Collective Soul is an American rock band originally from Stockbridge, Georgia. Now based in Atlanta, the group consists of the brothers Ed and Dean Roland, Will Turpin (bassist), Johnny Rabb (drummer), and Jesse Triplett. Formed in 1992, the original lineup consisted of the Roland brothers, Turpin, guitarist Ross Childress, and drummer Shane Evans. Collective Soul released their Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid album on the independent label Rising Storm Records in 1993. The band went from obscurity to popularity that year after the album's lead single "Shine" received regional radio play. The album was then re-released in 1994 by the major label Atlantic Records; thus, "Shine" became a national hit as it peaked at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock and No. 4 on the Mainstream Top 40 charts.
Mark Morrison is a German-born British singer, best known for his 1996 platinum hit song, "Return of the Mack", which was immediately met with success upon its release in several European countries. In the following year, the song peaked at No. 2 in the United States.
Independent music is music produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries; this may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording and publishing.
Angie Brown is a British singer and songwriter from Brixton, South London.
"Return of the Mack" is a song written and recorded by British R&B singer Mark Morrison, released by WEA and Atlantic as the third single from his debut album by the same name (1996). The song topped the UK Singles Chart a month after its release, then became a European and Australian hit. In the United States, it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum. The music video for the song, directed by Jake Nava, was released in the United Kingdom in March 1996 and in the United States in February 1997. Billboard magazine featured "Return of the Mack" in their lists of "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s" in 2019 and "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.
Beverley Knight is an English singer, songwriter, actress and radio personality. She released her first album, The B-Funk, in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released eight studio albums. Widely labelled as one of Britain's greatest soul singers, Knight is best known for her hit singles "Greatest Day", "Get Up!", "Shoulda Woulda Coulda", "Come as You Are" and "Keep This Fire Burning".
Big Machine Records is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta and became a joint venture between Borchetta and country singer Toby Keith. The company concentrates on publishing, management, and merchandising and oversees imprints, such as Valory Music, that are part of the Big Machine Label Group. The purchase of Big Machine Records by Scooter Braun's company, Ithaca Holdings, in 2019 resulted in a highly publicized dispute and controversy with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift regarding the ownership of the masters to her albums for the label. In August 2023, it was reported that some artists terminated their respective management contracts with Ithaca in protest.
Adam Richard Wiles, known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. His debut studio album, I Created Disco, was released in June 2007. Its singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls" both reached the top 10 in the UK. In 2009, he released second studio album, Ready for the Weekend, which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and whose lead single, "I'm Not Alone", became his first song to top the UK Singles Chart.
The Hoosiers are an English pop rock band formed in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. As of 2016, the band consists of members Irwin Sparkes and Alan Sharland.
Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, known professionally as Kygo, is a Norwegian DJ and music producer. He garnered international attention with his December 2013 remix of the track "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran and his December 2014 single "Firestone". In late 2015, he reached 1 billion streams on Spotify faster than any other artist, and by June 2016, he had reached 2 billion streams.
Return of the Mack is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Mark Morrison. It was first released through his Mack Life Records imprint in the United Kingdom and then released by Atlantic Records in the United States, with distribution via Warner Music Group on April 22, 1996. The album includes a well-known popular song "Return of the Mack", which stayed for a remarkable 41 weeks on the US Billboard charts. Upon its release, Return of the Mack received mixed reviews from music critics, who praised Morrison's strong voice and entertaining songs, but described the album as having weak production. The album stayed for 38 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, where it debuted and peaked at number 4, and became a certified platinum by British Phonographic Industry (BPI). On the US Billboard 200, the album reached a peak of a number 76. The album has since sold over three million copies worldwide.
Scott Christopher Shephard is a British music industry executive and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of So, Let's Talk and former President of Europe for American record label, Global Music Group.
Spotify is a Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 590 million monthly active users, including 226 million paying subscribers, as of September 2023. Spotify is listed on the New York Stock Exchange in the form of American depositary receipts.
D'Influence is a British production team and acid jazz band. Formerly of The Echo Label, they founded their own label, Freakstreet Records. Original members include Kwame Kwaten, Sarah-Ann Webb, Ed Baden-Powell, Ned Bigham and Steve Marston.
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label. Specializing in hip hop and R&B artists, TDE is based in Carson, California. The label was founded in 2004 by record producer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, who also serves as the chief executive officer. His son, Anthony "Moosa" Tiffith Jr., and Terrence "Punch" Henderson are the presidents of the label.
Nina Nesbitt is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She has two top 40 singles, and is known for her single "Stay Out", which peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2013, and No. 11 on the Scottish Singles Chart
Sara Hjellström, known professionally as Shy Martin is a Swedish singer and songwriter. As a songwriter her compositions have been streamed over 3 billion times on Spotify alone, while her songs as lead vocalist have been streamed 1.5 billion times on the same platform.
Arizona Zervas is an American rapper and singer. He is widely known for his song "Roxanne", which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019, after being prominently featured in Spotify playlists. The success of the single led him to tour nationwide in 2019, and in November of that same year he signed with Columbia Records. "Roxanne" also topped the charts in New Zealand, and reached the top 10 in the UK, Australia, and several other countries. On July 14, 2023, he released his debut studio album, Wild West.
Surfaces is an American music group based in College Station, Texas. It currently consists of vocalists/guitarists Forrest Frank and Colin Padalecki. Their music is a blend of surf music, jazz, soul, pop rock, hip hop, reggae, and calypso. They have released four studio albums. Their first independent studio album, Surf, was released in 2017.
