From Tower Records' 'Pulse!' magazine (Sept 1997 issue):
The current surge of electronica's popularity will test the strength
of the independents' lock on the genre. With UK heavies Warp Records
and Wall of Sound Records negotiating major-label US distribution at
press time...
I also swear there was a piece on the ups and downs of Sire Records in the
Los Angeles Times' Calendar section within the last two months that listed
Warp as a Sire sublabel, but I don't keep stacks of newspapers lying around
the house, I can't find reference to it at the Times' website, and it could
have been referring only to the licensed Aphex records for all I know.
I have to wonder how Warp has any kind of leverage in negotiations at this
point - at this point, as far as I can tell, their roster consists of Aphex,
Autechre, Squarepusher... um, Plaid and Jimi Tenor. Oh, and I thought I heard
they signed Weatherall again but they've yet to announce it so maybe it
didn't happen. And don't forget that Aphex has, what, one album left on his
deal with Warp? Frankly, Warp's best days are in the past.
C.
--
Chris.Hilker (cspot@hyperreal.org) "One being, that talking about things,
while not exactly causing them to happen, does cause something,-- which is
almost the same, tho' not quite. Unless it is possible to smoke a Potatoe."