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Stephen Finfer is a music publisher, manager, attorney, television producer, and business executive whose clients have included Kara DioGuardi, [1] Scott Storch, Selena Quintanilla, Jon Bellion, Ingrid Andress, Felicia Ferraro, Emanuel Kiriakou, David Hodges, Greg Wells, Mitch Allan, and Kasia Livingston. Having previously operated his own law firm and management company, Stephen Finfer aided Dr. Dre and Master P in establishing their respective record labels, Death Row Records and No Limit Records. Together with business partner DioGuardi, he formed and currently operates the boutique music publishing company and record label Arthouse Entertainment. [2]
Stephen Finfer was born in Brooklyn, and grew up in Long Island, New York. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in the state of California.
He began his career as an entertainment litigator at the worldwide law firm of Shea & Gould in Los Angeles, before becoming a staff attorney at Capitol/EMI Music, where he ran business affairs for their licensing division (CEMA Special Markets), and Latin music division (EMI/Latin Music). Thereafter, Finfer opened his own law firm and management company, where his clients included Dr. Dre/Death Row Records, Master P/No Limit Records, Capitol Records, Priority Records, LOUD Records, Justin Warfield, Everlast of House of Pain, and Selena Quintanilla. As a manager, Finfer's Deluxe Management banner represented such artists as Fleetwood Mac and Ian Astbury. [3]
After holding legal and business affairs positions in his early career, Finfer moved on to senior creative and management positions throughout the music industry. He was appointed General Manager of MCA Music Publishing in 1996. Thereafter, he served as Senior Director of Creative Affairs at Famous Music Publishing (a division of Paramount Pictures).
In 2000, Finfer was appointed General Manager of TVT Music's new publishing operation. The company obtained worldwide pop success, with songs written by artists such as Scott Storch, Lil Jon, [4] and Ja Rule.
In 2002, Stephen Finfer and Kara DioGuardi established Arthouse Entertainment, a music publishing and production company. Based in Los Angeles, Arthouse became a successful boutique publishing company, and retained several successful pop songwriters. The company has received more than 25 Pop music awards for the most performed songs on the radio.[ citation needed ]
In 2007, Arthouse Entertainment sold an equity interest in the company to Spectrum Equity/JPMorgan, and entered into an administration partnership with the publisher Bug Music. In 2012 Arthouse Entertainment sold a portion of its music assets to Roundhill Music for an undisclosed sum. In August 2013, Arthouse entered into a funding and administration agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group.
Some of Arthouse's biggest hits include Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are", "Lazy Song", and "Grenade"; Jason Derulo's "Want You To Want Me", and "Trumpets"; Eminem's "The Monster", Demi Lovato's "Heart Attack", Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You", Carrie Underwood's "Undo It", Darius Rucker's "This", Pink's "Sober", B.o.B's "Nothin' On You", GAYLE's "abcdefu", Justin Bieber's "Ghost', and "Holy", and Miley Cyrus's "Prisoner".
Arthouse Records was formed in 2021 in a joint venture with Atlantic Records. GAYLE was the first release, garnering a worldwide #1 single, and multiple Grammy nominations.
In addition to his work in the music business, Stephen Finfer has produced for television. Finfer was signed on to produce various television projects including developing a music-comedy series "Big In Japan" for USA Networks.
Finfer runs his own personal talent management company. He has also consulted for various executives and entertainment companies, and renders creative services such as executive production and music supervision.
Selena Quintanilla Pérez, known professionally as Selena, was an American singer. Referred to as the "Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. In 2020, Billboard magazine put her in third place on their list of "Greatest Latino Artists of All Time", based on both Latin albums and Latin songs chart. Media outlets called her the "Tejano Madonna" for her clothing choices. She also ranks among the most influential Latin artists of all time and is credited for catapulting the Tejano genre into the mainstream market.
Christopher Gilbert Pérez is an American guitarist, best known as lead guitarist for the Tejano band Selena y Los Dinos. He married the frontwoman of the group, Selena, on April 2, 1992. Pérez grew up in San Antonio, Texas as one of two children of Gilbert Pérez and Carmen Medina. In 1986, he began his tenure by joining Shelly Lares' band. By the late 1980s, Pérez was respected among Tejano musicians for his guitar skills. This caught A.B. Quintanilla's attention; at the time, A.B. was seeking another guitarist for the band he produced, Selena y Los Dinos. Between one and two years after Pérez joined the band, he and Selena began a personal relationship.
Metamorphosis is the second studio album by American actress and singer Hilary Duff. The album was released on August 26, 2003, by Hollywood Records as the follow-up to her debut studio album and first Christmas album, Santa Claus Lane (2002). According to Duff, the album incorporates elements of pop and rock music, and it represents changes that are specific to her life and that everyone experiences. Duff worked with several producers on the album such as The Matrix. Others who collaborated on the album include Chico Bennett, Matthew Gerrard, John Shanks and Kara DioGuardi.
Mitch Allan is an American record producer, songwriter, and singer. He has worked with artists including Demi Lovato, Third Eye Blind, Miley Cyrus, Carlie Hanson, Jason Derulo, Pitbull, Fifth Harmony, Kelly Clarkson, Simple Plan, Faith Hill, Selena Gomez, Bowling for Soup, Jonas Brothers, and Joe Cocker.
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, and singer. She primarily writes music in the pop rock genre. She has worked with many popular artists; sales of albums on which her songs appear exceed 160 million worldwide. DioGuardi is a 2011 NAMM Music for Life Award winner, 2009 NMPA Songwriter Icon Award winner, 2007 BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year, and has received 20 BMI Awards for co-writing songs.
Scott Spencer Storch is an American record producer and songwriter. Storch began his career as part of Philadelphia-based hip hop band the Roots, which he joined as a keyboardist prior to the release of their 1993 album, Organix. He provided the keyboard riff and co-produced Dr. Dre's 1999 single "Still D.R.E.," and contributed in a similar role to the rapper's productions during late 1990s. Storch expanded his solo production work into the 2000s; he was credited on five Billboard Hot 100-number one singles—Beyoncé's "Baby Boy," Terror Squad's "Lean Back," 50 Cent's "Candy Shop," Mario's "Let Me Love You" and Chris Brown's "Run It!"—among other similarly successful chart entries throughout the remaining decade. Storch has been nominated for four Grammy Awards.
Paris is the debut studio album by American media personality and singer Paris Hilton. It was released on August 14, 2006, by Warner Bros. Records. The entire album was posted on AOL Music, becoming available for online stream eight days before the scheduled physical copy release date. After being signed to the label in 2005, Hilton began working on the album with producer Rob Cavallo, who was originally set to produce the entire record. They recorded the song "Screwed", which was intended to be the lead single. However, after meeting with producer Scott Storch, Hilton decided to change the musical direction of the album and record more hip hop and R&B influenced songs. She collaborated with other producers, including Fernando Garibay, J.R. Rotem, Dr. Luke and Greg Wells. Musically, Paris is a pop album that is influenced by hip hop. It also incorporates elements of reggae, soul, pop rock and R&B.
Ven Conmigo is the second studio album by American singer Selena, released on November 12, 1990, by EMI Latin. The singer's brother, A.B. Quintanilla III remained her principal record producer and songwriter after her debut album's moderate success. Selena's Los Dinos band composed and arranged seven of the album's ten tracks; local songwriter Johnny Herrera also provided songs for Selena to record. Ven Conmigo contains half cumbias and half rancheras, though the album includes other genres. Its musical compositions are varied and demonstrate an evolving maturity in Selena's basic Tejano sound. The album's structure and track organization were unconventional compared with other Tejano music albums. The songs on Ven Conmigo are mostly love songs or songs following a woman's struggles after many failed relationships.
Selena is the self-titled debut studio album by American Tejano singer Selena, released on October 17, 1989, by EMI Latin. Its music incorporates a range of contemporary genres with a mix of cumbia and regional styles of Mexican music. The album was released following company president Jose Behar's failed crossover request for the singer. The project was denied by the heads of EMI Records' pop division, believing the singer should first strengthen her fanbase. Selena's brother and principal record producer and songwriter, A.B. Quintanilla III fought to remain the singer's producer. The band introduced Pete Astudillo and Joe Ojeda, who contributed to the album's experimental production and songwriting. Aside from A.B., Selena worked with two Mexican songwriters, Alejandro Montealegre and Reinaldo Ornelas.
