The Band Perry and Big Machine Records Have Parted Ways
What appeared to be happening, and what we all knew was inevitable, has finally been confirmed. In the aftermath of the incredibly weird and unfortunate roll out of The Band Perry’s new single “Live Forever,” and the impending release of their new album Heart + Beat, the siblings and their label Republic Nashville—a subsidiary of Big Machine Records—have dissolved their relationship. The news was confirmed Tuesday (3-1) afternoon by Washington Post reporter Emily Yahr.
“The Big Machine Label Group and The Band Perry have amicably parted ways,” a representative said in a statement.
This all comes as The Band Perry was set to go to the next level with their new album, and even had a release date of November 20th, 2015 through Big Machine for Heart + Beat. The song “Live Forever” was supposed to launch a new era for the family band as a pop act in the country space. It was a collaboration with pop producer RedOne and two other pop songwriters complete with a huge marketing roll out that included custom-made logos and ample use of the color yellow. However the public was not impressed and all “Live Forever” could muster was a brief showing at #27 on the Country Airplay chart before quickly plummeting out of the Top 50.
Then two weeks ago, “Live Forever” was pulled all of a sudden from all digital channels, and the video was lifted from YouTube. Panic began to set in for The Band Perry fans, even though eventually the song and video returned later in the day. This stimulated The Band Perry to make a strange statement, saying, “We wanted you guys to all look us in the eye and say, ‘The Band Perry is not going anywhere.’ We are here to stay. Our music is here to stay … Real soon you guys are going to hear some news and we want you to know today, it’s great news, it’s very positive, and we can’t wait to talk about it with you.”
Likely this “real positive” news was the dissolving of the relationship with Big Machine.
The Band Perry said on Facebook today, “We and Big Machine Label Group have made a mutual decision to bring our working relationship to a close. We are grateful for 6 years of the big moments and great strides we made with our BMLG family and will carry that foundation forward with us as we begin the next leg of our journey.”
The news leaves what once was one of the most promising new bands in country music in limbo. The Band Perry has won a Grammy Award and done decent on the radio in the past. The big question is whether their new (and ultimately failed) pop direction was the idea of Big Machine, or of their own team, and if they will continue to stay committed to the direction moving forward.
READ: The Band Perry’s Big Fat Yellow Mistake
When the announcement of Heart + Beat‘s delay was made last fall, there was news of an impending collaboration with a big-named artist that never happened. Was this where The Band Perry lost the fight? By taking back over the control of “Live Forever” from Big Machine two weeks ago, it would seem to indicate that The Band Perry is not willing to give up on this direction just yet. It also indicates that Big Machine allowed the band to walk away from the label with no contest on who could control “Live Forever,” or potentially the music of Heart + Beat moving forward—a rather unprecedented move from a Nashville major label.
What happens next for The Band Perry remains to be seen, but their story should be a cautionary tale for other country acts looking to go pop. It could be the key to riches like Big Machine artist Taylor Swift, or lend to your ultimate demise.
Scotty J
March 1, 2016 @ 12:39 pm
This entire process could not possibly have been handled worse from the musical direction to the ridiculous yellow obsession to their apparent ‘no dissent allowed’ social media strategy to the weird statements.
It’s almost like they were trying to kill their careers.
Marie G
March 1, 2016 @ 12:49 pm
Their facebook page is all love and support right now… the stories of them deleting unwated comments continue.
Paul
March 1, 2016 @ 1:08 pm
They’re blind… how can they not see what everyone else can? This album will be their ruin.
Razor X
March 1, 2016 @ 12:45 pm
Buh-bye!!
Marie G
March 1, 2016 @ 12:47 pm
Given that they just performed this last week, the pop tart thing must be their idea….
https://twitter.com/TBPCentral/status/701474938012577792
As other people have guessed, if anything Borchetta was trying to get them to make country music, at least a few songs and the band was not having it.
On the Tennessean’s report of the split someone who works on Music Events in Nashville left this comment: “Never liked them. They pretend to be such great people but I know the way they are to their band and crew.” – will leave the person anonymous but if you go on The Tennessean’s Facebook you might find it.
Razor X
March 1, 2016 @ 1:12 pm
I don’t see any comments on The Tennessean article?
Cool Lester Smooth
March 1, 2016 @ 1:31 pm
Yeah, Borchetta likes to hedge his bets on this shit. If he wanted Taylor to record a couple country songs for 1989, he definitely wanted half of H+B to be country-adjacent.
