BIG NEWS/interview: JAMES CHRISTOS SIGNS WITH GRACIE/EMI

By Chris Mills | January 5, 2009 at 8:35 pm | 2 comments | Uncategorized

We made an earlier post about two new songs by local hip hop artist, James Christos, just a couple of weeks ago. You can download them at the bottom of this story. But first, I’d advise you to check this interview I did with him at Dos Hombres last Tuesday night over five dollar, all-you-can-eat tacos. He’s got some big news to share.

Chris Mills: So tell us about the new deal you signed.

James Christos: Basically I’ve got an exclusive distribution and marketing deal with EMI Records. I negotiated to where I have a 80/20 split with them on the sale of the singles (“Punk Rock” and “No Words.”). 80% my way, 20% their way. They’ll be up on iTunes, Rhapsody, all those things like that. And they’re also going to take care of the initial leg of the promotion. Hard CDs for promotion too. Anything I have download wise is going to come with some kind of commerce. In conjunction with them, I signed a 50/50 publishing deal with EMI, which has the largest publishing catalogue in the world as far as record labels go. So they’ll be working the singles for commercials, radio, TV, movies. I kinda negotiated it like that so I didn’t get a big advance upfront. But I get more of the tail end. So it’s pretty detailed man but it’s going to be a good deal for me, yea. Yea, it’s gon’ be some money made. I’m about to smash some people. You already know man.

Chris Mills: What do you hope ends up happening as a result of the contract with EMI?

James Christos: There’s four major record labels still left in the world. You’ve got Warner Brothers, Sony BMG, Universal, and EMI. EMI owns Capital Records, Virgin Records, and a plethora of other smaller labels under them. EMI (has worked with) artists like the Beatles, Rolling Stones. EMI tends to sign artists that are really creative and they give them a lot of creative control. My ultimate goal with this distribution deal is to politic that into a bigger, straight label deal for Equator and Guerilla Movement. So I could put out other local artists including myself so we can put out albums through Guerilla Movement/EMI. Because I know they’re going to allow me to have the creative control that I need plus I’ll have the finances to back me, you know what I’m saying? It’s funny because even the artists I liked when I was younger somehow always traced back to EMI. I believe Kanye West and Jay-Z had publishing deals through EMI. Even though Kanye West is signed to Roc-a-Fella or whatever, he at least has a publishing deal with EMI. Plus EMI is big in the UK, so that’s good for overseas and European support and that kind of stuff.

Chris Mills: You’ve told me before about how adamant you are about trying to get a deal. I guess at what point do you think your career would be validated? What would it be for you?

James Christos: Man, for me, I left my 9 to 5 job so I didn’t have that steady source of income coming in. I opened the studio and I’m trying to do that full time. I’ve sacrificed so much into this game. Repossession people are calling, lights about to get cut off, cable’s about to get cut off, phone got cut off, my wife damn near want to leave me, you know what I’m saying. So when you ask that question – I’m validated because I sacrificed a lot to validate myself basically. All somebody could do right now is cut the check. My sense of validation is “cut me a check.” I am an artist. That’s all I do. I have my studio, which my dad just came up from California to help me renovate it. That’s what I do. Now that I have this distribution deal with EMI, I’m getting paid for it. The only thing somebody could do is cut me a bigger check. So that’s validation for me. Other than that, I’ve already validated myself. You’re validating me right now, because if I wasn’t doing something, we wouldn’t be here. If people see me on the street, there ain’t no free-bees. I support artists but I ain’t taking no shit. Because I paid the cost. People have a lot to shelter themselves from man, because I’m about to reign on them man.

Chris Mills: What kind of response have you been getting from the “Punk Rock” single on KPRS (Hot 103 Jamz)?

James Christos: It’s been crazy, because as soon as DJ Fresh dropped it on the Underground Heat show, I was getting crazy calls to my phone and I was getting crazy e-mails. I had to tell them to not call me, but to call them! You know what I’m saying? I’ve been (sending out text messages and calls) to people telling them to hit Myron up at KPRS and request it. Because the crazy response I got that night showed me that people were digging it. I’m hoping it will get added to regular rotation around the first of the year. I think Myron’s pissed off because his e-mail is probably locked up right now. A lot of the DJs in the town have been showing me love. DJ SKU picked it up, and actually SKU was the first person to break it club-wise. And of course Shad, he’s my main man when it comes to breaking records. It just got picked up in Manhattan on the college station out there. PL helped premiere it on 90.1. And for the first time in my career, my myspace spins are out of control, man. Before they played it on KPRS, the plays on “Punk Rock” on my myspace page were like…78. It’s been two weeks and I’m at about 1,700. And I’m not smart enough to manipulate it myself.

Chris Mills: That’s about it. Anything else you want to add?

James Christos: ’09 is mine.

BEFRIEND CHRISTOS AT MYSPACE.COM/JAMESCHRISTOS

**MP3s HAVE BEEN DISABLED BY ARTISTS REQUEST**