A Cappella Records News

Voices Only 2010

In a continuing trend of prominent and far-reaching success for our clients, several A Cappella Records (ACR) artists have had their tracks selected to be a part of Voices Only 2010.

In the sixth installment of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning compilation series, Voices Only will continue to offer quality a cappella music in the form of a two-disc sampling of exceptional, attention-grabbing songs. Since 2004, the series, in an effort pioneered by Corey Slutsky, has aimed not only to bring the crème of a cappella to its audience, but to do so while offering an eclectic mix of music.

Below is the full list of our selected clients, the tracks that earned them a place on the upcoming compilation, and the albums on which those tracks can be found.

• Let It Die" - The Amalgamates (off "Teaser)
• "Zombie" - Octopodes (off "Blackout")
• "Jai Ho" - Stuck in the Middle (off "clamp.stomp.")
• "Two Step" - Grains of Time (off "For Your Ears Only")
• "The Moment (I Got Lost)" - On the Rocks (off "A Fifth")
• "Last Name" - The Harvard Opportunes (off "Bring Me Back")
• "That's What You Get" - UMD Treblemakers (off "Another Song, You Say?")
• "First Train Home" - The Bostonians (off "Flipping Out")
• "Check" - The Back Row (off "GO NUTS!") (future release)

On The Rocks goes viral... twice

A Cappella Records clients On the Rocks (OTR), hailing from the University of Oregon, are so sick, they've gone viral.

Before you get too concerned, we should clarify that we are simply referring to their unique musical and performing abilities resulting in their sudden, widespread popularity on the Internet.

Not long ago, OTR saw a spike in popularity after a video of them "rick-rolling" a New York City subway - a practice which refers to tricking unsuspecting listeners into enjoying a rendition of Rick Astley's obnoxiously 80's classic, "Never Gonna Give You Up." And now, they've done it again, this time with their choreographed rendition of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance." The video, presently registering over 3 million views and counting, has become a sensation. Several media organizations have taken notice, including the Register-Guard , Today's Big Thing , and even the Huffington Post.

Celebrities are taking notice as well - Ashton Kutcher and Joe Jonas discussed the work on their respective Twitter accounts.

And if you want to hear more of their recorded works, A Cappella Records will be releasing their entire catalog of music within a month. So stay tuned to our web site for more information about when those tracks will be available for purchase!

The 2010 ACA Nominees

Every year, registered members of the Contemporary A cappella Society of America (CASA) vote on their favorite a cappella persons and entities for various categories. This year, several clients, associates, and even employees of A Cappella Records (ACR) found themselves nominated for awards. Here are the nominees we can boast as part of our label. Winners will be announced on June 1st of this year. For the full list, go to here .

View A Cappella Records's nominations

A Cappella Records pass 10,000 downloads

Santa Cruz, CA - March 17, 2010 - Big news for A Cappella Records - we have officially logged over 10,000 individual song sales in first 9 months! To boot, the various components of our label's catalog have grown in tandem, boasting an average 25% sale growth per month.

"We're thrilled that customers are having an easier time discovering a cappella music," said ACR President Chris Crawford of the label's progress. "We will continue to evolve our website into the best resources to search, browse, preview and share incredible a cappella songs and albums."

Several songs have led the way in our catalog's success - Awaken A Cappella's "Book of Love" tops our charts (with their version of "Any Way You Want It" rounding out our top five). Acquire A Cappella's rendition of "I'm On a Boat" was in second, with Men in Drag's "Goodbye My Almost Lover" and Take Note Acapella's "Happy Ending" following close behind.

Our full catalog presently boasts 22 artists and 40 albums available for sale - with dozens more in the works.

Singing for Haiti Relief

AVP Hosts Benefit Concert

This Saturday (February 20, 2010) at 8 p.m., the Academical Village People (AVP) from the University of Virginia will be hosting their fifth annual Village Jam Benefit Concert at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville. The show, which will feature fellow Cavalier groups the Hullabahoos and Virigina Gentlemen, will see the entirety of its proceeds donated to Haitian disaster relief.

The concert series began in 2005, when that incarnation of AVP wanted to use their musical abilities to benefit those suffering after Hurricane Katrina. After that, the show became a staple in the AVP calendar year, with organizations like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society benefiting from their efforts. Initially, the plan for this year's show was to focus on a local organization. But when disaster struck Haiti, the men of AVP were moved to put the focus of this year's Village Jam on helping out.

