INNOVA RECORDINGS/
RECORDING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Innova® Recordings and the Recording Assistance Program support the careers of composers and performers by removing many of the usual barriers to releasing and distrubuting their recorded works — without giving up the copyright to their sound recordings. Togehter, the program and label provide manufacturing, international distribution, and markieting support for all releases

Innova Recordings was founded in 1983 to document the winners of the McKnight Composer Fellowships. It produced several "sampler" LPs, which incuded works by such now-renowned composers as Eric Stokes, Libby Larsen, Paul Schoenfield, and Stephen Paulus. Innova has gone on to release many critically acclaimed projects. Among them are "Enclosures: Harry Partch" an award-winning series of recordings, videos, and a book documenting the work of the legendary American composer, and Steve Heitzeg's Emmy Award-winning soundtrack for the PBS documentary "Death of the Dream." The label is currently developing a line of enhanced CDs, adding multi-media content to its releases.

The Recording Assistance Program allows composers and performers with finished recordings to release their work through the Innova label. Manfacturing expenses are kept well below the industry average. For those in need of money to cover manufacturing costs, assistance is available through the Recording Loan Fund. Underwritten by McKnight Foundation, the fund provides loans at a six percent interest rate. Loans are paid back in quarterly installments over three years and offset by sales income. Once the loan is paid back, the artist received all of the album's net profits.

The application process is competitive. Judgments are based on musical and audio quality, a marketing plan prepared by the applicant, and the applicant's willingness to actively promote the release. Applications may be initiated by submitting a recording for approval.

Innova titles are available through record stores, internet retailers, and by calling (888) 749-9998. Through the label's Web site, www.innova.mu, users can search the label's extensive catalog (including jazz, electro-acoustic, experimental, "world" music, and contemporary classical titles) and immediately purchase tracks as Liquid Audio downloads ("watermarked" for copyright protection). The site's innova Radio webcasts five stations of audio 24 hours a day, exposing listeners worldwide to the label's extraordinary roster of artists.

Visit www.innova.mu.

For more information on Innova Recordings, contact Philip Blackburn at pblackburn@composersforum.org or (651) 251-2823 or Chris Strouth at cstrouth@composersforum.org or (651) 251-2840.

Innova Recordings established: 1975
Recording Assistance Program established: 1994
Total released through the Recording Assistance Program: 55 (currently 15-20 annually)
Who may apply: U.S.-based members