Articles looks at Victory Records, controversies, successes

Popular label Victory Records has become the target of a series of articles in Cleveland Scene.

The articles describe Victory as one of the more aggressive labels and look into their alledgedly tough contracts. Despite the many statements made by artists like Hawthorne Heights, the contracts are apparently not too unusual for the music industry, with one expert saying:

I'm not sure that the Victory contracts are far out of line, But I think their methods of handling their artists are causing them problems. They've got a real tough–guy persona in how they deal with artists, and it's really no surprise that people are getting seriously bent out of shape."

Beyond that, the label's habit of handling publishing themselves prevents some of the oversight of an external publishing company. The label's lawyer responded:

Most independent artists that do a deal with one of the major–label–related publishing divisions . . . often fall through the cracks and their songs never get pushed, This is exactly why Victory entered publishing in the first place –– as a service to its artists. There is nothing questionable here whatsoever

Besides the recent contractual controversies, the articles look at some of the stories that have both encouraged and dogged the label over the years; from the success of Thursday and Taking Back Sunday through the Hawthorne Heights / Ne–Yo incident and the "open letters" to Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

It should be noted that Victory Records owner Tony Brummel declined to comment on the story and so the article is ostensibly one–sided.