"While at most we will raise $5,000, the people in Haiti are in dire need of any support right now and we're doing our best to offer ours," said Robbie Eckardt, president of AVP. "Typically after a month, the news cycle tends to shift away from stories, even as they are still very newsworthy - the Haitian earthquake disasters are at that point...and so this is a perfect time for us to continue to raise awareness and support for the cause."

Eckardt added that the show will also make history on the UVA campus, as the three groups performing have never before performed in the same show.

"When we decided upon Haiti relief as our cause, we wanted to guarantee the concert would sell out and be a memorable experience," he said. "Since the usual venue (for the Village Jam) only holds 500, we decided to look to expand - we saw that the Paramount was available that night."

Tickets are $6 for students, and $10 for general admission. They can be purchased through the Paramount Theater or at the door. More information about the Academical Village People (and their albums) can be found on their client page.

A Cappella Records at LA-AF

This Saturday is the 2nd Annual Los Angeles A Cappella Festival (LA-AF)! Five members of the ACR team are heading down to UCLA from the Bay Area to take part in this all-day event of classes and performances. Three of our collegiate groups (Awaken A Cappella, the Stanford Harmonics and Stanford Mixed Company) are also attending the event with performances during the lunch hour!

Stanford Mixed Company and the Harmonics are two of the most recognizable a cappella groups in the bay area, but are relatively unknown down in SoCal. Mixed Company recently released their newest album, Yours Truly, on iTunes and Amazon in December and we're excited to see their initial sales numbers in a few weeks! The Harmonics have made an international splash with their 2008 release of Escape Velocity, which won numerous awards and been featured on BOCA 2009 and SING V: groovus. They blew the audience away at last year's inaugural LA-AF and we look forward to hearing another electric performance.

Awaken A Cappella is extremely well known on their home campus and is continually growing their reputation across the nation. Their 2007 album "Life's a Beach" has been extremely successful ever since it launched with A Cappella Records on May 19th and their single "Book of Love" continues to dominate our charts. Even more impressive than this album is the mainstream music success of alumnus Sara Bareilles and brand new professional a cappella group, SONOS. All were in Awaken together back in the early 2000s where their recording of Sara's original song "Gravity" landed them a spot on BOCA 2003. When Sara started her career as a professional musician, she rearranged "Gravity" with instruments and the song is now famous across the world. To help SONOS launch their debut album, she went into the studio with her former a cappella members to record "Gravity" a cappella one more time. SONOS has since blown up around the world and is currently the #1 vocal album on Amazon MP3 and the #3 vocal album on iTunes. SONOS will be opening at the evening concert this saturday and I'm crossing my fingers that Sara will make an appearance!

Headlining the evening concert is world-renowned, professional a cappella group, m-pact. The newest and first professional group to be distributed by A Cappella Records, m-pact represents a major development for the label as it evolves to get more a cappella music into the mainstream. The six professional singers will spend the day leading classes and then show a 1,000+ audience how it's done. We couldn't be more thrilled to be working with these six professional musicians!

We couldn't be more excited about this Saturday's festival. A Cappella Records President Chris Crawford will lead a morning class about digital distribution where he'll share some of our secrets and VP of Communication Ross Morey may or may not be the genius behind the whole event. We hope to see you there!

Recent Releases

Wow, what a busy few months A Cappella Records has had! We've had a couple of significant releases lately that we wanted to call some attention to. On Dec 1st, we released The Carol Commission by professional a cappella group m-pact. This fantastic collection of holiday songs was extremely popular throughout December, in keeping with the holiday season. Two weeks later on Dec 15th, Catholic University's Take Note Acapella debuted their freshman album Take Note featuring singles "You Raise Me Up" and "No Air". That same day saw the release of Stanford Mixed Company's Yours Truly featuring single "I Will Follow You Into the Dark".

December 18th marked the release of A Cappella Records' first digital single: "I'm On A Boat (A Cappella)" by Acquire A Cappella. Produced by Acquire and A Cappella Records founder Chris Crawford and Stanford Harmonics director, Charlie Forkish, this single is now appearing in the top 3 when you search the word "a cappella" on iTunes and Amazon MP3!

On December 22nd, A Cappella Records teamed up with the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA) to put out their very first holiday compilation called CASC: Christmas A Cappella, Vol. 1. This album features some of the best music from the CASA library including music from a variety of professional groups including Cluster, BaSix and m-pact!

