Better Noise, the label behind groups such as Five Finger Death Punch and Papa Roach, is riding high on a wave of praise and record-breaking success.
Within the same week that Billboard named Better Noise Music #1 Mainstream Rock Label of 2020 for the first time in the history of the Mediabase Active Rock Chart, the same record label has been #1 for three years in a row. Mediabase acknowledged Allen Kovac’s Better Noise Music historical achievement in the 2020 year-end radio charts released today, December 9th. Better Noise Music not only maintained its #1 ranking, but the label also saw 34% growth from 12% market share to 16.1% of all Active Rock airplay. Five Finger Death Punch has also been named #1 Active Rock Artist of the Year for 2020.
The label achieved the record-breaking feat with two number ones from Five Finger Death Punch, two number ones from Bad Wolves, and another from Papa Roach in the top spot. A further 5 tracks made the top 10, from Mongolian rockers The Hu, breakthrough Country Rock act Cory Marks, From Ashes to New, and Fire From The Gods.
There was another historic first for the label as Bad Wolves’ two number ones this year gave them the title as the first band to have 5 songs #1 in a row in Active Rock. On their way to another chart-topper, their latest single “Learn To Walk Again” is spending its third week in the Top 10, joined this week by Five Finger Death Punch’s “Living The Dream.”
Allen Kovac – “The A&R at Better Noise Music is second to none, combining that with data science and fan engagement allows us to lean in when the data shows that a track is working for the listeners, and that’s good for radio, streaming, the artist and the label.”
Senior VP of Promotions, Jackie Kajzer’s success was acknowledged by Steve Kline/Better Noise COO“Jackie’s incomparable work ethic and passion for artist development makes her the best in the business. We look forward to her impactful contribution to our marketing mix in 2021 as we continue to push boundaries by breaking more new artists while expanding the growth and diversity of our established roster.”
Sample week – 3rd Quarter Top 10 streams
Jackie Kajzer has been instrumental in making the established acts succeed at radio and promoting the next generation of active rock artists. “I’m so grateful to my friends at rock radio for supporting our Better Noise Artists. I’m proud of the job we’ve done in Artist Development and the diversity of our roster.Thanks again to rock radio for expanding the sound of the format with artists like The Hu, Fire From the Gods, Cory Marks and of course with core artists like Five Finger Death Punch and Papa Roach.”
The Better Noise Music tracks that went top 10 in 2020:
Better Noise is making more than just great music. The company behind the biggest rock bands in the world is about to release one of the year’s most important films.
If the release of our podcast series High Notes did not make it, Haulix believes addiction and recovery are two things that need more attention in 2020. Both inside the entertainment industry and out in the everyday world, people everywhere are struggling with this disease, often in total isolation. Addicts hide their problems from those that love them for a variety of reasons, but with your help we can de-stigmatize talking about addiction and generate understanding for those plagued by addiction.
Better Noise Films, one branch of the Better Noise company, has released the first trailer to Bridget Smith’s feature filmSNO BABIES. The film, produced by Allen Kovac, Mike Walsh and Michael Lombardi, stars Katie Kelly (Game of Silence), Paola Andino (Queen of the South), Michael Lombardi (Rescue Me), Evangeline Young (The Good Wife) and Joanne Baron (This Is Us). SNO BABIES will be available on On-Demand & Digital platforms on Tuesday, September 29.
Looks pretty great, right? Sno Babies is the urgent cry for help and understanding that we need right now. It’s a grounded look at a topic most don’t understand delivered in a relatable, non-exploitative way that will shake your soul.
Here’s the description:
A gripping and emotive tale, SNO BABIESdepicts the grim realities of addiction and its effects on a middle-class suburban town. Kristen and Hannah are best friends–smart, likable and college-bound– and also addicted to heroin. The pair of seemingly unlikely addicts spiral down a path of destruction, hiding their secret from well-meaning but busy parents behind pink bedrooms and school uniforms SNO BABIES shows how easy it can be to both miss and hide the signs of addiction behind the façade of “good” neighborhoods and pleasantly busy communities.
SNO BABIES is the first feature from Better Noise Films, a new venture from entertainment mogul Allen Kovac. As manager of artists such as Bee Gee’s, Luther Vandross, Blondie, Meatloaf, Motley Crue and The Cranberries, Kovac has put together many TV Documentaries for his artists such as HBO special ‘The Bee Gee’s One Night Only’, MTV VH1 special ‘Mötley Crüe’s Resurrection of Mötley Crüe’, Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise. Most recently Kovac co-produced Netflix 2018 sensation ‘The Dirt’ based on the life of Mötley Crüe, with 95% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and SNO BABIES is the first of two 2020 releases for Kovac’s Better Noise Films.
