George Martin makes Extreme move

10:01 | Tuesday August 11, 2009

Grandmaster Production Music Library has been created by Sir George and music business entrepreneur Mark Ross and will focus on what Extreme bills as the geniuses behind the glass. Among its initial interests will be new projects by Hugh Padgham, Jack Douglas, Terry Date and Sir George himself.

The Beatles producer says, “The producer’s challenge is to inspire creativity, push the boundaries of performance and capture raw talent in a way that allows artistry to flourish. The world’s best producers are able to achieve this time and again and with the Grandmaster series, our goal is to deliver the sounds of these iconic producers to professional music users everywhere.”

Ross says Grandmaster puts the most influential producers of the last 50 years on centre stage with results that are "truly mind blowing". “Having spent most of my life in the studio, I am intimately familiar with the crucial role that the producer plays in the success of an artist,” he adds. “What would Sgt Peppers have been without Sir George Martin? Thriller without Quincy Jones? Ghost In The Machine without Hugh Padgham? Toys in the Attic without Jack Douglas?”

Extreme Music’s co-CEO Russell Emanuel, whose company also has producers such as Hans Zimmer, Quincy Jones, Snoop Dogg, Rodney Jerkins and Vince Clarke on its books, notes that Sir George and Ross’s vision was to “reach for the sky with their wish list”. “They have achieved a 100% success rate with every producer they have approached and the results coming out of the sessions have been off the chain,” he adds. “We are confident that the Extreme Grandmaster series will evolve into a who’s who of producer mega talent.”