DV8 ENTERTAINMENT
HISTORY
"I felt A&M would be supportive, and they loved my acts.I felt this was the place that I could make my next step."
--Ric Wake (Billboard, June 1, 1996)
In September 1995 Billboard reported that A&M Records and Ric Wake Productions agreed to a three-year deal to start DV8 Records. Ric Wake would be the CEO of DV8 and also produce recordings for its artists. DV8 would be run from New York, NY where Wake had studios and DV8 would also have offices at A&M in Los Angeles. A&M would promote and market DV8 products through its arrangements with parent company PolyGram. DV8 planned to release about four albums per year.
The first recording was Cutie by Raw Stilo. It was released on October 10, 1995. Wake brought Billy Mann to the label with the deal with Mann's first album due in January 1996. Billy Porter's first single was placed with radio on June 9, 1997 and released to the public on July 15 with a supporting video clip. His album Untitled was released on August 12, 1997. He spent the Summer touring and was the opening act for the Sounds of Blackness. The Sounds of Blackness were signed to Perspective Records which was an A&M affiliated label.
In 1998, Wake won the Grammy for Producer of the Year.
Wake took DV8 to Sony in May 1999 after Universal Music closed A&M Records.
SOURCES:
1. www.dv8entertainment.com (defunct web site)
2. Billboard. A&M Forms DV8 Records in Pact with Ric Wake. September 15, 1995.
3. Billboard. Porter Shits from Stage to Studio with DV8 Set. J. R. Reynolds. July 12, 1997.
4. www.dv8records.com (defunct web site)
DV8 OFFICIAL ARTIST WEB SITES
| A - F | G - M | N - Z |
|---|---|---|
To add an official artist web site or to report a broken link, please Email On A&M Records.com
DV8 ARTIST ROSTER
| A - F | G - M | N - Z |
|---|---|---|
|
Drill Fat |
Love Tribe Billy Mann |
Billy Porter Raw Stilo Red Eye Son of Eve 3rd Party To the Moon Alice Zakiya |
DV8 ENTERTAINMENT STAFF
Thank you to all of the very talented members of the DV8 family.
If your name does not appear in the list below, please send an
e-mail and let us include you in the credits. Photos for the A&M Family Photo Album are always welcome! When you write, please include the years you worked at A&M and your job title or the name of the department where you worked. This information is also used to validate your registration for our Employee Discussion areas--a forum available exclusively for A&M artists and staff.
| A - F | G - M | N - Z |
|---|---|---|
|
Jim Bawley Andrew Fuhrman |
Shedrick Guy Howie Kleinberg Basil Marshall |
Denise Rich Pam Rousakis Ric Wake |
SOURCES:
1. DV8 Entertainment
2. A&M Forms DV8 Records in Pact with Ric Wake. Billboard, September 15, 1995.
3. Porter Shifts from Stage to Studio with DV8 Set. J. R. Reynolds. Billboard, July 12, 1997.
4. www.dv8records.com (defunct DV8 web site)