Kovac said, “Studio heads, agents and managers know there is nothing sadder than when an artist or actor you’ve worked with passes away through misadventure. This movie is a wakeup call to the entertainment industry that we can’t lose more Academy Award winners like Prince, Philip Seymour Hoffman, or River Phoenix.” He continued “With over 70,000 people dying of drug overdoses in 2019 in the USA, this film is a way parents can open up the conversation of drugs with their kids before they go to college, an older brother can share a link to SNO BABIES to his younger brother to watch and say that he’s there to answer any questions afterwards, or for a rehab group to watch together. This is a conversation we need to have in the USA to destigmatize addiction. I have worked with Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and SIXX:AM for 13 years to make this a global conversation to save lives, please join us!“
With the country’s opioid epidemic spiking from COVID factors, and the entertainment industry continuing to lose its people to substance use disorders, Better Noise Entertainment has committed to fighting this problem by collaborating with the Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation (GRI) to raise funds that will strengthen the field of recovery and directly benefit struggling communities. Better Noise Entertainment will use their expertise in content creation, audience connection and creative storytelling to develop and amplify messaging to a wide pop-culture audience. Better Noise Films’ share of profits is being donated to GRI. In addition, all artist royalties from the soundtrack are being donated to GRI with matching contribution by Better Noise Music. The donation will be used to deploy 1,000 Recovery Corps workers into communities to provide peer support and access to services for those in early recovery.
Other entertainment industry companies collaborating on this project to save lives include Live Nation, Ticketmaster, iHeart, Pandora, Sirius among others.
“Pop culture is a key vehicle to breaking stigma and educating the public about both danger and hope,” said Catherine Hartnett, Executive Director of the Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation (GRI). “Young people, especially, resonate with messaging that is cultural and reflects emotional and personal experience. This movie and its soundtrack convey a message of hope coming from despair and can give a young person who is struggling a sense of hope that they too can get well and thrive.”
“It’s incredibly important to shine a light and lend a helping hand to people that are struggling with substance abuse, especially during these trying times,” said Rick Franks, President of Live Nation North American Touring. “Live Nation is proud to support Better Noise in their commitment to save lives and raise awareness for such an important cause.”
The official SNO BABIES soundtrack features some of the biggest names in rock music today. The soundtrack will include two tracks from SIXX:A.M. and will include the Top 10 hits from Country/Rock star Cory Marks (“Outlaws & Outsiders”) and from chart toppers Bad Wolves(“Sober” – the #1 hit) as well as new music from Eva Under Fire, From Ashes to New and Escape The Fate.
With numerous top 10 chart appearances for their new album and over 1-million ticket sales in the last two years, Five Finger Death Punch is proving that rock is far from dead.
Record-breaking rock juggernaut FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has a lot to celebrate as the band’s latest album F8 has earned top positions on the charts worldwide.
The album has debuted at #1 on Rock charts worldwide with a Top 10 Mainstream chart in US, Austria, Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and more.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has amassed over 3 billion streams to date, over 2 billion video views and is the 3rd biggest artist in the hard rock space measured by total consumption (digital sales added to digital streams converted to sales) – surpassed only by Metallica and AC/DC.
Over the last decade,FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has become one of the most recognizable names in music. The band has sold over 1 million concert tickets in the past two years and over $40 million in merchandise sales globally.
Every record since the release of the band’s 2007 debut album The Way of the Fist, has been certified Gold or Platinum by the RIAA – 4 Platinum and 6 Gold Records. The band has earned numerous awards and honors and is one of the few recipients of the prestigious Soldier Appreciation Award from the Association of The United States Army. Recently, Five Finger Death Punch was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Artist at this year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards.
The new album, F8 includes the band’s #1 single “Inside Out”, as well as instant grat tracks “Full Circle” and “Living The Dream.” The standout track for press and fans alike since release has been “A Little Bit Off,” with charts in the US, Canada and Germany highlighting the song with #1 debuts.
F8 was produced by FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH with long time producer KEVIN CHURKO (Ozzy Osbourne, Disturbed, Slash, etc). “F8, the group’s eighth, is their most mature offering to date,” Billboard states. “It features singer Ivan Moody chronicling his daunting path to sobriety over music that traverses a diverse range of styles, from sensitive ballads to balls-out barnstormers.”
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCHwill kick off the next leg of its U.S. Arena tour in April 2020 and will bring along special guests Papa Roach, I Prevail, as well as highly acclaimed newcomer Ice Nine Kills. For all dates, VIP and more info, please visit www.fivefingerdeathpunch.com.
With “Sober” climbing rock charts worldwide, Better Noise Records and Bad Wolves are asking fans to help spread hope for recovery with a new campaign.
