Q: What do Dawson's Creek and Edwin McCain have in common? A: Time Warner
Eleven months after the release of Misguided Roses, the second album by Edwin McCain, the record had barely cracked the Billboard 200. Then, in late May, McCain's single "I'll Be" was featured in the season finale of the WB series Dawson's Creek. One week later, Misguided Roses surged to Number Seventy-three on the charts.
Since then, the album has sold an average of 18,000 copies a week. "Several significant radio stations that were on the fence added the record," says Ron Shapiro of Atlantic Records, McCain's label, which is owned by Time Warner.
Was the sudden exposure just a lucky break for McCain? Hardly. Synergy is finally paying off for the Time Warner family and helping to boost Warner Music Group acts such as McCain up the charts.Last year, Warner Music Group chairmen Bob Daly and Terry Semel told the heads of all Warner divisions that when searching for music to use in their projects, they should start in-house. "Producers are under no obligation to use [Warner artists]," says company spokesman Jim Noonan. "It has to be right for their show."
All six major record companies co-own media outlets that they call on for support. But as the only record company with a pipeline to a U.S. TV network, Warner has weekly access to teen viewers. Dawson's Creek is not the only place synergy is paying off. Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" was featured on two TV hits this year: E.R. and the season finale of Seinfeld. (Both NBC shows are produced by Warner-affiliated companies.) Consequently, Green Day's six-month-old album, Nimrod, jumped thirty-eight spots in two weeks. The cross-promotions "are a natural," says Noonan. "They work well for everybody." (RS 793)
ERIC BOEHLERT
