Warner Records has launched a joint venture with producer Tony Berg called Crime & Punishment Records.
The move will see the award-winning producer and industry veteran head up a record label dedicated to “discovering the best new music” and “guiding the next generation of musicians”.
Emerging singer-songwriter Elle Bramhall is the first artist signed to the freshly created Crime & Punishment, which arrives as Berg marks five decades of shepherding artists across his career. Recent success stories include Phoebe Bridgers and Sombr.
Berg said: “Crime & Punishment Records is intended to champion young, ambitious artists. Right now, I’m seeing a return to lyric content, harmonic ambition, and musical curiosity. It’s as exciting a time as I can remember, and I hope we can be at the forefront of discovering the best new music.
“I’ve been lucky enough in the past eight years to work with Aaron Bay-Schuck, Tom Corson, and Chris Morris at Warners, much as I did when I produced records in the label’s previous heyday for Mo Ostin, Lenny Waronker, and Michael Ostin. When the new crew expressed interest in a joint venture, I leapt to it. How could I not? And I’m thrilled that Elle Bramhall is our debut signing. She is an extraordinary young artist with a point of view that is at once fresh and timeless.”
Tony Berg is in rarified air as an elite producer
Aaron Bay-Schuck
Aaron Bay-Schuck, chairman & CEO, Warner Records Group, added: “Tony Berg is in rarified air as an elite producer. Not only does he have incredible taste, but he also possesses a real gift for bringing out what makes an artist special. What he’s accomplished with Warner Records' star Sombr has been pure magic. Not so much by putting his fingerprints all over it, but by showing restraint and knowing exactly what pieces needed to be put around Sombr to help him fully realise his vision.
“Bringing Tony’s JV to Warner Records was an easy decision. He’s already signed an incredibly promising young singer-songwriter, Elle Bramhall, and we’re so excited about what he’s building and what’s to come.”
In the last two years, Berg has produced a No.1 album with Phoebe Bridgers (Lost Weekend), with Sombr’s I Barely Know Her reaching the Top 10 in the charts. He has also worked recently with Sarah McLachlan on Better Broken, as well as with his longtime collaborator, Bruce Hornsby, on Indigo Park.
In 2024, the A&R veteran, songwriter, musician, producer and founder won the Best Alternative Music Album award at the Grammys for his work producing Boygenius’ debut album, The Record.
