About
innova® Recordings serves the needs of visionary, creative musicians by offering artistic and technical guidance throughout the recording and publication process; amplifying the reach of new musical ideas through access to our marketing and distribution networks; and by actively working together to maximize professional impact. Together, we champion a curated body of diverse, eclectic, and compelling American musical voices to the listening public.
As the label of American Composers Forum, a non-profit service organization, innova redefines the typical relationship between artist and label. We seek a synergy, taking advantage of each other’s strengths to provide both the tools of an established record label and the freedom of self-publishing. Where there is no obvious market for the cutting edge, we delight in finding – or trying to create – one. We are staffed by creative artists who understand your needs and can help you put your best foot forward in the befuddling world of recording publication.
innova’s strengths lie in work that is unlikely to find a home in the mainstream industry. We focus on remarkable music regardless of its genre (or its transcendence/rejection of genre). We are part business, part service, and are motivated by music worth spreading and helping artists reach their goals.
We have a flexible business model tailored to artists’ needs. We offer access to our worldwide network of relationships in the industry, as well as a helping hand through the thicket of back-end distribution.
History
innova® Recordings was started in 1982 by the Minnesota Composers Forum (now the American Composers Forum) as a way to document the McKnight Composer Fellowship winners. In our early years, innova produced sampler LPs for Minnesota artists, many of whom have since achieved national prominence, including Eric Stokes, Libby Larsen, Paul Schoenfield, Steve Tibbetts, and Steven Paulus. With the advent of the compact disc, we began releasing selected highlights from the top ensembles that had been on ACF concert seasons, such as the Dale Warland Singers, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Alexander String Quartet, and others.
Over its first ten years, innova built up a broad distribution network, far beyond ACF’s own membership circles. In 1994, the label opened its doors to artists who had their own finished masters and were looking for a helping hand in reaching a wider audience. From this, the Recording Assistance Program was born: an exceptionally artist-friendly business model that has allowed the label to grow to one of the most substantial in the nation. In recognition of the career benefits innova bestows on its artists, we received a $1 million endowment from the McKnight Foundation in 2002. Interest from that allowed the label to keep costs relatively low to artists and subsidize administrative costs.
From 2003 to 2020, the label’s catalog grew from around 70 to close to 700 titles. During this time, innova was producing 25 to 30 or more releases a year encompassing different genres, concepts, and approaches — all somehow non-conformist, individualistic, and often groundbreaking. In 2009, innova partnered with Naxos USA distribution to expand its reach even further and is constantly adapting to changing needs and embracing new technologies.
In 2021, innova announced an open call for submissions through our Bay Area Pilot program, which was the first step forward in implementing our new direction. An outgrowth of the label and ACF’s commitment to racial equity, the Bay Area program was explicitly designed to support artists in both the creation and promotion of their music. Its existence was predicated on wanting to build and support a community of diverse artists and help them amplify their music. You can read more about the thought behind these changes on I CARE IF YOU LISTEN.
innova albums and artists have been nominated for – and won – Pulitzers, Grammies, and Emmies (notably, The Crossing’s Zealot Canticles won the 2019 Grammy for Best Choral Performance). Our releases have received plaudits from publications from the New York Times to Czech Republic’s His Voice magazine, from the Wire in London to the Los Angeles Times, Italy’s Kathodik and everywhere in between. Major grants over the years from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Music Fund have boosted the label’s growth, reputation, and visibility.
Distribution
innova titles can be streamed or ordered from all platforms and record stores. They in turn can order from:
Naxos of America (USA, Central and South America, and Canada)
Online download and streaming choices abound, thanks to Naxos Streaming Services and the Naxos Music Library
Licensing
You may have caught innova music on MTV’s Teen Wolf or Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino. If you want to sync to other media and use it for film, TV, the internet, or your choreography final, you’ll need permission and a bit of money.
Unless the recording includes composers or publishers we don’t directly represent, we can work with you to get the necessary agreement in place. Just write to innova at composersforum.org identifying the recording you want to use, how you plan to use it, and your financial circumstances.Naxos takes care of our licensing operations so kindly click here.