Publication: Music Week [US]
Date: July 4, 1998
Page Number(s): 3
Length: 165 Words
Title: "BMG Entertainment International Deal With The Artist"
Written By: Staff

BMG Entertainment International has signed a manufacturing, distribution and marketing deal with The Artist, which bears fruit today (June 30) with the release of the Minneapolis-based singer's new 11-track album New Power Soul. Christoph Ruecker, BMG VP international marketing, hopes the deal will lead to a long-term relationship. "It's no secret he has been burned in the past and is careful about making long-term commitments, but we hope to persuade him," he says. One future project Ruecker hopes to work on is an album in 1999 - the title of the singer's 1983 hit - to celebrate the Millennium. Since splitting with Warner, The Artist has negotiated a variety of short-term deals, including EMI's agreement to distribute Emancipation in 1996. Ruecker concedes further cooperation may hinge on how well BMG follows through The Artist's ideas, but it has already managed to speed up production, releasing New Power Soul just 12 days after receiving the master tapes.