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Curtis Frasca

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Curt Frasca
Birth nameCurtis Frasca
Also known asCurt Frasca
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, Investor, Record Producer, Songwriter, Musician, Remixer, CEO, [1]
Years active1986–Present

Curt Frasca is an American entrepreneur, real estate investor, record label owner, music publisher, and former multi-platinum award-winning record producer, songwriter, musician, studio owner and recording engineer.

Career

Frasca is a former multi-platinum record producer, songwriter, musician, re-mixer, engineer, and instrumentalist. Frasca's work appears on over 100 million albums sold worldwide [2], [3], [4], [5], [6],[7], including those of Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, 3rd Base, O.A.R., Ryan Cabrera, De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Moby.

1980

Growing up in New York[citation needed], Frasca was drumming at an early age. As a teenager, he was heavily influenced by the punk rock & roll, like The Jam, Sex Pistols, MC5, The Clash Ramones[citation needed]. His professional career started while still in high school[citation needed] mixing, recording, programming on such influential records as De La Soul "Say No Go", 3rd Bass "Brooklyn Queens" [8], "The Gas Face", albums produced by Prince Paul. Other artist's Frasca worked with during this period include Queen Latifah, Big Daddy Kane, Fine Young Cannibals "Good Thing".[citation needed]

According to Frasca in testimony he was not important creative engineer on the original 1989 recording session for the song "Vogue" by Madonna that helped make it the song a big hit. He also worked an assistant engineer alongside Tony Shimkin and Shep Pettibone for the song's post-production remixes. Per testimony in the litigation VMG Salsoul, LLC v. Madonna Louise Ciccone, et al., Frasca testified that he "had no authority over the creative process of 'Vogue' or any other recording for which [he] provided [his] services as an assistant engineer." Frasca further testified that his duties as an assistant engineer required him to "set up gear, assist the session engineer, align multi-track machines, change the reels of tape, patch in outboard gear as requested, set up outboard gear, keyboards, samplers, turntables, take session notes, order food, break down and clean session."[1]

1990

Tommy Mottola hired Frasca to produce Mariah Carey's "Someday" for her 1991 American Music Awards appearance,[citation needed] that appearance helped Someday reach Billboard's number #1 in the United States after Mariah Cary's appearance. In the early 1990s Frasca worked heavily with hotel owner Shep Pettibone[9], a few of the artists included Madonna, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Cher, Patti Labelle, Jeffrey Osborne, Jane Child, Bananarama, Spice Girls, Prince.

Moby requested Frasca mix his major label debut Move, the album entered the Billboard dance chart at number #1 [10]. Remixing k.d. lang "Lifted by Love" [11], Sophie B. Hawkins "Right Beside You" [12], Tangerine Dream, Paul Haslinger amongst many others. [13]

Frasca founded Verse Entertainment [14]. Verse Entertainment featured a private multi-room facility located NYC - Verse Studio was profiled in MIX magazine October 1999 issue. Verse Studios is a combination of vintage gear and digital recording tools featuring a custom Neve 8058 console from the 1970s and SSL 9000J.[citation needed]

2000

In 2001 after attempts to capture Avril Lavigne sound, Arista A&R head Josh Saurbin reached out to the production and writing team of Frasca and Breer Madonna, Ryan Cabrera, Stacie Orrico) to help, with, the album.[2] Avril Lavigne's debut record Let Go, would go on to sell 22 million albums worldwide and garner 3 Grammy Award nominations. [15]

2002 Frasca and Sabelle Breer signed Ryan Cabrera[citation needed] producing and co-writing much of his multi-platinum debut, release Take It All Away which debut on at #18 the Billboard 200 album charts. The album included the Top 40 "On The Way Down" and "40 Kinds of Sadness". The single "On the Way Down" went double platinum and received an ASCAP Pop Award for most airplay of 2006.[16]

Frasca wrote "Warm Whispers" with the great, Missy Higgins for her album On A Clear Night.[citation needed] The album entered the charts at number #1.

In 2009, Frasca founded Verse Music Group [17]. Verse Music Group was an entertainment company based in New York City with a focus on music-related intellectual property rights and related assets. Verse owned over 50,000 copyrights through its acquisition of iconic brands and music catalogs, including Salsoul Records, West End Records, Bethlehem Records and Golden Records. Its platform included featured songs by artists Rod Stewart, Nina Simone, Jennifer Lopez, John 5, Avril Lavigne, Commodores, Tupac and Celine Dion. [18]

Frasca partnered with (private equity) firm The Wicks Group [19], "https://www.wicksgroup.com" Raising $75 million to acquire entertainment intellectual property. 2010 the company officially renamed Verse Music Group. [20]

2015, Frasca and partners The Wicks Group sold Verse Music Group to BMG Rights Management. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. [21]

References

  1. ^ VMG Salsoul, LLC v. Madonna Louise Ciccone, et al., 824 F.3d 871 (9th Cir. 2016), The George Washington University Law School
  2. ^ "Avril Lavigne Biography". Avrillatina.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  • Discogs [22]
  • Allmusic [23]
  • Billboard Magazine News [24]
  • People Magazine [25]
  • The Middle Market [26]
  • The Middle Market [27]
  • Billboard Magazine News [28]
  • Billboard Magazine News [29]
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