from allstar, 9/4/01


BEASTIE BOYS CLOSE GRAND ROYAL RECORDS

After seven years of churning out seminal alternative

music from Luscious Jackson's In Search of Manny

(http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=InSeRtSiDhErE/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/

album.html/ddcn=SD-5814+1+2)

to At the Drive-In's critics' fave, Relationship Of

Command

(http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=InSeRtSiDhErE/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/

album.html/ddcn=SD-2439+49999+1),

Grand Royal Records is closing its doors.


"This is one of the most difficult decisions we've ever

had to make," said co-founder Mike Diamond (a.k.a. Mike

D) of Beastie Boys in a statement issued Friday (Aug.

31). "Over the years, the Grand Royal family had grown

to include some of the most talented musicians and

staff in the business. It's tragic that the same growth

has also produced an overhead and infrastructure that

can no longer viable.


"Our intentions were always simply to create a home for

exciting music and the people who were passionate about

it," added Diamond. "It really sucks that we can't

continue to do that."


The label, which was founded in 1993 by the Beastie

Boys, cited "mounting debts, decreasing assets, and

exceedingly harsh industry conditions" as the reason

for shutting down. Other artists who recorded for the

label over the years included Sean Lennon, Ben Lee,

Atari Teenage Riot, Bran Van 3000, Buffalo Daughter,

Butter O8, Scapegoat Wax, Russell Simins, and others.


- Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna


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