Sun Records goes digitial

Grooveshark will become the first music streaming service to offer recordings from the world-famous Sun Records, the indie label with some justifiction for its slogan, “Where rock & roll was born.” Among the artists with music included in the deal are Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and others who may not be such household names but who also represent a seminal era in music history.

The new partners said this demonstrated how a streaming service like Grooveshark had the power to introduce classic artists, like those on Sun Records, into mainstream pop culture. This remark underscores one of the unappreciated aspects of customized radio: smart programming and algorithms put songs into users’ streams that data show they’re likely to enjoy, exposing them to new and catalog music they may never have heard otherwise.

Sam Phillips launched his record company in 1952. Collin Brace, vice president, Sun Entertainment Corp., observed that its legacy didn’t mean it was preserved in amber. “In a landscape where majors are fighting the inevitable reality of a new era, I’m proud Sun fosters a forward thinking direction,” Brace said. “Grooveshark’s platform and structure allow us to give our core fans what they want, while exponentially serving as a discovery engine to new listeners around the world.”

Grooveshark’s director of Music Strategy, Thomas Sharp Maxwell, said his company was “honored to work with such an iconic label and storied catalog that has proven itself fundamental throughout the history of the music industry.”

Elvis Presley’s Sun Records recordings are conspicuous by their absence from this agreement.

Check out their Sun Records catalog here.

digitial media