Kicking off the new year, we released Off the Record from Duke University's Lady Blue. The all female album contains the single: "How to Save a Life". That same date saw the digital releases of the BU Treblemakers' 2008 live album Live From a Cardboard Box and their 2009 EP Bite-Size. Singles include "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day", "Feeling Good" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered".

Today, we bring you three albums from m-pact just in time for their big headlining performance at the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival! These albums contain a plethora of amazing tracks. If we had to recommend one, check out: "Change In My Life".

Thanks for continuing to support us here at A Cappella Records and for listening to all of our wonderful artists! 2010 promises to be an amazing year for a cappella and the best place to experience it will be right here with us!

First A Cappella Digital Single

Hey groups! Ever wanted to record a song, just one song, and sell it? Heard something, knew it was going to become a hit, but didn't know how to do anything but an album, because the CD printing cost the same? Well, that's all changed! With the release of I'm on A Boat (A Cappella), A Cappella Records now offers the ability for groups to record and release a digital single in iTunes, Amazon, Lala and acaTunes! Ride the YouTube wave and record a single of a hit song and gt it on the market quickly! Digital singles offer groups the ability to record more flexibly and develop a sustained source of revenue while recording when they have a good song and not only waiting for a full album! For more information, contact us at join@acappellarecords.com

sing six: sunny side up released

The latest SING album hits iTunes

Santa Cruz, California - November 10th, 2009 - Today sing six: sunny side up, the latest installment of the critically acclaimed SING series, joins the rest of the catalogue worldwide on the iTunes store. SING is the top a cappella compilation series to include some of the greatest and most innovative tracks from both scholastic and professional groups across the world.

"We're thrilled to be distributing the new SING album" says Chris Crawford, President of A Cappella Records. "The whole series continues to highlight phenomenal groups while bridging the gap between the mainstream music market and the contemporary a cappella world."

Sing six was announced on November 1st and released as a free download to CASA members on November 6th. Today the album is available to the general public worldwide on iTunes and is coming soon to Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster and Lala.

SING Goes Digital

San Francisco, California - September 16th, 2009 - Through an exclusive distribution deal with A Cappella Records, the entire SING series, one of the most celebrated compilations of a cappella music today, is now available in the iTunes Store.

The Alliance for A Cappella Initiatives (AACI), in collaboration with the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America (CASA), has been producing and distributing the SING! compilation for the past five years. Unique in that it features both scholastic and professional groups, it has always been met with high sales and critical acclaim. As selections for their sixth installment draw to a close (September 28 is the submission deadline), the previous five editions of SING! will be digitally released through A Cappella Records (ACR).

Dave Sperandio, one of the driving forces behind the SING! compilation and the founder of AACI, says that, though he is thrilled that SING! features groups from all corners of the world, his initial vision was more localized. "I initially started [SING!] to showcase groups from the South...to cross pollinate them, and to show the world the south could 'sang,'" he said, noting that only the first installment of SING! followed this model as he quickly realized the potential of such an album, were it to expand beyond the South.

CASA and ACR have also come together to strike a groundbreaking deal to compensate the artists for individual sales downloads. "This is the first time that an a cappella compilation will bring in money for artists via digital distribution," says Chris Crawford, President and founder of A Cappella Records. "To put things in perspective, no other a cappella compilation does this. All revenue earned on digital sales is sent to the producers whether or not the consumer purchases individual songs or the full album. Now with the entire SING catalogue, ACR sends half of our earnings to you the artists that recorded the track. If it's your recording, you deserve to get a cut of every digital download."

Julia E. Hoffman, Executive Producer of SING! as well as President of the Board for CASA, is excited for the potential to increase their SING! fan base through this release. "CASA is constantly looking for new ways to get vocal music into the hands of the public, and that includes people who are already fans of a cappella, as well as those who are new to this art form--distribution [...] through ACR will allow us to spread this incredible music farther, through strategic distribution in major outlets," she said. "The world of music distribution is changing and CASA aims to move with it." Hoffman also explains, "SING! is a compilation that does not underestimate its listeners - instead, we look for opportunities to inspire, educate, and entertain through what we believe is the best vocal music."

All five SING albums ( SING: Vocal Explosion , SING 2: Electric Boogaloo , SING 3: Mélange à Trois , SING IV: Good Medicine and SING V: groovus ) are now each available for $9.99 in the iTunes Store . They will also be available on Amazon MP3 later this month.

Harmonics on Auto-Tune

Last Thursday, renowned a cappella group, The Harmonics, received national media attention for their innovative and much-debated performance style.

