writing, keyboards and vocals to the song Kaleidoscope by Jill Cunniff a former member of Luscious Jackson. Yamagata also performs with an ensemble cast on the 30 Rock episode "Kidney Now!"^[8] The soundtrack for the film Dear John features the song You Take My Troubles Away, Yamagata's duet with Dan Wilson. She also performs the Muppets song I'm Going To Go Back There Someday on a cover album, Muppets: The Green Album.^[9]

Her songs have appeared on several TV shows, including The L Word, Charmed, How I Met Your Mother, ER , Nip/Tuck, Men in Trees, Alias, One Tree Hill, Los Serrano, Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy and The O.C., on which she made a guest performance.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Yamagata has a twin brother, Benji.^[1] Her half brother, Josh Ruben, is an actor and director for CollegeHumor.^[10]

Discography[link]

Songs in other media[link]

Yamagata's songs have appeared in a number of films and television shows. These include:^[11]

References[link]

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (November 2011)

• Official website
• Rachael Yamagata on Myspace
• Rachael Yamagata at the Internet Movie Database
• Elephants Review
• Rachael Yamagata on NPR

Ray LaMontagne
LaMontagne at Prospect Park, July 12, 2006
Background information
Birth name	Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne
Born	(1973-06-18) June 18, 1973 (age 39) Nashua, New Hampshire
Genres	Folk, folk rock, folk blues
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica
Labels	RCA
Notable instruments
Martin D-35, Bourgeois Guitar Country Boy w/Sitka Top, D-150, Custom DS-260, Victoria Parlor models.[1][2]

Raymond "Ray" Charles Jack LaMontagne ( /lɑːmɒnˈteɪn/; born June 18, 1973) is a Grammy-award winning American singer-songwriter. LaMontagne has released four studio albums, Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black, Gossip in the Grain and God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise. He was born in New Hampshire and was inspired to create music after hearing an album by Stephen Stills. Critics have compared LaMontagne's music to The Band, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, and Tim Buckley. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two children.

Early life[link]

LaMontagne was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1973. Despite his father's background in music, LaMontagne avoided the activity and spent time reading fantasy novels in the forest. He spent time in several different states in his youth. In his early teens he lived in Morgan, Utah, a small rural town of 2000 people. He was known for being an aloof, and indifferent to his education. He was much more interested in drawing images of Dungeons and Dragons than he was in his school work. He was well liked, and revered as somewhat of a mild nuisance. ^[3] After graduating from high school, LaMontagne moved to Lewiston, Maine and found work in a shoe factory.^[4]

Career[link]

LaMontagne has a unique vocal style, which he says is created by singing through his gut instead of through his nose.^[5][6] He cites Stephen Stills, Richard Manuel, and Rick Danko as strong musical influences while critics have compared LaMontagne's music to The Band, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, and Tim Buckley.^[7][8]

1999 to 2005[link]

LaMontagne was inspired to quit his job and begin a career as a singer-songwriter after listening to Stephen Stills' album Manassas.^[9][10][11] LaMontagne began performing in 1999, while maintaining a part time job as a tutor.^[9] In the summer of 1999, he recorded 10 songs for a demo album that was sent to various local music venues including Maine's Oddfellow Theater, where he was hired as an opening act for John Gorka and Jonathan Edwards. A business executive introduced LaMontagne to Chrysalis Music Publishing and they recorded an album and sold it to RCA Records in the USA and Echo Records in the UK^[12]

In 2004 LaMontagne recorded his first album Trouble with producer Ethan Johns and released it on RCA Records. The album featured performances by Sara Watkins and Stephen Stills' daughter, Jennifer.^[13] The album sold over 250,000 copies in the USA and 500,000 worldwide.^[4][14][15] During a 2005 tour, LaMontagne performed on the TV show Austin City Limits.^[16]

