Signing Story: Marc Broussard--Coming Around to Vanguard

Date Signed: September 2012
Label: Vanguard Records
Type of Music: Soul/Pop
Management: Eric Baker, [email protected]; Doug Shaw, [email protected]
Booking: Lynn Cingari, [email protected]
Legal: J. Reid Hunter / Serling Rooks & Ferrra, LLP, [email protected]
Publicity: Lucy Sabini / Vanguard Records, [email protected]
Web: http://marcbroussard.com
A&R: Kevin Welk

By Rob Putnam

When a label makes a good impression on an artist, it can pay large future dividends. Louisiana-based singer-songwriter Marc Broussard witnessed that firsthand after working with Vanguard Records briefly before being snapped up by Atlantic Records. “Years ago, between my Island Def Jam contract and my deal with Atlantic, I signed a one-off deal with Vanguard for my record S.O.S.: Save Our Soul,” the artist explains. “I found that experience to be highly enjoyable. Unfortunately for Vanguard, Atlantic stepped in and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I was a little too young and näive to understand the implications of what I was embarking on.”

“It was a natural fit for

me to re-approach

[Vanguard Records].”

When Broussard’s deal with Atlantic came to an end, he decided to lookup Vanguard and see if they’d like to work together once more. “It was a natural fit for me to re-approach those guys,” he recalls. “I knew that it had been a great relationship during S.O.S. and they seemed eager to work with me again.”

Once he was released from Atlantic earlier in the year, Broussard and his team reached out to Vanguard. A deal was reached in the fall.

One of the significant differences that Broussard notes about his experience with Vanguard is that he feels more supported than with past labels. “Recently I played three shows in the L.A. area,” the singer says. “Over the course of those shows, the entire Vanguard West Coast staff was able to see me perform. That’s not something you can say about every label. It’s a much more focused staff. They don’t have 40 releases in a given quarter. We’ll be able to maximize the effort of a smaller group of people because it’s such a focused operation.”

A Life Worth Living (ALWL) is planned for release sometime in the spring. It will be preceded by an EP that includes a number of Louisiana-centric songs. A tour is being planned for when ALWL drops.