(Los Angeles, CA. – May 2009) – While other labels struggle to stay relevant and profitable in today’s music industry, Strange Music continues to grow, secure bold, new opportunities, and set an example for other labels and musical entrepreneurs to follow. Signaling its presence and expansion in the West Coast, Dave Weiner has been named Vice-President of Strange Music West. Weiner will work closely with Strange Music President and CEO Travis O’Guin from his satellite office in Los Angeles. His responsibilities include signing new talent, focusing on artistic and business development, and serving as the company’s local liaison with distributor Fontana.
Strange Music is already one of the most successful independent music labels in the world – in 2008, its flagship artist,Tech N9ne, SoundScanned over one million units, making him one of the most successful independent hip hop artists in history.

“Tech is an incredible artist,” boasts Weiner, a longtime ally and supporter of Strange. “I flipped out when I first heard him. His talent knocked me out of my chair. At the same time, there was Travis. The guy’s incredible on the business side, determined, and a man of his word. Strange Music is the most solid, well-run, and established independent record company that I’ve ever worked with.” It’s obvious that Travis has a mutual respect and admiration for Dave’s business mind: “After having the opportunity to work with Dave on multiple occasions throughout the last decade, we knew he was the right person to head our west coast expansion of Strange Music. In a sometimes volatile industry, Dave manages to maintain an approach to the music business that’s based on honesty and integrity.”

Weiner served as VP of Urban Music at JCOR in 2000 when it became the first label to enter into a joint venture with Tech N9ne and Strange. Together the companies released the groundbreaking Tech N9ne album, Anghellic (2001).

Similar to Strange, Weiner is a visionary who is ahead of his time. While working west coast sales for Priority Records in the mid-1990s, the Los Angeles native was amazed by the volume of regional rap talent that didn’t have distribution. His idea was for Priority (the only independent label in the country with in-house national distribution at the time) was to distribute other record companies. The implementation of Weiner’s plan was a watershed moment for Priority Records – and the entire music industry. One of Weiner’s first rap signings was Master P and his No Limit Records, which would generate more than $250 million and over two dozen gold and platinum records. Weiner was eventually named Vice President of Distributed Labels for Priority Records.

Wasting no time, Weiner has already racked up a few victories for Strange. He helped secure Tech N9ne a spot on the Rock the Bells 2009 tour, which launches June 27 in Chicago. Weiner also recently signed Brotha Lynch Hung to Strange Music. Brotha Lynch Hung, an artist Dave worked with in the mid-90s, may best be known by Tech N9ne fans for his standout verse on “My World” from Tech’s Everready album (2006). Brotha Lynch Hung is currently working on his album, Dinner and a Movie, to be released later this year. Weiner has also been hard at work developing an international distribution deal for Strange Music.

It’s all in an enjoyable, albeit hard day’s work for Weiner: “When you put together a network of honest and hardworking industry folks who all have the same goal in mind, it’s beautiful.”