MDDN
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Josh Madden |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California , United States |
Key people | Benji Madden (President) |
| Services | Artist management, Artist development, Music publishing, Record label, Record production, Recording studio, Branding, Creative services, Digital media |
| Divisions | MDDN Studios, MDDN Records, MDDN Publishing, MDDN Creative, Alternative Press, Painted Flowers |
| Website | mddn |
MDDN is an American entertainment company based in Burbank, California. Founded in 2015 by brothers Joel Madden, Benji Madden, and Josh Madden, the company operates in artist management, music publishing, production, branding, and digital media. Originally established as an artist management company, MDDN has expanded into recording, publishing, editorial media, and entertainment technology through ventures including MDDN Studios, the acquisition of Alternative Press, and the founders' involvement with Veeps.[1][2][3]
History
[edit]The company grew out of a series of business ventures established by the Madden brothers outside of their music careers. Before launching MDDN, they had operated the clothing brands MADE and DCMA Collective, the production company Dead Executives, and the independent record label D.C. Flag. These ventures informed MDDN's artist-focused business model, which combined management with branding, creative services, production, and business development.[4][5]
MDDN was founded in 2015 by Joel, Benji, and Josh Madden as an entertainment company focused on artist management, creative development, branding, publishing, and long-term career strategy for musicians and creators.[6] The company was established to help artists build careers beyond the traditional record label model by combining management with branding, business development, creative services, and strategic partnerships.[7]
In 2019, MDDN partnered with ICM Partners to launch an artist representation initiative designed to identify and develop emerging artists through management, touring, branding, and digital media opportunities.[8]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Joel and Benji Madden expanded Veeps, a ticketed livestreaming platform originally developed from their work creating VIP experiences for artists, into a live music streaming service. Pollstar described the platform as an outgrowth of the founders' work with artists through MDDN, while Forbes reported that it evolved from tools the company had developed for artist engagement and VIP experiences.[9][10]
Business Divisions
[edit]MDDN provides management and creative services for recording artists, songwriters, producers, and other entertainment professionals. The company's activities include artist management, artist development, music publishing, record production, branding, digital media, and creative consulting.[11][12] The company places an emphasis on artist development alongside traditional management. One of MDDN's earliest clients was the Australian band Chase Atlantic, which signed with the company in 2016 after being discovered by Joel and Benji Madden. Through MDDN, the band relocated to Los Angeles, developed new material, and later entered into a recording agreement with Warner Records.[13][14]
MDDN manages a roster of recording artists, producers, songwriters, and mixers. Artists represented by the company have included Architects, Bad Omens, Boys Like Girls, Chase Atlantic, Good Charlotte, Poppy, Sleeping with Sirens, and Wavves. Its producer roster has included Jordan Fish, Zakk Cervini, Dan Lancaster, Andrew Goldstein, Erik Ron, Jon Levine, David Pramik, Justin Raisen, and Andrew Wells.[15][16]
The company operates MDDN Studios, a recording studio in Burbank, California. The facility occupies the former Boom Boom Room recording complex, a commercial recording studio that hosted numerous major recording projects prior to MDDN's occupancy.[17]
MDDN Studios has been credited as a recording location on commercially released albums including Double Dare by Waterparks, Generation Rx by Good Charlotte, amo by Bring Me the Horizon, How It Feels to Be Lost by Sleeping with Sirens, American Fall and 20/20 Vision by Anti-Flag, R.O.S.E. by Jessie J, Empty Hands by Poppy, and Sanctuary by Evanescence.
MDDN also operates MDDN Records, an independent record label through which releases by artists including Good Charlotte, Chase Atlantic, and Hollywood Undead have been issued.
As of 2020, Benji Madden served as president of MDDN while Joel Madden increasingly focused on the development of Veeps, the livestreaming platform co-founded by the brothers.[18]
Media ventures
[edit]In the fall of 2020, MDDN acquired the music magazine Alternative Press from founder Mike Shea. Although the transaction was not publicly announced at the time, it was later reported by The Plain Dealer, which noted that the publication closed its longtime Cleveland headquarters in December 2021 and relocated operations to Southern California under MDDN's ownership.[19]
The acquisition marked MDDN's expansion into editorial publishing and music media. In 2026, Pitchfork reported that Alternative Press, BrooklynVegan, Revolver, and Goldmine were operating under the Veeps media portfolio following Live Nation's majority investment in the livestreaming platform. The publication also reported widespread layoffs affecting the editorial staffs of the four publications.[20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "ICM Partners Joins with Joel Madden To Form Artist Representation Initiative". Pollstar. July 31, 2019.
- ↑ Aswad, Jem (July 31, 2019). "Good Charlotte's Joel Madden Teams With ICM Partners for Artist Development Venture". Variety.
- ↑ Smith, Troy L. (January 25, 2022). "Alternative Press is no longer a Cleveland magazine". The Plain Dealer – via Cleveland.com.
- ↑ Chang, Rachel (March 31, 2020). "Good Charlotte's Joel Madden Talks Coronavirus Quarantine Life—and Why He Launched a Digital Platform for Musicians". Forbes.
- ↑ "ICM Partners Joins with Joel Madden To Form Artist Representation Initiative". Pollstar. July 31, 2019.
- ↑ "ICM Partners Joins with Joel Madden To Form Artist Representation Initiative". Pollstar. July 31, 2019.
- ↑ Aswad, Jem (July 31, 2019). "Good Charlotte's Joel Madden Teams With ICM Partners for Artist Development Venture". Variety.
- ↑ Aswad, Jem (July 31, 2019). "Good Charlotte's Joel Madden Teams With ICM Partners for Artist Development Venture". Variety.
- ↑ Pittman, Sarah (August 20, 2020). "Streampunks: How Veeps, Via Good Charlotte's Joel & Benji Madden, Is Generating Millions For Artists". Pollstar.
- ↑ Chang, Rachel (March 31, 2020). "Good Charlotte's Joel Madden Talks Coronavirus Quarantine Life—and Why He Launched a Digital Platform for Musicians". Forbes.
- ↑ Aswad, Jem (July 31, 2019). "Good Charlotte's Joel Madden Teams With ICM Partners for Artist Development Venture". Variety.
- ↑ "Pollstar Live! Digital Session: Good Charlotte's Benji and Joel Madden, Co-Founders Of MDDN And Veeps". Pollstar. August 18, 2020.
- ↑ "Chase Atlantic Biography". AllMusic.
- ↑ "Signing Story: Chase Atlantic". Music Connection.
- ↑ "Artists". MDDN.
- ↑ "Producers". MDDN.
- ↑ "Studio Spotlight: The Boom Boom Room". Studio Expresso.
- ↑ Pittman, Sarah (August 20, 2020). "Streampunks: How Veeps, Via Good Charlotte's Joel & Benji Madden, Is Generating Millions For Artists". Pollstar.
- ↑ Smith, Troy L. (January 25, 2022). "Alternative Press is no longer a Cleveland magazine". The Plain Dealer – via Cleveland.com.
- ↑ "BrooklynVegan, Alt Press Hit With Mass Layoffs". Pitchfork. 2026-08-05.