When asked by the Wall Street Journal about the controversy of using Auto-tune in live performance, Harmonics music director Charlie Forkish comments, "For us, it's not 'how a cappella are we,' it's 'how cool are we.'" To read the entire article please visit the Wall Street Journal online.

A Cappella Records is proud to represent the Harmonic's most recent, and highly award-winning album, "Escape Velocity." To hear samples from the album, please visit The Harmonics's page.

Amalgamates Release Back Catalog

The Tufts Amalgamates have been making - and recording - great music since before its current membership was even born. They've performed in some of the world's most famous locations (from Rockerfeller Center in New York City and Fenway Park in Boston, to Jamaica, Paris and London, just to name a few), and won a great deal of awards for their recording prowess.

But on their Web site, they show that they are especially proud of the international roots and reach of their members and alumni, in addition to their history of performing all over the globe. So it is fitting, then, that the group has not only released their current album, "Prime," through A Cappella Records, but their entire catalog of music as well, giving their music the ability to span as much of the globe as their membership has.

Over the years, the 'Mates have seen their way onto several Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) CDs, and been given numerous Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs). To check out their history of excellent music-making, visit the Amalgamates's page.

Who is VocalSource? And why you should know.

A Cappella Records (ACR) recently partnered with VocalSource, allowing their clients access to the online distribution services provided by ACR. But who is VocalSource?

The short answer: VocalSource is a business uniting talented, experienced a cappella producers, namely Dave Sperandio, Ed Boyer, James Cannon, Tat Tong, and James Gammon. Sperandio spearheads the effort, which he describes as a more official arrangement of collaborations that were occurring for awhile leading up to the formation of VocalSource.

"I'd been working with the other four partners... for a number of years, operating essentially as we do now - collaborating on projects, sharing knowledge, critiquing each other's work, etc.," he said. "Formalizing the relationship allowed us to be able to offer a wider suite of services and 'flavors' to our clients, whatever their tastes or budgets desired, or would allow."

Sperandio had initially intended for his other business - Diovoce - to serve as a collaborative effort between experienced professionals, until life, and having his hands in Alliance for A Cappella Initiatives (AACI), the SoJam a cappella festival, the Sing compilations, and other projects held up his plans. As he sorted things out, technological advances allowed for other, younger enthusiasts to turn their craft into their work. Though he says he initially viewed these up-and-comers as competition, he came to realize that with them, he could realize his initial dream.

"(This arrangement) allows us to market our services under a formal umbrella of offerings," he explained.

Due to these producers' inherent proficiency for churning out innovative a cappella albums, VocalSource has to its name a lengthy laundry list of accolades. These include over 120 awards and nominations for the Contemporary A cappella Recording Awards and over 40 appearances on the Best of Collegiate A cappella. They have also had their work represented on the Best of High School A cappella, Sing and Voices Only compilations, and have over 30 picks of the year from the Recorded A cappella Review Board.

Looking toward the future, Sperandio has high hopes for the direction in which a cappella is headed, as a genre, though they may not heavily hinge upon the award-winning, experienced work of himself and his fellow VocalSource producers.

"I think that the (do-it-yourself) movement will get bigger and bigger in the coming years, as technology becomes more and more affordable and powerful, and as groups build a base of knowledge to pass on to their descendants," he said, adding that he would love to use the resources provided by VocalSource to educate and inspire future generations of producers - in short, to continue a lineage of high-quality recording and production techniques, and to have a hand in the growth and perpetuation of a cappella.

"My hope is that, in bringing knowledge to as many groups as possible, we'll make the process more affordable, more enjoyable, and most importantly, ultimately help yield better music," he said. "Part of me would like to put myself out of business - almost."

Contemporary A cappella League Group Joins ACR

To date, A Cappella Records (ACR) has digitally released albums from some of the collegiate a cappella world's biggest players. Today, ACR is adding their first semi-professional group, DeltaCappella, to their impressive roster of clients.

This two-year-old all-male ensemble hailing from Memphis, TN, is part of the Contemporary A Cappella League, and since its inception, has been leading the way for other groups in the League. They continue the trend with the release of "DeltaCappella," their six-song EP that features smooth Southern classics such as "Home" by Marc Broussard, as well as popular tunes like "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol.

Group founder Jay Mednikow said their album, the first for the group, is as much an homage to what their fans love best as it is a chance for them to show the rest of the world what they can do.

