Atlantic Records (2006–12)
In 2006, Photo Finish and Matt Galle signed a joint venture deal with Atlantic Records. Their first release was the debut self-titled five-song EP from the New-York-based post-hardcore band Envy on the Coast, [3] followed by the debut EP and studio album from Washington-based rock band Danger Radio. [4]
The label garnered major success with the debut album from the Colorado-based duo 3OH!3, WANT , which peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, while their song "Don't Trust Me" went to #1 on the Top 40 Charts, eventually selling over 3 million digital copies. [5] [1] [6]
In August 2008, Photo Finish released the debut album by Anthony Green, Avalon , which debuted at number 44 on the Billboard charts, the label's most successful first-week performance for a release. [7] In 2010, the Virginia-based band The Downtown Fiction’s song I Just Wanna Run played on the season premiere of The Jersey Shore; the track ultimately went Gold. [8]
Universal Music Group (2012–15)
In 2012, Galle brought the label to Island Def Jam and Republic Records, distributed by Universal Music Group. [9]
In October of that year, Photo Finish released the EP Love’s Not Dead by The Mowgli's. The accompanying single “San Francisco” became iTunes’ Single of the Week, peaking at #12 on the Alternative Music Chart and #3 on the AAA Radio Chart. [10] Subsequent releases included their debut album Waiting for the Dawn in 2013 and the follow-up Kids in Love in 2014.
2014 also saw the release of Reflections, the debut EP of the New-York-City based band MisterWives, the title song of which became iTunes’ Single of the Week in January and peaked at #13 on the Billboard rock chart, [11] ultimately going Gold in the U.S. and selling 2 million (equivalents), followed by the band’s debut album Our Own House in 2015. That year, MisterWives was chosen as an MTV “Artist to Watch.” [12]
After being chosen for an Apple AirPods commercial, the song “Down” by Marian Hill went Platinum and sold nearly six million track equivalents worldwide, [13] reaching #10 on the Top 40, #13 at Rhythmic, #15 at Alternative, and #17 on Hot AC Radio, while at the same time becoming the most-Shazam’d song in the U.S., according to Rolling Stone magazine. [14]
Caroline Distribution/Virgin Music Label & Artist Services (2016–present)
In 2016, Photo Finish made a distribution deal with Caroline Distribution, establishing the label as an independent entity to work with artists including SHAED, ROZES, guardin, Joan, Handsome Ghost, and Lakeview. [1] [15]
In September 2016, Photo Finish released Just Wanna See, the debut EP by SHAED, [16] whose single "Name On It" was the featured track for a Victoria's Secret commercial. [17] SHAED’s single "Trampoline", from their follow-up EP Melt, was featured in a MacBook Air commercial in October, 2018, and was the #1 song on Alternative Radio for the entire year of 2019, garnering over 3 billion in US radio audience and over 7 million worldwide sales (equivalents). [18] [19] The song reached number one on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart [9] [20] and went double platinum in the United States, Canada, and India. [21]
In 2017, Photo Finish released the debut EP by ROZES. [22] [23] ROZES’s song "Halfway There" was the official anthem to the 2019 Women's March on NYC via The Women's March Alliance. [24]