“Sober”, the current single from BAD WOLVES’critically acclaimed album, N.A.T.I.O.N.(available for streaming now) is also the lead track from the soundtrack to Better Noise Films’ Sno Babies. The video, released today, features footage from the film and portrays the devastating impact of addiction on families and relationships while remembering that recovery is possible for those who can stay the course.
“This song was a unique opportunity to talk about addiction not only from the perspective of the addict but also from the perspective of their loved ones,” says lead singer Tommy Vext. “The message is very different from traditional songs that seem to always perpetuate a mentality of self-victimization which is exactly the kind of misguided thinking that perpetuates the mental obsessive side of alcoholism and addiction. In the end the moral of the story is about holding on to not giving up on ourselves or the people who are trying – who are really, really trying to make and better themselves.”
Sno Babies, which will hit screens June 2020, tells the story of two suburban teenage girls who fall into a brutal battle with opiate addiction. The film, starring Michael Lombardi [Last Knights, Rescue Me (FX)] and new-comer Katie Kelly [Game of Silence (NBC)] refutes the “not in my neighborhood” stigma of addiction and depicts the scale and pervasiveness of substance use disorders.
In a mission to reduce the stigma and make an impact, BAD WOLVES has collaborated with The Global Recovery Initiatives (GRI) to use the video’s release as a platform to raise awareness of GRI’s efforts to provide access to recovery support services all around the US. GRI is raising funds for the specific purpose of putting 1000 AmeriCorps recovery workers in the field. Studies have shown that individuals who access these services after treatment such as recovery housing, recovery coaching, peer support groups, and job training resources, are more likely to stay in recovery. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Sno Babies Soundtrack will go to help fund this initiative.
GRI’s Board Chair Pam Cytron explains “Tommy’s candor is a brave and powerful demonstration of what the successful road to recovery can look like. We are excited to partner with Bad Wolves and spread that hope to others— because we know for the 21 million people in recovery in the U.S, the benefits are immeasurable.”
In addition to their work with Sno Babies and GRI, BAD WOLVES started anIndiegogo campaignto benefit Rock To Recovery. The various packages they will offer on their Indiegogo campaign will include signed items, limited-edition merchandise and exclusive access at an upcoming Bad Wolves show. Rock To Recovery aims to transform the lives of veterans, youth, and those working to overcome addiction, eating disorders and a variety of mental health issues via the powerful, healing, spiritual experience of creating and playing music. For more information on this campaign, click here.
Better Noise Music is developing a powerful roster of diverse musicians who are taking the world of rock by storm.
On the heels of the 2020 Grammys, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs said that the lack of diversity in the music business is “not a revelation.“
In a music industry that continues to stereotype artists, there are exceptions. Better Noise Music, home to Top 10 Active Rock artists Bad Wolves, Fire From The Gods, Mongolian rock band The Hu and Just Loud, have developed one of the most diverse groups of artists to ever reach Top 10 simultaneously. With the support of major radio partners like iHeart, and Cumulus, the label is able to bring their roster to ever-expanding audiences. “With the support of these radio platforms, we have been able to diversify rock. There are many other genres that need to take this lesson, whether Country, Alternative, Rock or Pop. The more diverse the music, the more your audience will engage,” said Allen Kovac, CEO of Better Noise Music.
Better Noise Music COO, Steve Kline, added “It is our label’s mission to evolve not just sonically, but to also move forward culturally. As she leads the industry in rock radio market share, Jackie Kajzer (SVP Promotion) embodies these critical elements when partnering with radio to develop a broad range of artists telling their unique stories and engaging listeners.”
In the world of rock music, a genre whose “whiteness” belies its black music origins, some of the fastest-rising artists reflect a new sonic and racial diversity. Fronted by Tommy Vext, Bad Wolves has dominated the Rock radio charts since their inception, with the band’s first four singles shooting to #1 at the format.
SiriusXM/Pandora’s only Rock genre Artist to Watch for 2020, Fire From The Gods serves up music with a message of unity. Lead singer AJ Channer, who was born in the Bronx and moved to Ghana as a kid, says “With this record what we’re trying to drive home is that our differences and where we are from doesn’t need to define who we are moving forward.”
Not only does the label take great pride in these artists, so do their contemporaries. William DuVall of Alice In Chains sums it up well saying “I’m very happy for the success of Bad Wolves and Fire From The Gods. Tommy Vext and AJ Channer have such unique and interesting stories to tell. That’s what playing music is about: getting to tell your story, being seen so that you can hopefully make other people feel seen. For that, we need diversity in the landscape. It’s essential.” DuVall, Vext and Channer represent a type of success that is not ‘traditional’ or ‘expected’ and is certainly not “urban.”
Want even more Bad Wolves content? Here are lessons every artist should learn from the band’s tireless work ethic:
