Diana Meltzer | |
---|---|
Birth name | Diana Meltzer |
Also known as | Woman with the Golden Ears |
Origin | New York |
Genres | Rock |
Occupation(s) | A&R and chief executive officer, Monster Hits Music |
Years active | 1996-present |
Labels | Monster Hits Music (2011-present) Wind-up Records (1996–2009) |
Associated acts | Creed, Alter Bridge, Evanescence, Finger Eleven, Seether, Drowning Pool, Beat The System |
Website | monsterhitsmusic.com |
Diana Meltzer is an American music industry executive. [1] She is the owner of Monster Hits Music and was the co-owner of the world largest independent label Wind-up Records [2] with her ex-husband Alan Meltzer. She is primarily known for discovering and signing Grammy award-winning band Creed, [3] Evanescence, and other bands such as Alter Bridge, Seether, Drowning Pool, Finger Eleven, Beat The System, Company of Thieves, 12 Stones, Thriving Ivory, Bright Eyes, People in Planes, Stereo Fuse [4] She first began her career as a fashion model. Later Meltzer owned a record store in Connecticut in the late 1980s before she was asked to assume the role of an A&R. In 2004 Meltzer became the first woman to top HitQuarters' World Top 100 A&R Chart, [5] a considerable achievement in what is traditionally a male-dominated field. Other #1s have included Clive Davis, Tommy Mottola, Dr. Dre and Mark Williams. Meltzer is still known to be the 'Woman with the Golden Ears'.
Meltzer and her husband Alan Meltzer made their fortune through CD One Stop before Alan purchased Grass Records in 1997. It was during that time when Alan was looking for an artist Meltzer heard Creed's first album My Own Prison and decided almost immediately that she wanted to sign them to the label. She later said that she heard "an arena band". Within the same week, Meltzer, together with Wind-up president Steve Lerner, and CEO Alan Meltzer flew to Tallahassee to see Creed perform live and decide for certain whether to offer them a contract. "Seeing the energy in the room when Scott Stapp stepped up to the mic, and hearing his powerful voice fill the room, alongside Mark Tremonti’s now legendary guitar riffs and that big Creed anthemic rock sound, was all I needed," she told HitQuarters. [3]
Meltzer first heard Evanescence [6] [7] when producer Pete Matthews played their demos. It was when she heard "My Immortal" that she became interested in signing the band, saying she "knew it was a hit". She told HitQuarters that, although they already exhibited huge talent, they were still young and needed to be developed, and "given the time and opportunity they could deliver a breakthrough sound.
Clive Jay Davis is an American record producer, A&R executive, music industry executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000.
Creed is an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida, formed in 1994. For most of its existence, the band consisted of lead vocalist Scott Stapp, guitarist and vocalist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips. Creed released two studio albums, My Own Prison in 1997 and Human Clay in 1999, before Marshall left the band in 2000. The band's third album, Weathered, was released in 2001, with Tremonti on bass guitar. Creed disbanded in 2004; Stapp pursued a solo career while Tremonti, Marshall, and Phillips founded the band Alter Bridge with Myles Kennedy.
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1995 by singer, pianist, and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording independent albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. On the strength of hit singles "Bring Me to Life" and "My Immortal", Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide and helped the band win two Grammy Awards out of six nominations. A year later, Evanescence released their first live album, Anywhere but Home, which sold more than one million copies worldwide. In 2006, the band released their second studio album, The Open Door, which sold more than five million copies.
Fallen is the debut studio album by American rock band Evanescence, released on March 4, 2003, by Wind-up and Epic Records. After releasing several EPs and a demo CD, the group signed to Wind-up in January 2001. Writing songs for Fallen started near the time of the band's formation; several of the songs that would feature on the album appeared on the band's earlier releases. Fallen was recorded between August and December 2002 in several locations, including Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. This was followed by a two-week period of mixing at Conway Recording Studios in North Hollywood. It is Evanescence's only album to feature guitarist Ben Moody, who left the band later in 2003.
"Bring Me to Life" is a song by American rock band Evanescence, recorded for their debut studio album, Fallen (2003). Wind-up released it as the lead single from the album on April 7, 2003. The track was written by group members Amy Lee, Ben Moody, and David Hodges and produced by Dave Fortman. It also features uncredited guest vocals from Paul McCoy of the band 12 Stones. "Bring Me to Life" is a nu metal, gothic metal, hard rock and an alternative rock song. According to Lee, "Bring Me to Life" has several meanings and inspirations; its subjects are an incident in a restaurant, open-mindedness, and waking up to the things which are missing in the protagonist's life. Lee later revealed that the song was inspired by her long-time friend and husband Josh Hartzler.
My Own Prison is the debut studio album by American rock band Creed, released in 1997. The album was released independently by the band's record label Blue Collar Records on June 24, 1997, but then was released by Wind-up Records on August 26, 1997. Manager Jeff Hanson matched Creed up with John Kurzweg, and My Own Prison was recorded for $6,000, funded by Hanson. The album was distributed to Florida radio stations. The band wrote several songs trying to discover their own identity. In the early days of the band, the members of the band had jobs to make money while their bassist Brian Marshall got a degree. The band got a record deal with Wind-up Records and began recording music.