Trigger
March 1, 2016 @ 2:05 pm
Or did Borchetta learn his lesson after Swift’s “1989” did so well without any country material? I won’t be convinced that this direction was entirely The Band Perry’s idea until I hear confirmation.
Marie G
March 1, 2016 @ 2:44 pm
The fact they got BMLG to release Live Forever and publish it on their own is confirmation to me. It’s important that the lead single of their upcoming album stays under their control, meaning this album and pop direction will continue, with or without Borchetta behind it. Moving to a new label won’t change this. They’re still performing new pop music on shows sponsered by pop radio stations… if they didn’t want this they’d leave Live Forever with BMLG and move on, pretend this era never happened, but that’s not the case. They haven’t been working on new music either so they’re not touching anything or trying to change the work that has been done. I only counted them back in studio one time and it was with the same pop writers that came up with Put Me In The Game.
Dane
March 1, 2016 @ 11:38 pm
Btw, I don’t think Scott just let them walk with masters on single and potential album. In exchange, I’m sure he’s got a sweet override on this next album (if it ever comes out) & prob next one too. Plus he keeps his % of touring, merch & fan club rev.
Orgirl1
March 4, 2016 @ 3:30 pm
I agree Trigger- I have always questioned this pop direction- my gut feeling is that was not their choice.
Nadia Lockheart
March 1, 2016 @ 1:01 pm
Called it.
This is ultimately all the best for both parties. No doubt this may mark the final nail in the coffin for The Band Perry’s days of commercial relevance, but at least both parties are no longer wasting each other’s time and while the trio shop around for what’s likely to be a smaller label to do the pop music they apparently they have wanted t do for some time now, Borchetta can sign an act that’s more in alignment with their lane.
It’s a shame in the trio’s case. I genuinely liked plenty of what they had to offer on their two albums. “Postcard From Paris” and “If I Die Young” were both solid singles and “All Your Life” had production that was certainly better than most of what as being trotted out at its time. In all honesty, I saw more potential in them than I did Lady Antebellum at any given point, so it’s utterly remarkable to see their career trajectory abruptly collapse even more rapidly than Lady Antebellum have.
Paul
March 1, 2016 @ 1:04 pm
I don’t understand their obsession with being pop starts.. Is it the money or is it the fame? I thought they enjoyed being more normal and not superstar level, but guess I was wrong.
Mike W.
March 1, 2016 @ 2:02 pm
They have always wanted to be pop stars. It’s just that back when they were trying to be a Christian Pop band, Country music (namely aping Taylor Swift) was the path of least resistance to stardom. Very few mainstream Country bands/artists actually want to be Country artists, it’s just that the gatekeepers of the genre have sold their soul so far down the toilet that any wannabe Nickelback cover band can throw on a pair of Cowboy boots and sing with some twang and get a hit now. It’s all about easy money with pretty much all of these morons populating the charts now.
Marie G
March 1, 2016 @ 2:48 pm
Exactly. They realized they had a bigger chance at making it in country music than any other genre. Mix their cute sibling act and their over rehearsed speeches about loving country music and it worked wonders. It truly is all about making money and being famous, once they have that they try to do what they actually want… be pop stars.
Jonny
March 1, 2016 @ 1:25 pm
At one point I actually thought they were going to be the first country band in a long time to go truly international in a way that Lady Antebellum has never quite managed.
And then Live Forever happened.
Charles Murphy
March 1, 2016 @ 1:40 pm
Mmmmmm….that’s a good start to flushing the toilet that has become “country” music.
James
March 1, 2016 @ 1:47 pm
Doubt they’ll find a label as “kind” as Big Machine. If this album flops and future efforts flop as well, any other label will most likely drop them. Good luck trying to stay commercially relevant TBP.
Trigger
March 1, 2016 @ 2:03 pm
Any label they approach will be from a position of weakness. It’s not just how “Live Forever” flopped. It’s how all of this has been handled subsequently. Sometimes you release a dud, but the best pick themselves off the mat and keep swinging. The Band Perry just keep doubling down on this new direction that the universe is telling them is not right.
Marie G
March 1, 2016 @ 2:58 pm
If Live Forever was a hit, this era was being welcomed and they left the label because they weren’t happy, it would be different, but now labels will have to think about whether or not TBP are a profitable act. They have the potential, but how will a label take this mess of an album – that I bet is finished and they’ll bring it with hopes the label will bankroll it – and make it successful? So far the marketing hasn’t worked, so the new label will have a lot of work to do to make this album work.
BMLG saw this was a trainwreck and probably gave up on it, so TBP packed their bags and are taking the pop tart thing to whoever wants it. Borchetta must be glad that when it bombs his name won’t be associated with it anymore.
