SIXPENCE CRACKS BILLBOARD HOT 100 SINGLES CHART "KISS ME" DEBUTS AT #90
VH1, MTV and M2 BEGIN SPINNING SIXPENCE
LOS ANGELES, CA--With rapidly increasing radio airplay and attention from television networks like VH1, MTV and M2, Squint Entertainment artists Sixpence None the Richer have moved beyond the status of "critics' favorite." Now, according to the new issue of Billboard (11.28.98), Sixpence's first single, "Kiss Me," debuts at #90 on their Hot 100 Single's chart. Sixpence and Squint have succeeded in this task without assistance from a major label partner.
With Sixpence's radio airplay continuing to build at Hot AC and Modern Rock formats, "Kiss Me" spent 8 weeks on Billboard's "Bubbling Under" singles chart, before cracking The Hot 100. Currently, the song is #36 On Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart and #26 on Billboard Monitor's Modern AC chart. Meanwhile, the latest issue of R&R has "Kiss Me" debuting at #19 on the Pop Alternative chart and climbing to #26 at Hot AC. Responded Jim Kerr, R&R's Alternative Editor, "In this day and age of radio and record consolidation, it's hard enough for a major corporation to break a brand new band, let alone an independent label."
"Kiss Me" has already proven to be the #1 song in callout research by KLLC (Alice) in San Francisco, and has been one of the five most requested songs in several major markets including Austin, Denver, Salt Lake City, Buffalo and Long Island, among others. Stated Louis Kaplan, program director for San Francisco's KLLC, "'Kiss Me' is my favorite song on the radio. We have instant requests."
Stations are also approaching Squint to request permission to include "Kiss Me" on annual promo CDs they manufacture for their broadcast region. The proceeds from the disc sold by "Alice" in San Francisco will go to benefit breast cancer research. Zone 105 in Minneapolis will include the single on their CD, benefiting Christmas charities, and Austin's KGSR will help support the local musicians' mental health fund with their disc. Sixpence is one of the few artists signed to an independent label featured on any of these discs.
Meanwhile, on the television front, VH1 recently began airing Sixpence's acoustic clips of "Kiss Me" and "The Lines of My Earth" as part of their new Midnight Minute series. "Everyone at VH1 was really knocked out by Sixpence when they came in to perform," stated Bill Flanagan, the program's executive producer. "They are so advanced musically and at the same time offer a youthful optimism ... really unusual. Wonderful to meet someone who has the best of both worlds."
In addition, the new concept video for "Kiss Me" (filmed in Paris) just made its MTV debut on 120 Minutes, and is getting regular airplay at M2, JBTV and Much More Music, as well as dozens of regional programs across the country. The audio track for the song was recently featured on Dawson's Creek (WB), and will soon be heard on Party of Five (Fox), Trinity (NBC), The Young and The Restless (CBS) and NBC's Movie of the Week, "Vanished Without a Trace."
Along with making influential radio visits, Sixpence continues to enjoy live performances at key festivals and clubs. Highlights have included South by Southwest in Austin, the Lilith Fair's recent Nashville stop, Portland's North by Northwest, Planetfest in Detroit, and San Francisco's ALICE festival in Golden Gate Park.
Over the past three months, Sixpence has opened for a diverse group of artists including The Wallflowers, Smash Mouth, Abra Moore, The Church, Des'ree, Brian Setzer, John Taylor and Edwin McCain.
The "Kiss Me" single will ship to Top 40 radio in December.
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