Wind-up Entertainment was an American independent record label founded by Alan and Diana Meltzer in 1997. It was based in New York City and was distributed by BMG Distribution. Wind-up's best-selling artists worldwide were Creed.
"My Immortal" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their debut studio album, Fallen (2003). It was released by Wind-up Records on December 8, 2003, as the third single from the album. An alternative version appears on the band's fourth studio album Synthesis (2017). The song was written by guitarist Ben Moody, lead singer Amy Lee and keyboardist David Hodges, and it was produced by Moody and Dave Fortman. Various versions of "My Immortal" were recorded; one of them was included on the demo album Origin (2000) and another on the EP release Mystary (2003). The version originally appearing on Origin was later included on Fallen, featuring piano with backing strings. The version of the song released as a single was dubbed the "band version" because of the complete band's performance of the bridge and final chorus of the song.
"With Arms Wide Open" is a song by American rock band Creed. It was released on April 18, 2000, as the third single from their second studio album, Human Clay. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 2000, becoming the band's first and only song to top the chart. The song also received honors at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2001, being nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, as well as Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti winning the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
Scott Mathews is an American music producer, composer, performer, and entrepreneur. He has appeared as a musician, songwriter or producer on recordings with sales of more than 40 million units which earned more than 20 gold and multi-platinum RIAA Certification awards.
"Call Me When You're Sober" is a song by American rock band Evanescence recorded for their second studio album, The Open Door. Wind-up Records released it as the album's lead single on September 4, 2006; this release was preceded by the song's Internet leak and its earlier distribution to radio stations on July 31. The track was written by group members Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo, while Dave Fortman handled its production. Lee revealed that the song was inspired by an unsuccessful relationship with Shaun Morgan, lead singer of the band Seether. The track is an alternative metal, symphonic rock, and electropop piano ballad about a woman terminating a relationship with a love interest who suffers from an addiction.
Dave Fortman is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter. He is the guitarist for rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and has worked with bands such as Superjoint Ritual, Snot, Atomship, Eyehategod, Mudvayne, Otep, Slipknot, and Simple Plan, as well as on both of Evanescence's multi-platinum selling albums The Open Door and Fallen.
CD One Stop was a distributor of pre-recorded music in the late 1980s through the 90s. It was started in 1985 by Alan Meltzer, owner of the Titus Oaks Records music chain in Long Island. Meltzer moved to Connecticut and launched the company, which was the first of its kind to distribute only compact discs, out of his house in Ridgefield.
HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song sale facility, demo reviews and A&R chart, and was the sister site to the songwriting tip sheet SongQuarters. The site was sporadically active from May 2017 up until September 20, 2020, and no posts have been made on its Twitter and Facebook accounts since March and May 2015 respectively.
Jeff Hanson is an artist and producer manager, A&R consultant and founder and chief of the Silent Majority Group label. He is the former manager of Creed, Paramore and Sevendust, and the current manager of YouTube star Blacklite District. In 2006 he set up the independent Orlando, Florida-based label Silent Majority Group, which is now home to Framing Hanley, Candlebox, Tantric, Brother Sundance, Veio, and Fire Fight.
Evanescence is the eponymous third studio album by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on October 7, 2011, by Wind-up Records. The band began writing the album in June 2009. Its release was delayed several times; on February 22, 2010, the band entered the studio with producer Steve Lillywhite but later stopped working with him because he "wasn't the right fit". At the time the album was scheduled for an August or September 2010 release, but Lee later announced that Evanescence had suspended recording to write more material. On April 11, 2011, the band returned to the studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz.
"My Heart Is Broken" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on October 31, 2011, as the second single for their eponymous third studio album (2011). An alternative version appears on the band's fourth studio album Synthesis (2017). The track was written by Amy Lee, Terry Balsamo, Tim McCord, Will Hunt and Zach Williams, while production was handled by Nick Raskulinecz. Musically, "My Heart Is Broken" is an uptempo rock ballad, whose instrumentation consists of piano, guitars and drums. Lee revealed that the song was written after seeing victims of sex trafficking. The recording received favorable reviews from music critics, who praised the combination between Lee's vocals and piano playing, as well as its fellow instrumentation; several of them chose it as a highlight on the album. On music charts, "My Heart Is Broken" reached number 36 on the Austrian Singles Chart, number 92 on the German Singles Chart and number 34 on the US Adult Top 40.
Alan Meltzer was an American businessman and poker player who founded Wind-up Records along with his ex-wife Diana Meltzer.
Joanna Charrington is a music industry executive. She is currently the Co-President at Capitol Records in the UK. Her industry career began at London Records in 1992 as a marketing assistant before moving to Virgin Records in the International Department, then BMG working for the President Jeremy Marsh.