Razor and Tie Music Publishing
Multi-Media Song Placement, Focused Royalty Administration, Cutting-Edge Career Development
As the music business transforms from analog to global digital, creators of music more than ever need partners to help them reap the maximum benefit from their labors. No longer can a publisher passively wait for opportunities to roll in from a finite number of revenue producing areas. With the explosion of delivery outlets around the world, today’s music business demands a proactive, focused approach, both creatively and administratively. Such a concept has become a thing of the past for most major publishers with massive, barely manageable catalogs. At Razor & Tie Music Publishing we have learned from the past but we are tied to the future. Our entrepreneurial tradition as a company and extraordinary staff places us in the position of being a publisher for the future now.
Razor & Tie Entertainment
New York-based Razor & Tie is one of the fastest growing independent entertainment companies in the United States. Razor & Tie successfully sells audio and video products through traditional retail distribution, direct response television advertising and e-commerce based websites. Founded by co-owners Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam, Razor & Tie is a vertically-integrated company that encompasses a music company with major label distribution, a home video company, a media buying company, a music publishing business, an experienced marketing, promotion and sales team, a direct marketing operation and a growing database of entertainment consumers.
A Leading Kids Music/Marketing Label
Razor & Tie created the Kidz Bop CD series, the top-selling children’s audio products in the U.S. Kidz Bop titles have sold over 8 million copies and are the best known brand in children’s music. Kidz Bop 9 entered the Billboard Top 200 Album chart at #2, the highest debut for a kids’ album in history. Recently, Kidz Bop 10 debuted at #3 with record-breaking sales of 116K in its first week, the largest one-week total in Kidz Bop history. With Kidz Bop leading the way, Razor & Tie has become a significant player in the kids’ entertainment market. Other kids’ music projects include a chart-topping platinum-certified music video DVD from award-winning kids’ music star Laurie Berkner (released in conjunction with Starbucks) and CDs from three-time Grammy award-winner Tom Chapin and award-winning performer John Lithgow.
A Media Buying Company
Staffed by a group of skilled in-house media buyers, R & T Media is a leading direct response media buying agency. Razor & Tie purchases the media for its own successful projects and is also retained by leading U.S. companies including Universal, Sony/BMG, Warner Bros, QVC, plus packaged goods companies such as Elmer’s Glue and Airborne (cold remedies) and many others. Razor & Tie sells more CDs and DVDs through short form direct response television spots than any other agency in the country.
A Record Label
Razor & Tie’s record label is expanding and includes such artists and releases as acclaimed singer/songwriter Dar Williams, hard rock icons Twisted Sister, Grammy-nominated Afro-Cuban funk collective Yerba Buena, metal dynamos All That Remains, catalogue albums from rockers Brand New, and rising star Kelly Sweet.
A Home Video Company
Razor & Tie has created, produced and marketed some of the most successful home videos in the United States. These include #1 Special Interest and Fitness video Darrin’s Dance which has sold over 1.25 million home video units. Razor & Tie also created the #1 Fitness video Sweating in the Sprit featuring Donna Richardson Joyner with top gospel music artists (Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams etc.) Another highlight is Biggie & Tupac, the controversial documentary film by acclaimed director Nick Broomfield, which.debuted as a Top 10 DVD. Razor & Tie has also partnered with Rodale Publishing to release the companion DVD to the New York Times best seller, The Abs Diet Workout. The DVD has been a top-seller in the Fitness category since its release, attaining #2 on the VideoScan Fitness chart. The best selling “Dummies” series has also made the transition to DVD through Razor & Tie’s deal with Wiley Publishing; releases have included Golf For Dummies, Wine For Dummies and forthcoming in 2007 Microsoft Windows Vista For Dummies.
E-Commerce and Digital Business
Razor & Tie’s website http://www.musicspace.com is one of the highest-grossing sites in the entertainment business, and is featured in all of Razor & Tie’s direct response TV spots. The newly-launched http://www.kidzbop.com is not only a retail site, but an interactive destination for parents and children alike. Razor & Tie also markets and sells music and video content via all major digital outlets including iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, EMusic and many others.
A Compilation and Packaging Specialist
Razor & Tie has produced and marketed the most successful music compilations in the marketplace, including the platinum and gold albums Monster Ballads, Goin’ South, Fired Up and Slow Motion among others.
