Chapter 46
In a bombshell of a scoop, Music Business Worldwide can exclusively report that Manifest Records has canceled plans to release what was one of the most highly anticipated records of the year from fan favor-ites the Future Saints.
An anonymous source close to the band says the record is finished but has been halted by top brass at the label.
The reason? Our source cites a lack of vision on behalf of execs, who have “never understood the Future Saints on a creative level but have been more than happy to profit from them.”
“Roger Braverman is trying to pull the Saints’ album because it’s gotten some criticism that’s spooked him,” says our source.
“It’s risk aversion. Pure cowardice. Any organization actually interested in making art—instead of, say, engineering scandal to sell downloads— knows that producing anything original involves risk.
Yes, making music is a business, but it’s also an act of faith, and Manifest has lost theirs. ”
Rumor has it the criticism that spooked Braverman, long respected as an industry tastemaker, was an early review of the Future Saints’ album by music critic Jerry Hughes of the New York Times. In it, Hughes called the album “immature” and “disappointing.”
“Sometimes critics simply don’t understand a project,” says our source.
“And unfortunately, the arts have a well-established history of old white male critics like Hughes who willfully misunderstand in order to belittle the thoughts, emotions, and artistic output of young female artists. As a femaleled rock band, the Future Saints are subject to this pattern like any other artist. Rather than bow to the misogy-nistic, retrograde gatekeepers of the industry, Manifest should gather its courage and have the Saints’ back. ”
Since their breakout single “Six Feet Under” went viral earlier this year, the Saints have been no strangers to controversy.
In fact, the many scandals associated with the three-member band—and particularly its front woman, Hannah Cortland—have only fueled their success, helping four of their newest singles chart on the Billboard Top 100.
It’s notable that the sound for which the band has become famous marks a departure from that of their previous discography.
Their forthcoming album, titled One Day, Virginia, was set to be their first definitive collection of darker rock, the style that has driven so much internet traffic and even Grammy buzz.
“When everything was smooth sailing, Manifest supported the Saints’ new sound,” says the anonymous source.
“But at the first sign of pushback, the label lost its backbone. We can only hope that Braverman and the executive team at Manifest see reason and release the Saints’ album like the public wants. ”
Interestingly, Manifest’s decision to pull the album comes right on the heels of the label’s latest disappointing earnings statement, which we reported last week.
Industry gossip has it that Manifest’s board is souring on Braverman, once considered a heavyweight but increasingly viewed as the head of a waning empire.
Could it be the threat of an activist board that really has this CEO spooked?
As for the fate of the Saints’ album, as our source says: “The ball is in Roger Braverman’s court.”