Alexandra Patsavas launches Chop Shop Records

From reuters.com By Brian Garrity

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The woman behind the soundtracks to "The OC" and "Grey's Anatomy" is launching her own label.

Alexandra Patsavas, the influential TV and film music supervisor who has helped put Death Cab for Cutie, Snow Patrol and the Fray on the mainstream map, has inked a deal with Atlantic Records to form a new imprint, Chop Shop Records. The label shares the name of Patsavas' 10-year-old California-based firm, Chop Shop Music Supervision.

Patsavas had been in negotiations with the Warner Music Group unit about creating a label since last year. The subject was first broached in a meeting with Atlantic president Julie Greenwald at the Coachella music festival.

"It's something we came up with together," Patsavas says. "A label seems like a natural extension of what a music supervisor does . . . You can come across things very early, and there have been bands along the way I would have loved to have worked with more closely."

Many basic details of the venture are still being sketched out. Patsavas says she will look to hire a label manager as well as handful of additional talent scouts and assistants to supplement the efforts of her existing Chop Shop music supervision team of three coordinators. But this much is known: It will be headquartered in South Pasadena, Calif., and is expected to handle as many as three acts at the outset.

No signings have been announced yet. Patsavas is aggressively on the hunt for acts. During a recent trip to New York, she attended nine different artist showcases.

She says Chop Shop's direction will bear a strong resemblance to the creative direction she has pursued in her music supervisory role.

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Interesting approach to signing cool bands. So many lesser-known bands get licensed but after the spot airs/movie goes to DVD they drop off the radar. It will be interesting to see how warner markets these acts. They could be great testing ground for new media like virals and user generated content. I just hope the artists are given a square deal.