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Avril Lavigne

Video from 1999-2002

Quote from Ken Krongard (2002 article), American Record Executive responsible for signing Avril Lavigne to Arista Records:

"Cliff (Fabri) was all about the American Labels, " Krongard notes, "The deals are much bigger, and the (promotional power) of the American Labels is far superior. They can break Artists on a worldwide level. There aren't many or any Canadian Artists signed to Canadian Labels who have broken worldwide. Fabri was a pioneer in the sense that he wouldn't deal with any Canadian Labels with any of his talent." (Sept 2002)

CANADIAN ARTIST'S SEEK OUT AMERICAN LABELS TO BOOST THEIR FAME

Turns out Avril Lavigne isn't just an inscrutable pop star. The singer, in the midst of a North American tour that stops Nov. 11 at the United Center, is also a modern-day pioneer for Canada.

The extraordinary success of the 20-year-old sk8er girl from tiny Napanee, Ontario, opened the borders for a raft of precocious female talent from up north.

Ken Krongard, the music executive who discovered Lavigne for the Arista Records label, recalls the mind-set of her first manager. "Cliff [Fabri] was all about the American labels," Krongard notes. "The deals are much bigger, and the [promotional] power of the American labels is far superior. They can break artists on a worldwide level. There aren't many Canadian artists signed to Canadian labels who have broken worldwide. Fabri was a pioneer in the sense that he wouldn't deal in Canada with any of the talent he was working with."

AVRIL's Debut Record

( President Arista/BMG Records LA Reid & Avril - 2002 )

'LET GO' BUDGET

'Let Go' had sold over 25 million copies worldwide, becoming Lavigne's highest-selling album to date. 
According to Billboard magazine the album was the number
2 top selling album of the decade (2000's). 
A Rolling Stone readers poll named 'Let Go' as the fourth 
best album of the 2000's.

FLASHBACK TEASER - My Recollection (CF)

For a record that sells over 20 million copies, initially, her record label didn't want Avril Lavigne co-writing on this record . They wanted the best songs and didn't care who wrote them! Avril had never written a song before and all I was hanging onto was how Alanis Morrisette had been a teen pop star in Canada, which she disliked. To be in her early 20's and have that collaboration with Glen Ballard that created ' Jagged Little Pill', I wanted Avril to have her own 'Jagged Little Pill'.

I was adamant about Avril not being a clone or manufactured into a bubblegum, pop act. She had to take part in the writing. That single decision led to 'Let Go'.

It wasn't popular at the time, but after the success of 'Let Go', I believe things were changed forever, as far as a teen artist having an input on the songs being released on their records.

It's a great feeling to feel the victory for originality and shaking things up, this was a time where 'boy bands' and slick pop stars reined, Backstreet Boys, Brittany, etc.

CF

Napanee Teen makes good!

Avril Lavigne's First Hit Song

Lavigne meets The Matrix.. 

Excerpt: At the time the Matrix Production team was living in a bungalow in the valley in LA. They had a pre-conceived country-ish song written for Lavigne as requested by Arista Records. Fabri protested and returned to his car and retrieved a fresh track that Lavigne had recorded the day before with Clif Magness.

Earlier Fabri had played the song over his cell phone for John Hecker and

Josh Sarubin at Arista Records. They both protested telling Fabri that they couldn't fathom 'Unwanted' ever getting on to Lavigne's debut disc because it was too far a departure of who Lavigne was.

Fabri persisted on with 'Unwanted' and played the song for The Matrix. All three of them were surprised but pleased with the track. Fabri exclaimed, "she needs to express herself"!

Fabri left and when returning hours later, the song 'Complicated' 

was completed and demo'd by Lavigne.

('Unwanted' was the first song to make it on to the 'Let Go' album and was the anthesis of anything Country).

Clif Magnus co-writer 'Unwanted".. first song to make it on the record 'LET GO' and

truly was the foundation setter for Avril Lavigne's debut disc 'LET GO'. When Lavigne and Fabri escaped NYC to get away from their record label, Fabri called a friend in the Publishing world. Paul Morgan was a respected 'song guy' and Fabri was asking him for an introduction to some writers in LA. As fate would have it Morgan suggested Clif Magness. Magness had worked with Glen Ballard, Ballard co-wrote and produced Alanis Morrisette's 'Jagged Little Pill'. Fabri states, "It was serendipitous that Paul had mentioned Clif, I had based a lot of what I was doing on Alanis Morrisette's career path". On meeting Magness, Fabri knew Lavigne had met a kindred spirit. Fabri went into his Alanis Morrisette spiel and then left Lavigne and Magness to it.Returning later that evening Lavigne and Magness had co-written the song 'Unwanted'.Fabri and Lavigne were over the moon, only to find out later that the Label wasn't thrilled.