"In our two years performing together, our fans have continually asked for something to take home from our exciting live performances - we've finally recorded six of our most popular songs and put them on this EP," he said. "The songs are the most requested; the soloists are the most in demand - and we've perfected them with a little tweaking in the studio, so you'll download these songs to your iPod and listen to them time and time again."

As for the album's length, Mednikow sees the positive side to releasing an EP for their debut.

"It will just whet your appetite for our next release," he noted.

Mednikow is excited to partner with ACR, and feels teaming up will only help the cause of bringing quality a cappella to a larger audience.

"I'm thrilled that Chris (Crawford) and Ross (Morey) conceived of A Cappella Records, as it fills a real need in the a cappella community," he noted.

League founder Deke Sharon commended the group for their hard work and dedication to bringing quality a cappella music to the public, despite existing on a purely 'extra-curricular' basis. The intent of the League is to allow former collegiate a cappella participants an opportunity to return to the genre they love despite the demands of everyday life. And to Sharon, DeltaCappella exemplifies how successful League groups can be, with the right talent and direction.

"Once again, DeltaCappella is leading the charge...releasing an album that will have listeners convinced they're listening to a full time professional vocal ensemble as opposed to a recreational community group," Sharon said. "And this is how it should be - league groups are not amateurs, (but rather) passionate singers who have busy lives yet still find time to get together and make great music for themselves and their communities."

For more information on how to download tracks off their self-titled album for yourself, visit http://www.acappellarecords.com/artists/deltacappella/.

Cracking the Code: What Makes "Good" A Cappella?

"The question is so broad that I'm almost afraid I'm going to give you more than you bargained for," said Alex Green of the Tufts University Amalgamates.

Though the question is undoubtedly broad, there are factors which can make a cappella music unique and interesting - factors that contribute to making undeniably "good" a cappella.

For Green, arrangements are the backbone of an effective a cappella performance, particularly those that cater to the unique abilities of the human voice as an instrument.

"You could have a guitar hit a huge chord at the end of a song, but guitars can't scream a big giant 'ah' like three girls and two guys in the top of their chest voice," he explained. "I always strive to show off the human voice as an instrument itself, not as the voice trying to imitate something else."

Katie Boeck and Joanna Jones of Awaken A Cappella, from the University of California at Los Angeles, have a simultaneously broader and more personal approach.

"(We) attribute our success to writing challenging arrangements but balancing that out with simple songs that we can just have fun singing, and never forgetting its all about the music," they said. "It's (also) important to spend time together outside of rehearsal so that our enjoyment of each other (shows during) performance(s)."

Creating a successful a cappella group takes time and effort, on both technical and personal levels. It's more than "just singing" for groups that seek to reside on the proverbial next level - customized arrangements that feature a group's unique qualities, creative use of individual talent and reverence for the power of the collective...it's all part of the tapestry that makes an a cappella performance memorable, and "good."

On The Rocks: A Group All its Own

Despite a laundry list of awards and achievements acquired throughout their existence, the current membership of On the Rocks (OTR), the all-male a cappella sensation hailing from the University of Oregon, feel a deep sense of pride in their most recent accomplishment. Calling themselves "Gen 3," due to the fact that they are the first generation of OTR comprised entirely of non-original members, they finished this past school year by winning a Western Quarterfinal bracket of the International Championship of Collegiate A cappella (ICCA).

For the last two years, OTR garnered third place rankings, and business manager Nick Firth feels they could have faired better. Their most recent turn at competition resulted in the sort of success the group sought. "Winning best arrangement, and best choreography, that was really a key goal that this group accomplished in the last year," he said.

The newer, energized nature of their membership is a key factor in making a group that is completely focused on musical achievement and friendship before anything else, according to Firth.

"We're comfortable with each other, we've been together for 4 years and have come to know each other musically," he said. "We know how far we can go and can really work on musicality without feeling like we're stepping on anyone's toes - we're all best friends who like to sing together."

Solidifying an OTR all their own has brought the group a newfound sense of unity, a sense that has also acted as a catalyst for large-scale future plans. Although the group released a CD in the Spring of 2008, they are looking to release another by Spring of 2010 - with a couple of tracks already laid down. In addition, they hope to tour the east coast that semester, bringing their voices and vigor to major cities such as Boston and New York.

Juxtaposition's Anomaly Goes Digital!

With the release of their 2007 album Anomaly on iTunes and Amazon MP3, Virginia Tech's a cappella sensation Juxtaposition has joined the movement to make older a cappella albums available to the public once more.

