Date Signed: May 6, 2020
Label: Decca Gold
Type of Music: Classical
Management: Claire Long - Music Productions, Ltd.
Booking: Claire Long - Music Productions, Ltd.
Legal: N/A
Publicity: Ashley Natareno - Decca Gold
Web: christophertin.com
A&R: Graham Parker and Lynn Lendway - Decca Gold
Two-time Grammy winner Christopher Tin wasn’t looking for a record label. Indeed, he didn’t even need one. Instead, he remained comfortable independently crowd-funding and releasing albums under his name. Beyond that, his artist career remained supplemental to demand for his skills as a choral and orchestral composer for film and video games.
Then Tin signed with Music Productions, Ltd., a management team based in the United Kingdom. Managing Director Claire Long and Director & Artist Manager Meg Davies determined the Chinese-American conductor had promise as a major label artist. They subsequently floated
Tin by Decca Gold, the classical-focused division of Decca Records owned by Universal Music Group.
“You can’t be a classical musician and not have a dozen Decca CDs on your shelf,” contends Tin, whose desire to join the label extended beyond just its pedigree. “I’m the type of person who likes to swim within a large ocean,” he discloses. “And the idea of working with other Decca artists really appealed to me.” Although Tin’s research suggested the storied label was best suited to facilitating his long-term goals, a series of meetings with Decca’s key A&R personnel reaffirmed his judgment.
Cleverly, Tin accompanied demos of his new material with a detailed description of the album’s conceptual framework. Combined with his social media engagement, independent output, and a raft of awards, the move made him an irresistible addition to Decca’s roster. “Specifically in the classical world, unless you have a concept, it’s very hard to market an album,” Tin explains. “A project based around a theme, story, or idea gives a lot more angles for the press team to run with.”
Given his overall industry experience, Tin came to the negotiating table with specific ideas regarding the contract’s structure. Still, Tin acknowledges the difference between what he knew and what he thought he knew. “My concept of how one puts out a release has been completely turned on its head,” he realizes. “You look back on how you did things before and say, ‘You knew nothing. This is how things are really done.’” Tin’s latest opus, To Shiver the Sky, reaches fans on Aug. 21st.