Trigger
March 1, 2016 @ 6:03 pm
One thing to consider is “profitable” is a relative term in music. A major label needs to sell hundreds of thousands of copies of an album to be profitable. But a smaller label can many times make profit off of 10,000 copies. As insane as this process has been for The Band Perry, there still may be some financial tread on those tires, and there will be someone out there willing to give them a chance. Who is the question. Black River? Thirty Tigers? We’ll see.
the pistolero
March 1, 2016 @ 6:53 pm
I hope Thirty Tigers wouldn’t put that shit on their fine roster with the direction TBP is hellbent on going, but I guess we’ll see.
Trigger
March 1, 2016 @ 7:18 pm
Well, they gave Chase Rice a chance when nobody else would. I think it’s just a matter of time before Thirty Tigers starts taking on artists from major labels. My guess is The Band Perry think they’re worth their weight in gold and will have a deal with another major label in no time. It’s also my guess that they won’t.
Lachie
March 1, 2016 @ 2:54 pm
You Lie and Postcard from Paris are two of my favourite country songs in years, they’ve fallen a long way since that first album.
RWP
March 1, 2016 @ 3:19 pm
I would burn anything the color yellow if I were them.
Mark
March 1, 2016 @ 5:00 pm
Credit to the company for not thwarting their careers by refusing to release them.
When I’ve heard them perform live, they sound just the same as their recordings. Can’t say that about a lot of the big stars in pop music these days. The Band Perry do not need autotune, effects, overdubs, and multitracked vocals to sound good. I like the little bit of rasp she’s got.
I hope they find their musical way, and get back to making some good music, which they definitely have done in the past.
Trigger
March 1, 2016 @ 5:59 pm
Of course we don’t know the full story yet of how the two sides walked away, but Big Machine allowing The Band Perry to move on so quickly, and take their music with them (or at least “Live Forever”) is virtually unprecedented from a Nashville major label. It speaks again to how Big Machine—as ironic as it may seem—seems to treat their artists better than most any other major label. Others would have held The Band Perry hostage for two years until they decided to release something the label felt would be financially lucrative.
Tiffany
March 1, 2016 @ 5:20 pm
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy their first two albums. I liked Done, Postcards from Paris, and All Your Life. And I did become a fan in the process. For me they were the first family act that I really got into since The Judds…lol It is just too bad they have basically ruined their fan base with doing stupid things, like deleting comments off of their facebook and then blocking those users. Everyone has a right to a opinion, It may not have been to what TBP wanted to hear, but even those fans were trying to tell them where their bread and butter was at. And, then following fans on social media then turning around and unfollowing them.
Truly a lot of bad decisions on their part. And, it is going to follow them for a long time. They may or may not be able to get on a new label. In my opinion, I can’t see a label taking a risk on them. Especially given their track record they have so far.
albert
March 1, 2016 @ 6:23 pm
The Band Perry has been on a misguided career trajectory since ” DONE” . They’ve looked and sounded uncomfortable , insincere and just plain silly and never more-so than in their most recent video . This parting of ways is perhaps the best thing that could happen for them . They now have the opportunity to sink or swim completely on their own terms . If they want to be a full on pop act , they can go for it 100% . If they want to return to and explore the kind of rootsier, substance – driven material that brought them to our attention initially ,THAT option is there . If they want to give themselves over once again to a label/management that wants to mold them into something they are or are not , the call is theirs to make .Perhaps six years of experience in the big leagues has brought them the maturity they can use to inform the next phase of their career .
PETE MARSHALL
March 1, 2016 @ 7:08 pm
I am not surprised at all after they released that dumpster fire “Live Forever”.
Nash Fargoâ„¢
March 2, 2016 @ 11:13 am
Using one genre as a base to move up to Pop is almost Standard. Amy Grant, Jessica Simpson, and Katy Perry (aka Katy Hudson) began as “Christian” artists. So did others of lesser renown.
“Going/Gone Country” is the reverse, and equally common.
As is the “Great American Standards” route taken by Linda Ronstadt, Rod Steward, and others.
The attempt to become bigger and better — or to simply search for another path of mere Survival — can’t really be condemned.
Sometimes it works out brilliantly. And other times, not so much.
The Band Perry followed me on Twitter a couple days ago, probably as part of their new marketing push. But their numbers indicate they Unfollow all who give them a Courtesy FollowBack. That tells me a lot about them right there.
justin casey
May 12, 2016 @ 1:03 pm
just read that they have signed with interscope (a pop label)