Anomaly, Juxtaposition's 6th studio release, is a pop/alternative inspired wonderland, chock full of old favorites and guilty pleasures ranging from Something Corporate's Hurricane, to Maroon 5's She Will Be loved. Although the physical album may be out of print, the world will now have a second chance to own this remarkable album. Check it out today in iTunes or Amazon MP3.

Prime praised on CASA

Established collegiate a cappella tour-de-force and A Cappella Records (ACR) clients the Amalgamates, of Tufts University, released their most recent recorded creation, "Prime" - their tenth studio venture to date.

The album met with critical acclaim from Rebecca Christie, Guang Ming Whitley, and Joseph Bates, all three of whom reviewed it for the Recorded A cappella Review Board (RARB). Christie praised them for their "great professional ethic in each and every performance," and Bates commended their "good song choices, good singing, and close attention to detail." Whitley went a step further, describing it as a "prime example of perfection."

The Amalgamates continue to receive accolades from the a cappella community, most recently in a review posted on the Contemporary A cappella Society of America's (CASA) Web site. Marisa Debowsky, co-founder and co-producer of the Vermont A cappella Summit and University of Vermont's Cat's Meow alumna, gave a detailed listen to the album for CASA. Debowsky commends their believable soloists, innovative introductions and evident energy in her in-depth look. You may read the full review here .

For information on how to purchase the album, visit the Amalgamates' page.

Written By Candice Leigh Helfand

Michael Jackson and A Cappella

You'd be hard-pressed to find a person unaware of the death of Michael Jackson on June 25 of this year. Due to his iconic status worldwide, coverage of his passing was as frequent as it was widespread.

A great deal of discussion hinged upon the lower points in his life; his legal and financial woes, his seeming addiction to pain medications, his use of plastic surgery to escape his discomfort with his outer - and inner - self.

But for many, the loss of this troubled talent signified losing a source of hope to those who fought, and still fight, to overcome adversity. And most of all, his death meant an irreplaceable loss to the music industry. He was the King of Pop, and the genre hasn't been the same since he revolutionized it into something temporarily respectable. His work motivated an entire generation of musicians, and regardless of what some may feel about the man, no one can deny his identity as a truly gifted musician.

In the a cappella world alone, many of its participants name Jackson as one of their greatest sources of inspiration. And Jackson's biggest hits are among some of the most frequently arranged and performed songs by groups the world over. Songs from the highest points of his career (both with the Jackson 5, as well as his solo work) are performed by groups now, decades after their initial release - and are still received enthusiastically by audiences.

Some of the more prominent examples in our community's history include the Amherst College Zumbyes performing "Thriller" at the Finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A cappella (and many other brackets of competition nationwide), and the mash-up of "Billie Jean" and Blackstreet's "No Diggity" by the Stanford Everyday People, as heard on the 2002 edition of the Best of Collegiate A cappella compilation.

After his passing, groups found ways to pay homage to Jackson's contributions to their set lists over the years. For example, the Academical Village People set up a simple tribute on their MySpace page by posting their recorded interpretations of Jackson's works.

But to go beyond the specific, a simple search for a cappella covers on YouTube will further illuminate the broad scope of his impact on the a cappella world. Pages upon pages of groups performing hits such as "Beat It," "Man in the Mirror," and "I Want You Back," can be found from concerts as recent as this spring.

And as you watch these groups perform Jackson's songs, it becomes apparent that, beyond offering groups a wide range of catchy songs, the simultaneously precise and ferocious manner of his performances seemed to push these groups to find their own "next level." It appears to be engrained in this generation of a cappella singers that, when performing Jackson's music, it's necessary to kick their standards up a proverbial notch; to execute the right moves and keep them sharp, to enlist a soloist with charisma and serious vocal chops, to keep arrangements sharp and engaging - in short, to take everything they have, and leave it all on the stage, the way the original artist did.

Perhaps this is the best way to pay tribute - and groups will pay tribute. This fall's roster of new songs for collegiate groups will likely be loaded with various Jackson covers and medleys. But more than that, one can only hope that his music continues to motivate a cappella groups to new heights of performance quality and musicality.

Written By Candice Leigh Helfand

The Harmonics: "Amped" for the new year

With their latest release, "Escape Velocity," the Harmonics set out to explore new levels of a cappella innovation. The effort garnered the award-winning group one of the a cappella community's highest honors - the album was named Best Mixed Collegiate Album by the 2009 Contemporary A cappella Recording Awards (CARAs).

