Appearing on the major music scene in 2006 with songs like “Face Down”, “False Pretense” and “Your Guardian Angel”, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (RJA) soon found their first studio album Don’t You Fake It going gold. Jumping from opening band to headliner in a matter of months of the album’s release, the pop punk, screamo band seemed to be set for a long career with Virgin Records. But the chill of reality soon caught up with these Florida natives.
Following the success of Don’t You Fake It, which had several songs featured in movies and videogames, RJA continued with Virgin and released their second studio album Lonely Road. It managed to reach the 14th spot on Billboard’s Top 200. Despite being produced by the iconic Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Daughtry, Seether), the album failed to receive the level of attention that Don’t You Fake It was able to.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was soon disillusioned by Virgin’s promotional efforts. In 2010, the band parted ways with the label. During an interview, lead singer Ronnie Winter said, “I think some fans don’t even know that we released Lonely Road.”
It was at this juncture that The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus took the independent road, dropping further into obscurity. The group took it slow at first, simply writing new material while recording, producing and releasing tracks through their own studio.
In early 2011, RJA released their first post-Virgin EP called Hell or High Water.
For this album, the band created a set of three music videos, which when put together, form a mini-movie. The first, for the song “Choke”, is a rather unusual and violent video that displays the various band members killing record label executives. One line out of the chorus even says: “I hope you choke on the letters that you wrote, telling me that you will be here ’til the end.”
Despite this expression of anger, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is revelling in their newfound freedom, through which they have complete creative control. During an interview with AMP Magazine, Winter says, “There have been zero drawbacks. It has been a big relief, if anything. We absolutely know 100% that this was the right choice.”
Although major record labels supply safety and longevity for bands, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is not the only one to have problems with Virgin or to leave their label. Recent trends may indicate that in the information age of the Internet where artists can self-promote, a record label may be more trouble than it’s worth.
Back in August of 2008, progressive rock group 30 Seconds to Mars was sued for $30 million by Virgin Records and EMI Music for violating their contract. In other words, they didn’t deliver their three albums by a certain deadline and Virgin claimed that they “refused” to do so. The lawsuit was eventually annulled when the band finally released a third album. The group subsequently stayed with the label.
Radiohead, however, is another band that has taken the independent route. After leaving EMI, the band self-released their seventh album, In Rainbows, in 2007 as a digital download on their website and in 2011, also released The King of Limbs independently.
Currently, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is touring to promote their first, full length independent album Am I the Enemy. And at this point, Winter and bandmates “want to stay completely 100% independent for as long as possible.”
For more, check out:
The Underground: http://www.the-underground.ca/author/leigh-cavanaugh/
The Messenger: http://theutscmessenger.com/?tag=writer-leigh-cavanaugh
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