Co-writes negotiated between Cliff Fabri and The Matrix Mgmt. 
Avril Lavigne received 25% of all songs written with the Matrix.

This led to Avril Lavigne signing a one million dollar Publishing Deal.

Avril Lavigne had co-writes on every song of her debut release 'LET GO'.

From deals negotiated by Cliff Fabri on belhalf of Avril Lavigne, she is listed

as one of the wealthiest and self sufficient artists in music today.

Q) There have been various articles printed recentlyabout what is being told to the press about how Avril Lavigne was discovered ?

( Avril signing party 'Twin Towers NYC - Jan. 2001 )

CF) At first I found it amusing. My resolve changed when I read the August issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. In Avril's article she was quoted to have said that she signed a demo deal with Nettwerk Records, and they discovered her..how she just magically appeared on the scene as this independent rebellious force.

Simply fiction!

Q) Have you been critical on the marketing of

"Avril Lavigne"?

CF) I was asked questions from the press about her punk days. All I said, in my association with Avril, we didn't have many punk days. Does she have an attitude, yes. A very good one! I loved Avril's attitude and i encouraged it. I hated the boy bands and all the manufactured pop acts. Avril Lavigne was a breath of fresh air.Avril Lavigne had the freedom to do what she wanted!

I take great pride in that, she was a true maverick but it wasn't without great time spent on her development ! To be a rebel its good to know what your rebelling against!

Q) There have been many questions asked about Avril's songwriting. How does a girl go from singing Country Karaoke when you met, to writing a full CD in less than a year and a half?

CF) I got Avril writing because publishing money provides the artist with much needed income early and throughout a career. I knew Avril would have an opportunity to write with the best songwriters in the world. I set a very early precedent. If these writers wanted to work with Avril, she would be in the room with them and get a piece of the song.

In my time with Avril , "the Matrix" and "Clif Magness" went on to co-write 10 of the 13 songs on the disc, including the first four singles. I negotiated her Publishing percentages with "Clif Magness" and " The Matrix's" management. The publishing alone on those songs, for Avril, set the foundation for her financial security for life.

There were great co-writers who worked on this disc.

Q) How did you get from New Country songs to the songs on this CD?

CF) After growing up in Ottawa, I got to witness the whole Alanis Morrisette phenomenon. I knew her story, I wasn't going to let Avril fall into the trap of having people tell her what to sing and what to be. This was going to be Avril's CD, about her.

( LA Reid & Avril - 2002 )

I knew that Alanis found her co-writer in Glen Ballard when she went to LA. I knew with our resources I could give Avril that same opportunity.

Q) I can see why you might be a little miffed at her new Management, Label, for how they portrayed Avril as this Independent, real, groundbreaking Artist?

CF) Well, she is !

I know that these songs and my strategy gave Avril the leverage to set her own course.

I got to help Avril set the foundation for her CD. We accomplished some groundbreaking things together, and I'll always cherish that.

( Lavigne Family signed Recording Contract )

Q) This is quite a departure from everything that has been released to the public, as far as where she came from?

CF) There were a lot of forces out there, telling me I was crazy to think a fifteen year old could help write her own CD. I'll let the work speak for itself, she definitely has her flavour on the disc.

Avril & Cliff (Roosevelt Hotel) - Hollywood - 2001

Q) Why did the relationship end?

CF) The lesson I learned is that once something is gaining value there are a lot of forces trying to be a part of it.

Once the trust is broken, for whatever reason, it's over! That simple! I'm thrilled that my legacy with Avril Lavigne ended with 'LET GO', that CD became a phenomena, it was authentic.

Me with Bugs bunny and Avril with Tom Cruise

Q) Thank-you for this

CF) No Problem

bomb32

Artist: Bomb 32

Toronto rap-rock band signs U.S. deal By KAREN BLISS

After winning over the record executive with a sweaty, intense and hard rockin' performance at its downtown Toronto rehearsal space, bomb32 has signed a major recording contract with RCA in America. Negotiations were underway in July after David Bendeth, the label's senior vice-president of A&R, saw the mercurial rap-rock combo perform a handful of songs in a space so small, hot and cramped that even the few spectators had sweat beads dripping from their upper lip. "I knew after two songs," says David Bendeth of wanting to sign bomb32. "The energy in that room was incredible. They were sweating their buns off. I could tell that they had done all these showcases for all these other companies and people hadn't really appreciated them for who they were, and, for me, I got it right away. "I saw four guys that were really energetic and really musical, and seemed to really like each other, and that was really important to me," he continues. "Matt (Kinna) looks fantastic. He's a great singer. He's not just a rapper. It's rough around the edges but it's totally workable." After hanging out with the members of bomb32 -- Kinna, bassist Jon Cohen, guitarist Joel Krass and drummer Brian Matthews -- Bendeth then discovered, "They also were really strong about their convictions about where they were at and were totally open-minded, as well. And I thought that they were smarter than your average rock band." Bendeth, a Canadian, was formerly VP of A&R at BMG Music Canada, where he signed hard rock bands Varga and Sven Gali, as well as Crash Test Dummies. When he took the job Stateside with RCA six years ago, he signed treble charger and has had major U.S. success this year with his signings Vertical Horizon and SR-71. Bomb32 formed six years ago, while at university in London, Ontario, but it wasn't until returning home to Toronto and hooking up with manager Cliff Fabri (Nettwerk signing Jenifer McLaren, Avril Lavigne) in December 1999 that things started happening. A parade of A&R reps and music publishers saw the band showcase either in rehearsal or at local gigs, but no offers were forthcoming. Kinna refers to the interest as "touchy feely" -- people just feeling each other out. Now, he says, some labels are upset that the band signed in America. "There's been a fair bit of, 'What about us?'" he says. "All we have to say is, 'Where were you?' There's only so much you can do and only so long you can wait for people to decide they're intersted. So you commmit one way." Strangely, even when it was revealed in the press that this little-known Toronto rock band had been selected to perform on the television component to online record company Jimmy And Doug's farmclub.com, bomb32 received no further calls from labels. The coveted TV opportunity came when Fabri gave farmclub.com A&R rep Brian Wittmer a copy of bomb32's CD. (Matthews later uploaded tracks, including "All Of The Above" to the site). The band was eventually flown to Universal Studios in Burbank, CA, to perform "All Of The Above". A camera crew then came up to Toronto to shoot the interview portion. Bomb32's appearance on the show marked the first by an unsigned international act. Between the taping and the airing, Bendeth heard about the band from a variety of Canadian sources  when Bendeth was in Toronto for a BMG convention in July, he went to see them on the 12th at the rehearsal space. A month later, the day the farmclub.com segment aired (Aug. 14), the whole band was in New York, courtesy of RCA. Bendeth made sure he watched the performance the day before their meeting. ("I thought they were f**kin' awesome," he enthuses). Kinna says the band didn't really shop to other labels once it discovered RCA's level of interest, and lists a variety of reasons for signing with the company. "They were very enthusiastic about the music," Kinna explains. "They don't really have anything like us. I suppose that could be a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm gonna take that as a good thing, 'cause we'll get more attention. They're really interested in making this thing work and blowing it up, so I think we have similar visions of where the music's gonna go and what it's gonna do." Kinna says the band was also impressed with the rock radio promotions department at RCA. "They were rhyming off the songs to us and telling us how much they liked them. They had really done their homework." While the paperwork took months to finalize, a deal memo was signed that week and bomb32 buckled down for some serious writing and rehearsing. In mid-November, it demoed an additional five songs (to add to the current 10), which Bendeth should receive Thursday. The band is now listening to reels from some notable producers, hoping to find one with a like-minded vision and an open schedule in the new year. "I'd like to get them in the studio by the end of February," says Bendeth. "I'd like to find out who's available, who wants to do this and get them into the studio, and try to get a record out by the summertime so that they can go out and tour. "I'm not going to look at this record as the be-all and end all either," Bendeth makes a point to add. "I think it's going to be a great first record. I think it's going to be a classy first record. It's not gonna be the pinnacle of their career. It's going to be the beginning of their career, so I'm going to be completely patient. If it doesn't sell a million copies, I'm not going to give a rat's ass. It's all going to be about trying to sell to a 100,000 people that really care about them."