F
EW INDIES KNOW THE
Grammys like ATO Records,
the label Dave Matthews and
his manager Coran Cap-
shaw co-founded in 2000.
Throughout the 2010s, ATO
became a dependable presence in
categories large and small: It secured
four wins and nine nominations
(including best new artist in 2012 and
album of the year in 2015) for blues-
rockers Alabama Shakes and helped
launch Brandi Carlile to critical acclaim
and her first nomination in 2015.
Now, as it celebrates its 20th an-
niversary, the New York-based label
is having its most fruitful year yet for
Grammy nominations: seven nods,
spread among five acts and four genre
categories. Alabama Shakes’ Brittany
Howard is up for best rock song and
best rock performance; eclectic retro-
soul duo Black Pumas for best new
artist; ’80s R&B romantic Emily King
for best R&B song and best engi-
neered album, non-classical; virtuoso
guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela for best
contemporary instrumental album;
and Turkish psych-rockers Altın Gün
for best world music album.
“When we first set up the label, the
focus was a commitment to building
career artists without worrying about
genre or boundaries,” says Capshaw.
“We feel proud to see that philosophy
continue at ATO.”
The power behind ATO’s Grammy
push comes from GM Jon Salter, who
assumed the role in 2011 with over
a decade of marketing experience
under his belt. “Immediately signing
up to become a [Recording Academy]
member and understanding Grammy
programs like Grammy in the Schools
and Grammy U is really critical for
artists,” says Salter. “With the Shakes
[in 2013], we did a special performance
and answered kids’ questions for
Grammy U in Memphis and Los Ange-
les,” remembers Howard. Her band’s
next LP, 2015’s Sound and Color, won
three Grammys, and the act was in-
vited to perform “Don’t Wanna Fight”
on the 2016 telecast. (The single’s
download sales increased 806% the
following tracking week, according
to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.) Says
Salter, “There’s a nice correlation be-
tween what Grammy voters are feeling
and when something is really connect-
ing with fans — when a record store
calls you and they’re out of stock.”
It helps that ATO has focused
on specific media looks before the
awards. During 2019, Howard, Black
Pumas and King all played Jimmy Kim-
mel Live!, and Black Pumas, Rodrigo y
Gabriela and Altın Gün gave studio
performances for influential Seattle
public radio station KEXP. (KCRW San-
ta Monica, Calif., is another Grammy
voter favorite, adds Salter.) Exposure
in certain publications is important,
too. “I’ve learned a lot of the Grammy
voters are really technical,” says Salter.
“We try to do technical-based articles
in Tape Op magazine.”
But campaign savvy aside, ATO
may owe its Grammy nom success
to the roster itself — one rife with the
kinds of prestige acts long favored by
the Academy and, thanks to the label’s
approach, treated like stars whether
or not they win awards. King, who was
last nominated 13 years ago, came to
ATO after Sony’s J Records dropped
her. “When I decided to sign with a la-
bel again, it was on the grounds of full
creative control and a fair deal,” says
the 34-year-old today. “At ATO, there
is trust and mutual respect. It feels very
different now. I put music first.”
—CHRIS PAYNE
REMIXING
EXPECTATIONS
Since the best remixed recording, non-
classical category was introduced in 1998,
over 80 producers have been nominated —
all of them men. That’s just one reason Tracy
Young broke down in tears upon learning she
had received a nod this year for her remix of
Madonna’s empowering anthem “I Rise.”
The DJ-producer came up in the Miami
scene, in time becoming Madonna’s go-to
party DJ and ultimately producing over a
dozen official remixes for her. Having
survived what she calls the
“extremely” misogynistic ’90s
dance scene, Young reflects
on her pioneering nomination
and what it might mean for
her community.
What do you think makes a
Grammy-worthy remix?
This category is somewhat techni-
cal; that’s why I’m so fascinated and
excited about the nominees this year
— these are all really well-produced
songs. In the past, I think it [was] more
of a popularity contest — they were big
radio records.
You’ve remixed pop stars, but you’ve
managed to strike a balance between the
mainstream and underground.
For me, the goal is always to keep the integ-
rity of the song. I’ve always felt that radio and
commercial appeal is super important; that’s
what sells music, and that’s how people have
lifelong careers. I like the idea of being on the
radio and also being played in a club. I think
if you can reach that balance, you’ve done a
good job.
Your first official remix for Madonna was
of 2000’s “Music.” How did you start
working together?
The first time I met her was at a nightclub in
Miami called Liquid. Victor Calderone was
DJ’ing, and she was there. My good friend
Ingrid [Casares] introduced me, and that’s
where it started — she passed a lot of my [DJ
cassettes] on to Madonna. She told me they
would run on the beach to my demos. Then,
she started hiring me for parties.
What do you make of your nomination?
I’ve seen more and more female engineers
in the studio, and I think moving forward, we
will continue to be recognized. This field was
and still is mostly dominated by men. But it is
changing. I’ve definitely seen more women
DJs, and hopefully, more women will come
forward and start producing. I have hope.
—KATIE BAIN
Among ATO’s 2020 nominees
are (from left) Howard, Black
Pumas’ Eric Burton and King.
With Madonna
in 2001.
I am nominated for best
album notes for Craft
Recordings’ The Complete
Cuban Jam Sessions, a
box set of five remastered
albums of improvisational
sessions recorded for the
pre-Revolutionary Cuban
label Panart. These are my
first-ever liner notes, but I
previously wrote a series of
articles about the label, which
captured an indelible age of
Cuban music in the 1940s
and ’50s. In 2016, when I
read that Concord Music had
purchased the Panart catalog
as part of its acquisition of the
Mexican label Musart, I cold-
mailed a Concord executive.
Concord’s legacy label Craft
subsequently commissioned
me to write the notes and
co-produce the box set with
Craft’s Mason Williams.
It hadn’t even occurred to
me that I could be nominated
for a Grammy. The other nomi-
nees in this category are all ex-
perts in specific musical genres
and periods; for me, writing
these notes was a chance to
expound on, research and
document music I care deeply
about. Today, liner notes may
seem vintage — words on the
back of a record found in a flea
market bin. But to me, they
were essential literary works
I read in my teen years and
guideposts to my future career.
Rather than a dying art, I like
to think that liner notes are an
evolving one. After all, people
haven’t stopped wanting to
read stories about music and
— thanks to renewed interest
in legacy recordings and artist
editions — notes, like vinyl, are
making a comeback. And yes,
there is a Grammy category
for that.
A NOD TO ONE OF BILLBOARD’S OWN
CONTRIBUTOR JUDY CANTOR-NAVAS ON HER
UNEXPECTED NOMINATION FOR LINER NOTES
The Little Label That Could
TWENTY YEARS AFTER DAVE MATTHEWS CO-FOUNDED IT, INDIE
ATO RECORDS IS A QUIETLY FORMIDABLE AWARDS-NIGHT FORCE
Young
onstage in
New York
in 2016.