Asylum Records' Paul Wall Debuts at #1
NEW YORK, NY, Sep 21, 2005 -- Paul Wall's "The People's Champ" (SwishaHouse/Asylum Records) debuts at #1 on the Billboard "Top 200" chart this week, with first-week sales of 176,800 units in the U.S. alone. Wall's album is the 3rd top ten hit for Warner Music Group's (NYSE: WMG) newly established Asylum Records since it was created a year ago as part of the company's incubator initiative.
"I am thrilled that so many people are realizing Paul Wall's talent," said Todd Moscowitz, president, Asylum Records. "Our ability to identify and partner with some of the leading urban labels in the industry and help them take their artists to the next level truly validates the incubator initiative and the value that these partnerships create for everyone involved. First, Mike Jones, then Webbie, now Paul Wall, it's been a great year for Asylum Records."
Houston-based rap star Mike Jones' album "Who is Mike Jones?" (Warner Bros./Asylum/SwishaHouse) debuted at #3 on Billboard's "Top 200" in April. The album has sold more than one million copies.
In July, Webbie's "Savage Life" (Asylum/Trillville) debuted at #8 on the Billboard "Top 200" chart and has sold more than 215,000 copies nationwide.
Asylum Records was created by WMG in 2004 to provide marketing, distribution and sales services to urban, independent music labels and artists.
About Asylum
Asylum Records, one of Warner Music Group's newest labels, is designed to provide full promotion, marketing and sales support to urban, independent music labels and artists. Asylum Records is distributed by WEA Corp., Warner Music Group's U.S. sales and marketing company. For more information about Asylum, visit www.asylumrecords.com.
About Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group (WMG) became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Atlantic, Bad Boy, Elektra, Lava, Maverick, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music International, a leading company in national and international repertoire, operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.