New York Artist’s Deal With Pub. Co. Hacate Sidesteps Label

New York – With her sophomore recording, “For The Love Of Love,” Ann Klein is aiming to prove that an artist no longer needs a major label to reach a mass audience.

Instead, the unsigned New Yorker has inked a deal with the New York- based Hacate Entertainment Group, an administrative publishing company that finances CDs for some of its writers and even assists in securing distribution in the U.S. and abroad.

“Our objective is not to function like a record company: Rather, we try to provide a link between artists and the rest of the world – and that can include a wide range of things,” says president Sarah-Chanderia, who adds that the artists own the masters of their recordings. Hacate reserves licensing rights. “This creates a comfortable partnership between us and the artist. Ultimately, we want an artist like Ann to have the final say over her music.

Klein views her agreement with Hacate as a “fine way to get my music out there at a time when the industry is so up and down. Yes, there are minor budget constraints, but I’m also enjoying the freedom that this situation provides.”

Hacate has secured a deal with the Durham, N.C.-based Lady Slipper Music Distribution to have Klein’s “For The Love of Love” in stateside stores Tuesday (13). The company is still in negotiation with several U.K. and European distributors.

Hacate is also getting actively involved in the marketing of the project. Sarah-Chanderia says the company has already done an extensive press and college radio mailing and will soon begin a campaign to place Klein tunes on TV and film sound-tracks.

“Her music is a natural for this area,” she adds. “It has such rich texture and visual lyrics. Hopefully, all of this will add up to breaking Ann out as the major artist she deserves to be. We just need to be consistent and persistent in our efforts.

Some indie-level retaillers applaud Hacate’s grass-roots approach to breaking Klein. “If it can happen for Ani DiFranco, it can certainly happen for Ann Klein,” says Marlon Creaton, manager of Record Kitchen, a shop in San Francisco. “She seems to have similar energy. Still, the market is so crowded with rock-oriented female artists right now. The challenge will be convincing kids that they should take a chance on another in a long line of relative unknowns.”

Klein is up to that challenge. “I think the material on this album stands out,” she says. “It’s accessible without being overly derivative. I’m extremely proud of how the album came out.”

Over the past few years, Klein has developed an ardent cult following for a sound that is, by turns, reminiscent of “Easter”-era Patti Smith and early R.E.M. “For The Love Of Love” shows Klein eschewing the noisy, guitar-focused sound of her 1997 self-made debut, “Driving You Insane” (Billboard, Nov. 16, 1996), in favor of a more traditionally song-oriented and often introspective stance.

“I still love exploring all of the sounds and emotions you can get from the guitar; but I want this album to more lyrical,” Klein says.

Klein is looking forward to getting back on the road to support “For The Love Of Love.” A fixture on the New York club scene, the self-managed and self-booked artist says she is “never happier” than when she’s onstage.

“I’ve gotten a chance to get a taste of what it’s like to play to both large and small audiences,” she says, noting that she toured extensively behind “Driving You Insane.” She darted from club dates to playing a series of open-air festivals in Austria, Germany and Italy. “Being onstage is truly addictive.”

When she’s not gigging in support of her own material, Klein will occasionally play guitar with several other acts, including Joan Osborne and P.M. Dawn.

The artist plans to spend the remainder of the summer playing club gigs throughout the U.S.