An EP of LaMontagne's performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival was released in 2005 and his song "All the Wild Horses" was part of the soundtrack for the TV series Rescue Me and the 2009 film The Boys Are Back. His song "Trouble" appeared in the TV series Alias and his song "Jolene" was heard in the credits of the 2010 film The Town. His song "Hold You in My Arms" was featured in the 2006 movie, She's The Man.^[17]

In 2005, he performed at two charity events, a NYC fundraiser for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and at the "Warren Haynes Christmas Jam".^[18][19]

2006 to the present[link]

LaMontagne performing in Dublin, January 2007

LaMontagne's second album, Till the Sun Turns Black, was released in August 2006 and featured horn and string sections on several of the songs with Rachael Yamagata providing additional vocals on the song "Barfly". The album peaked at #28 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 28,000 copies in its first week of release.^[20] The album spawned the single, "Three More Days" and in 2006 LaMontagne performed on The Tonight Show.^{[citation needed]}

The song "Till the Sun Turns Black" was featured on the television show "ER",^[21] and the songs "Lesson Learned" and "Within You" appeared on the CW drama "One Tree Hill". His song "Be Here Now" was heard on the trailer for the movie Away From Her, in the film 27 Dresses, on the TV shows Bones and Covert Affairs.^{[citation needed]}LaMontagne performed at KYSR's Lounge for Life charity concert on October 5, 2006 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. He also auctioned off one of his guitars on eBay for its charity auction. Funds raised from the concert and auction went to breast cancer research.^[22]

LaMontagne released his third studio album, Gossip in the Grain on RCA Records in 2008, and it debuted at #3 on the Billboard Charts with 60,000 units sold. Working again with producer Ethan Johns, the album featured LaMontagne's touring band of Jennifer Condos on bass, Eric Heywood on guitar, and Ethan Johns on drums and guest vocals from singer/songwriter Leona Naess.^[23][24]

LaMontagne at The Sage Gateshead in 2009

The song "You Are the Best Thing" was featured in the movie I Love You, Man and in the television series One Tree Hill. LaMontagne performed on Saturday Night Live in March 2009.^[25] The song "Sarah" appeared on an episode of House. His song "Let it be Me" was featured on the television series Parenthood and was included on the Parenthood soundtrack in 2010. It was also used in an episode entitled "JJ", from the sixth season of Criminal Minds (TV series).

LaMontagne's self produced studio album, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise (Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs), was released in August 2010.^[26] In December 2010, LaMontagne received Grammy nominations and won the award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

In August 2010, he performed at a Nashville, TN, charity event to raise money for victims of a local flood.^{[citation needed]} The song, "Empty", appeared on an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent in 2010 and was heard during the film credits for the movie The Conspirator. LaMontagne performed on the program Live from Abbey Road in October 2006.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011 Ray sang a duet with Irish singer Lisa Hannigan on the song "O Sleep", one of the tracks from her Choice Music Award-nominated album, Passenger.

Awards[link]

For his debut album, LaMontagne won four awards, including three Boston Music Awards (Best Male Singer/Songwriter, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year) and an XM Nation Music Award for Acoustic Rock Artist of the Year. LaMontagne has received a nomination from the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards for Best New Touring Artist, the BRIT Awards for International Breakthrough Act, the MOJO Awards for Best New Act, and was given the title of Best Voice in 2006 by Esquire.

In December 2010, LaMontagne received two Grammy nominations and won the award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Personal life[link]

LaMontagne lives in a farmhouse in western Massachusetts with his wife and two children.^[27] He refers to himself as a "very private person", and rarely gives interviews.^[28]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Trouble (September 14, 2004)
• Till the Sun Turns Black (August 29, 2006)
• Gossip in the Grain (October 14, 2008)
• God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise (August 17, 2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official U.S. website, requires Adobe Flash plugin
• Ray LaMontagne Storytellers on VH1
• Ray Lamontagne on Myspace
• Ray LaMontagne Gig Review 2009
• Ray LaMontagne on Idiomag
• Photos of Ray LaMontagne at the Boston Opera House on October 9th Exploit Boston!
• Ray LaMontagne on PBS NewsHour's Art Beat, 8/17/10