The bold direction of their latest studio venture is epitomized by the album's breakout song, "The Sound of Silence," which also received CARA recognition as the 2009 Best Mixed Collegiate Song.

"I wanted something epic for the album," explained Charlie Forkish, the group's musical director and arranger of the song - whose efforts were recognized with a Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement award.

And the broad, sweeping, decidedly-darker take on the classic folk tune by Simon & Garfunkel accomplished just that, earning the group a space on genre-specific compilations such as the Best of Collegiate A cappella (BOCA) 2009 and Sing V. Their version of "Rhapsody in Blue" secured them a place on Voices Only 2009.

The group's efforts over the past two years have been spearheaded by 22-year-old Forkish, who feels greatly encouraged by the overall success of the album.

"It felt really good - obviously," he said, laughing. "We worked really hard on the album, and I was very invested in it."

Forkish added that the group took a very self-critical approach to their work this time around, throwing out whole tracks, or tirelessly re-recording various takes, to make sure they had the best raw material.

"We (held) ourselves to a really high standard, and...by the time we were done, we didn't feel competitive about it - we were just really proud of what we had done, and happy with how it turned out," he said. "Winning was cool because it shows that other people appreciate our standard."

The Harmonics' penchant for cutting-edge performance techniques does not stop in the studio. For the past year, they've dedicated time, energy, and money - including a grant from the Contemporary A cappella Society of America - toward revolutionizing their stage presentation, the culmination of their efforts put on display during their "ShamRock" show this past March. With a bold concert tag-line - "Everything you know about a cappella is about to change." - they unveiled a performance rife with light and sound technology rarely before seen in the a cappella world.

"Our goal was being able to do everything we do on our album, live," Forkish said, noting that he was inspired by a performance at SoJam two years ago by Finland's own Fork. He hopes to similarly brand the Harmonics as a rock band, as opposed to an a cappella ensemble.

He added that, in addition to spending some time in the studio, the group plans to spend this upcoming year refining their performance techniques, growing comfortable with their new equipment and, more importantly, new identity.

Said Forkish, "We want to put on rock concerts, instead of a cappella shows."

Curious about the Harmonics' live presentation? Watch clips from their "Amped" show .

Written By Candice Leigh Helfand

The Dawn of the A Cappella Era

Over the past few years, a cappella has worked its way slowly-but-surely into pop culture - it's late night talk show fodder for Anne Hathaway, it's in Vince Vaughn/Jennifer Anniston vehicles, it's in Prius commercials. And every time, it's one more victory for a genre begging for mainstream attention.

Some attribute the recent influx of a cappella to the success of Mickey Rapkin's book, Pitch Perfect: the Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory , which has been optioned by Universal Studios. Others give credit to Ben Folds's University A cappella album, which offers a compilation of his own music performed by a cappella groups all over the country, or to Straight No Chaser, who managed to snag a recording contract from Atlantic Records. Maybe kudos should be given to Blake Lewis and Anoop Desai for bringing a cappella to American Idol, and Ball in the House for rockin' the America's Got Talent stage. Perhaps it's simply a perfect storm.

No matter what the reason, a cappella is steadily on the rise in terms of prevalence in pop culture. No longer do a cappella participants have to explain their genre by referencing the theme song to "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" or asking people to recall Lori Trespicio and the Boston College Bostonians, both of whom were featured on "The Real World: Back to New York."

Soon, three new television shows will continue the trend, and in a big way - NBC's The Great American Sing-Off , Fox's Glee , and a third show indicated by MTV's casting call for a cappella groups.

"The Great American Sing-Off" and MTV's mystery project - which is most likely tied to their somewhat controversial involvement in the finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A cappella - appear to be reality-based competitions. While knowledge of the "aca-projects" proposed by MAlTV and NBC is based largely on speculation, audiences have already been shown what they can expect with Glee - and for the most part, they seem happy with what they saw. Some TV reviewers even gave glowing recommendations.

"I can't say enough good things about the episode. It's hilarious, it's really smart, it's heartwarming, it's perfectly cast, and it's one of the best pilots I've ever seen," said Mindy Monez of Television Without Pity . "Even if you don't like musicals, I would still recommend checking it out - the production numbers are fantastic, but I promise the show is a lot more than that."

The pilot episode - and its 12.5 million viewers - gave Fox executives incentive to ask for 13 new episodes to air this fall, beginning on Wednesday, September 16, at 9/8 Central.

