How Courtney Became a Virgin

By Melinda Newman

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Courtney Love could arguably be the poster child for artist least likely to sign with a major label.

With a past that includes suing and being sued by Universal Music Group (UMG) and testifying against major-label practices before the California Senate, it seemed as though Love's major-label days were behind her.

So how did she end up on Virgin in a new three-record deal that launches with the Oct. 28 release of "America's Sweetheart?"

Many labels expressed interest, but some were out of the running from the start. Clearly no UMG imprint was a contender, and sources say that DreamWorks showed some initial interest, but like Capitol, Columbia and Warner Bros., it eventually passed.

"A lot of people kicked the tires, but the history is hardly a secret, so that may have scared some people away," one industry executive says.

The final contenders were Virgin, V2 and Sanctuary.

"It really came down to looking at the chemistry and the attitude of the labels out there," says Dave Lory, CEO/chairman of Worldwide Entertainment Group, who manages Love with the company's COO/president, David Leach.

"I look at what EMI did with Kylie Minogue in America; they were going to 'get' this record," Lory says. "Having worked internationally the last 10 years, I felt they were the only ones who could deliver. has really done a great job, and they were really hard to say no to. Sanctuary made a great offer, but we needed a label with a strong pop staff."

For Andy Gershon, president of V2 in the U.S., it was a tough loss. "I think Courtney is a very talented artist and is making a musically compelling record," he tells Billboard. "She is in a very unique situation in her career, and I wish her nothing but success."

Despite Love's past issues with the major-label system, some say it's no surprise that she's back in bed with a major.

"There aren't many independents that can deliver the radio clout, the financial clout that it takes to deliver a major act," says attorney Jay Cooper, who met Love while testifying about California's seven-year statute.

And Virgin delivered. Love inked a three-album worldwide deal with the label that includes co-ownership of her masters and no usage in record clubs. The advances, other incentives and commitments for all three albums total slightly less than $10 million, according to sources.

"I heard a tape, and that was really it," says Matt Serletic, Virgin Records chairman/CEO. "We just reacted to the music on a visceral level. It's raw and powerful but really melodic. It felt like important rock music."

After hearing the music, Serletic and Love had "a great, four-hour-long dinner," Serletic says, "where we talked about pretty much everything. She's incredibly brilliant in a way that most people don't know. They read it as craziness, whereas oftentimes it's just brilliance."

The Virgin deal canceled out a U.K. singles deal that Love had tentatively planned with Alan McGee's Poptones label. "You can't cut out a country like the U.K. and expect to get a deal," says Lory, who was brought in after the Poptones deal was negotiated but before it was signed.

"I have a lot of respect for Alan as an A&R exec," Lory continues. "But with Courtney or any superstar, you need an infrastructure in place, and I was getting that the relationship between Poptones and Telstar was not as sturdy as I would have liked." (That deal has since ended.)

THE STATS

Love comes to Virgin with a solid, if not spectacular, track record. Her first full-length album with her former band Hole, "Pretty on the Inside," sold 200,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The band moved from Caroline to Geffen for 1994's "Live Through This," which has sold 1.5 million in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. It was also named album of the year in the Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics Poll that year.

Hole's second major-label release, 1998's "Celebrity Skin," has rung up sales of 1.35 million. The title cut hit No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks airplay chart, while "Malibu" hit No. 3 on the same chart.

Industry observers say Virgin may have made a very smart move.

"Over the past year, we've seen a lot of young female singers pretending to be bad girls and selling a lot of records as a result," says Dave Alder, senior VP of product and marketing at the Virgin Megastore chain. "Based on this fact, you can't help thinking that there has to be market potential for a real bad girl to succeed."

And as Love herself puts it, there is no heir apparent. "There's no one right behind me taking my place," she says. "There's no little Courtneys when I wake up in the morning -- it's hard to be me."

For Lory, taking on one of rock's more controversial figures was a no-brainer. "In our business, we might as well be selling whatever. It's gotten kind of boring. Courtney brings back memories of why I got into this business. It's about breaking the rules. It's really given me the passion back."

And that accounts for much of her appeal, says Chris Williams, PD at modern rock WNNX (99X) Atlanta.

"People really want to see what she's about and what she has to offer," he says. "She has her fans and she has another group who loves to hate her, but they're both equally curious about what her new music sounds like. The door is open for her."

POP QUEEN?

The lead-off single from "America's Sweetheart" is still being selected, but Serletic expects it to be an aggressive rocker that will first go to modern rock. However, once Love has reconnected with her fan base, Virgin may try to cross her over to the pop charts.

She wrote much of the album with Linda Perry, who has delivered major pop hits for Christina Aguilera and Pink. Additionally, Serletic -- who has produced hits for Matchbox Twenty, Santana and Collective Soul -- is producing two ballads for the project. The other producers are James Barber and Josh Abrahams.

Both Serletic and Love know that pop success could result in a backlash among fans who think she is abandoning her alternative roots.

"Courtney and I spent a lot of time talking about indie cred; she thinks that's bull---," Serletic says.

"She has credibility as an artist that she's gained from adversity. We're not worried about people saying she's sold out. It's not like she's working to dance tracks."

And Love wants commercial success, Serletic says, make no mistake about it. "She wants to win, and she wants to have her music heard. She really wants this. I would not have done this deal if she didn't."

"America's Sweetheart" will be followed by another album in fall 2004 and another in fourth-quarter 2005, Lory says.

The next record will be a live album that Love plans to record in a woman's prison, perhaps in Ireland. Also planned as a DVD, it will include new and previous material, and feature special guests. The third album will most likely be another studio album.

Love will start a U.S. tour Nov. 10. She will be backed by a bassist and guitarist picked from want ads that she placed in the Village Voice. Next year, she will play in Europe, Australia and Japan, and then return for more U.S. gigs.

Please...prince isnt smart enough to get himself another contract...

and being that Courtney Love did...well, that aint saying much...












soul2soul edit!!!
[This message was edited Mon Aug 11 20:48:07 PDT 2003 by sosgemini]

I've noticed that many artists who speak out against the big labels eventually wind up going right back to them.I guess it really isn't all that easy being an "independent" artist after all.After awhile,you begin to miss the strong promotion,the budgets for videos,the MTV exposure,the ability to reach more people with your music.At this point,I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Prince were to get a deal like the one Courtney just signed.