It All Started With a Master’s Thesis: Bob Coterell worked as a promotions manager for Imperial Truck Line when he was working on his Master’s at USC, but his passion for singing, guitar and music in general led him to set his intention on a career in the industry—starting with interviewing countless pros to research his 200-page thesis, “Trends in the Distribution of Phonograph Records.” He started out working for two small Christian labels, Sacred Records and Supreme Records, but when one of those companies sold to Word Records, he decided to launch his own, Creative Sound, as a division of Sonrise Mercantile Co., for which he did his own manufacturing of LPs, cassettes and related products. Coterell’s desire for more consistent income while building his label led him to create a full-service company Creative Sound Corporation, which grew its reputation by servicing artists and labels in all genres.
Creative Sound Corporation: Originally launched as a proprietorship before becoming a Delaware corporation in 1991, the Southern California-based company currently has two essential functions—manufacturing CDs/DVDs and distributing Epson DiscProducers and Microboards duplicators, which reliably print labels, graphics and barcodes on CDs and DVDs and can duplicate discs up to 100 discs and print up to 95 an hour. These also allow users to duplicate digital CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. Offering its trademark “Guaranteed Quality at Low Prices,” Creative Sound’s manufacturing services include eco-wallets, digipaks, jewel boxes, jackets audio books and vinyl albums. They have manufactured albums and CDs for a wide variety of artists and companies, including Cirque du Soleil, Dr. Dre, The Lettermen, Bee Gee Records, Columbia (“Greatest Country Gospel”) and Capitol Special Products.
Quote from Bob Coterell: “Circumstances have obviously changed with the pandemic lockdown, but fortunately live performances are starting to pick up again. When artists and bands perform, they need audio CDs, video DVDs and merch to sell, and in recent years, even during this digital-dominated age, there’s been a resurgence in groups like The Lettermen and The Diamonds, who leave blank spaces on the CDs we manufacture for them to personally sign. Artists provide their masters and graphic files and as a broker, we make sure they get the best quality in the business. By not being stuck with a plant and equipment on the premises, we’ve been able to adapt to the changing needs of artists as technology has advanced over the past 40 years. I like that we can help customers receive high quality products—and share meaningful messages through our Christian label.”
Sonrise Music Company/Sonrise Online: A unique outgrowth of Coterell’s Christian faith, his flagship company offers about 80 Audio CDs and video DVDs for sale on their site as well as Amazon and eBay. Sonrise label releases include everything from I Can Only Imagine: The Very Best of MercyMe and Southern Gospel Gold that includes The Oak Ridge Boys, Swanee River Boys, Statemen, Blackwood Brothers and others to albums by many classic Christian artists—including Larry Norman, Love Song, Roger Williams, Barry McGuire, Paul Clark, Phil Keaggy, Andre Crouch and Keith Green. Sonrise received a runner-up Grammy for In The Beginning…—Moon Landing album featuring actual landing audio of the Apollo 8 astronauts and the voices of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The company also sells videos about the design and function of the Universe—from the smallest cells (including our DNA) to the fine-tuned formation of planets, moons and stars in the expanding universe.
Contact Creative Sound Corp and Sonrise Music Company, 818-707-8986