Written By Candice Leigh Helfand

ACR Artists Selected for Voices Only 2009

June 7th, 2009 - A Cappella Records (ACR) is proud to announce that four of the talented a cappella groups it represents have been selected for Voices Only 2009. These artists are the Amalgamates of Tufts University, the Harmonics of Stanford University, the Hangovers of Cornell University, and VoiceMale of Brandeis University.

Founded in 2004, Voices Only is a compilation album that features high-achieving collegiate a cappella groups and shows off exceptional performances from their recorded works. Selection criteria include soloist performance, production value, arrangement quality, and innovation.

This project is produced by Corey Slutsky, an accomplished and highly-regarded producer, arranger, and reviewer in the a cappella community. The compilation is released annually and contains songs that have been recorded and mixed within the previous year.

Congratulations to our artists!

A Cappella Records Announces Internship Program

The ACR Internship Program is designed to provide ambitious individuals the opportunity to experience what it means to be a part of the music business. The internship program trains and encourages its participants to explore the inner workings of the music industry.

Find out more information and the application.

ACR Executives Join CASA Board

Santa Cruz, CA - May 26, 2009 - Two members of the A Cappella Records executive team have been voted onto the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA) Board of Directors .

Ross Morey, Vice President of Communications, will serve as the new Volunteer Coordinator and Chris Crawford, ACR Founder and President, has been named the Director of Marketing.

Both Morey and Crawford are veteran artists and administrators in the a cappella world. In 2006, Morey created the UCLA men's a cappella group Bruin Harmony and is the founding Executive Director of the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival. Crawford founded Acquire A Cappella (UC Santa Cruz) and has worked in Apple Public Relations and iTunes Promotions.

Contemporary A Cappella Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to fostering and promoting a cappella music of all styles around the world. CASA was founded in 1991 by Deke Sharon . Sharon incorporated the first a cappella directory - The List - into the Contemporary A Cappella Newsletter (C.A.N). The organization now boasts over 6,000 members, and serves as a resource for media and scholarly work in the area of contemporary a cappella.

For more information, see CASA's press release .

A Cappella Records Announces Partnership with VocalSource

Santa Cruz, CA - May 19, 2009 - A Cappella Records has joined forces with a cappella production company VocalSource. This partnership will allow VocalSource clients to distribute their albums via ACR as a complementary service when they mix music with VocalSource.

VocalSource is the largest network of a cappella studio professionals in the world, with a long list of awards to its name; combining the talent of star producers Dave Sperandio, Tat Tong, Ed Boyer, James Cannon, and James Gammon, the production team at VocalSource has consistently delivered award-winning mixes to its international roster of clients.

"All of us at ACR are proud to be working with a company as professional as VocalSource - we want to make a cappella distribution very accessible to both artists and consumers," said ACR founder and President Chris Crawford. "By integrating our services into their offering, VocalSource is making international distribution much easier."

VocalSource expresses a similar excitement about the partnership and its possibilities, said founder Dave Sperandio.

"Pairing VocalSource's broad scope of services with the direct-to-market distribution model and incredible marketing support provided by ACR allows us to offer our clients a true 'total solution,' and gets clients' music into the hands of their fans more quickly, and in more places," Sperandio added.

For more information on this partnership, visit the VocalSource Web site .

A Cappella Records Opens for Business

New Label Sells A Cappella Music in Major Digital Retailers

Santa Cruz, CA - May 19, 2009 - A Cappella Records, a new and exclusively digital record label, announced on Tuesday that it will make a cappella songs legally available for purchase and download on iTunes and Amazon MP3.

A Cappella Records (ACR) represents a cappella groups across the United States, many of whom - until now - have been unable to distribute their albums in the major online music marketplaces. The bulk of collegiate a cappella recordings consist of cover songs which cannot be sold legally without proper licensing and quarterly compounded royalty fees. With ACR, a cappella groups are now able to avoid these legal and administrative hurdles.

"Our goal is to make a cappella music more accessible", said Chris Crawford, label Founder and President. "It's now easier for any a cappella group to sell and distribute their music internationally - ACR creates a channel through which finding, experiencing, and downloading a cappella material becomes very easy and convenient".

A Cappella Records starts its venture with six albums from the following a cappella artists already on board - The Amalgamates (Tufts University), Awaken A Cappella (Universy of California at Los Angeles), The Hangovers (Cornell University), Juxtaposition (Virginia Tech University), On the Rocks (University of Oregon), and The Harmonics (Stanford University).

You can find more information about these artists and their music throughout the ACR Web site.