Monday, March 31, 2008 – HighTone Records, the one-time home of Dave Alvin, Robert Cray and Dale Watson, is shutting its doors, an apparent victim of the economic downturn hitting the music business. HighTone is selling its catalogue to Shout! Factory Records, a California-based label that is home to Solomon Burke. That deal happened Friday.
"There isn't much of a story besides the fact that the recording industry has tanked, and I couldn't figure out a way to be profitable any mor," said Larry Sloven, co-founder of HighTone via email. "Shout! Factory has most of their business in DVDs, and they like our catalog and feel like they can generate income in various ways out of it, so it makes sense for them."
HighTone was the first label for bluesman Cray. The label expanded into country and roots music, releasing artists including Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Tom Russell. The label cut back on releases in recent years, opting for repacking and reissuing material from its catalog.
"We got the whole label," said Shout! Factory spokesperson Lauren Gaffney Monday. "We're still gong through all the titles and deciding what we're going to do. Some of the titles are no longer in print. Some are in print."
As for future plans by Shout Factory for the HighTone music, "there will be some best of titles, and they'll start hitting later this year," said Gaffney.