Anthology is the first box set by American singer Selena. It was released posthumously on April 7, 1998, through EMI Latin to commemorate the singer's works. The collection comprises 30 tracks, dispersed across three genre-themed discs: "Pop / English" showcases uptempo pop compositions, "Mariachi" highlights Mexican ballads featuring poignant narratives of heartache, and "Cumbia" presents danceable tropical rhythms. The album encompasses recordings from a 14-year-old Selena on her Alpha (1986) album to the posthumous "Disco Medley" (1997). With a limited number of unaltered tracks, Anthology predominantly features reworked and remastered musical arrangements, while preserving the singer's original vocals. Selena's death in March 1995 prompted an influx of requests from her admirers. The singer's father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla, expressed a desire to maintain his daughter's legacy through her music. However, Selena's family has faced criticism from both fans and the media, who accuse them of capitalizing on her death and commodifying her repertoire.
Mended is the sixth overall solo studio album and second English studio album by American Latin pop singer-songwriter Marc Anthony, released on May 21, 2002 by Columbia Records and Sony Discos. It was re-released with two bonus tracks in 2003 as Mended: Bonus Tracks.
"Enamorada de Ti" is a song recorded by American Tejano recording artist Selena for her second studio album, Ven Conmigo (1990). The song was written by Selena y Los Dinos band member Pete Astudillo and her brother, A.B. Quintanilla III, and produced by Quintanilla, It is a Spanish-language adaptation of "Is It the Beat?", an English song originally written by Quintanilla III and Pamela Phillips Oland. The English version was recorded by Selena in 1989 for a potential English-language crossover album.
"El Chico del Apartamento 512" is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena for her fourth studio album, Amor Prohibido (1994). It was released along with "Fotos y Recuerdos" in January 1995, serving as its B-side track. Written by Ricky Vela, "El Chico del Apartamento 512" is a cumbia song with influences of Colombian and South American music. Lyrically, the song describes a female protagonist who knocks on her love interest's apartment door and is heartbroken when his sister answers it. Justino Aguilar of Billboard magazine, called "El Chico del Apartamento 512" as one of Selena's "most memorable songs". The track posthumously peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Regional Mexican Digital Songs chart in 2011.
Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. He is the father of Tejano singer Selena and was her manager throughout her life.
On the morning of March 31, 1995, American singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was shot and fatally wounded at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas. Although paramedics tried to revive Selena, she died of hypovolemic shock at Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital at age 23. The killer, Yolanda Saldívar, was the president of Selena's fan club who was exposed as having embezzled thousands of dollars from the singer's earnings.
Jennifer Blakeman is a musician and music industry executive. Blakeman was a keyboardist for multiple bands predominantly in the 1980s and '90s, before starting a career in the music publishing industry.
"Missing My Baby" is a song released by American singer Selena on her third studio album Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). It was composed by A.B. Quintanilla—her brother and principal record producer, whose intention was to showcase Selena's diverse musical abilities. Selena included it on the album to help her cross over into the English-speaking market. Critics praised her emotive enunciation in the song. After Selena was murdered in 1995, a remix version by R&B group Full Force appeared on her fifth studio album Dreaming of You, which was originally intended to be her full-length English-language debut album. A posthumous music video made for VH1 was released to promote the triple box-set Anthology (1998).
Jeremy Hawkins known professionally as JHawk or JHawk Productions, is an American record producer and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. He is known for pioneering the Jerkin' Movement, accumulating tens of millions of views and streams, contributing heavily to the success of a number of Los Angeles-based artists. Hawkins is perhaps best known for producing The Rej3ctz's breakout hit "Cat Daddy" in 2011 which reached Number 77 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and achieved Platinum certification independently.
Yik Nam Jason Wu, known professionally as Rabitt, is a Grammy Award and Emmy Award nominated record producer and songwriter from Hong Kong, now based in Los Angeles, CA. Rabitt has produced and written songs for Andy Grammer, Anyma, Kiiara, Charlotte Lawrence, VÉRITÉ, Álvaro Soler, Eric Nam, Ingrid Andress, and others.