Independent label · Virgin Music Group
CrankedUpRecords
Cranked Up Records is an independent country and indie rock label in Carlsbad, New Mexico, distributed worldwide by Virgin Music Group. Radio, film, the road, and Cranked Up Studios West in Los Angeles — not a press release and a handshake.
Out now
Dangerous
Black Lysted
Listen
Black Lysted/The Don Tanner Band/Kim Kline/Raymond Orta/9 Left Dead/Rivethead/Cordell Winter/Kaos Bender/Jonni Law/Davy Williamson/Scott Owen/Jarrett Raymond/Sleep/less/Brian Walters/Black Lysted/The Don Tanner Band/Kim Kline/Raymond Orta/9 Left Dead/Rivethead/Cordell Winter/Kaos Bender/Jonni Law/Davy Williamson/Scott Owen/Jarrett Raymond/Sleep/less/Brian Walters/
Roster
The artists
Hard Rock
Black Lysted
Proven fire. New chapter.
Rock / Blues Rock
The Don Tanner Band
Youngstown steel. Worldwide September 5.
Pop / Pop-Rock
Kim Kline
“Good Girl” — September 18.
Comedy
Raymond Orta
The special. Valley comedy. Grammy-nominated.
Rock / Alternative Rock
9 Left Dead
Oklahoma volume. Award-winning film.
Industrial Metal
Rivethead
Dallas industrial. Still the loudest in the room.
Rock / Folk Rock
Cordell Winter
Chaos in light. Survival in song.
Southern Rock / Country Rock
Kaos Bender
Trailer-park rock. Veteran teeth.
Hard Rock / Classic Rock
Jonni Law
Northeast Ohio. Zero restraint.
Hard Rock / Alternative Rock
Davy Williamson
Heavy, honest, and built to last.
Country / Country Rock
Scott Owen
’90s country blood. Modern country-rock volume.
Country / Americana
Jarrett Raymond
Voice first. Songs that hold a room.
Pop-Punk / Alternative
Sleep/less
Winnipeg pop-punk. Early-2000s blood, modern edge.
Country
Brian Walters
Kentucky country. Signed 2026.
On the road
Real rooms. Real acts.
From Count's Vamp'd to South Padre — the rooms the roster actually plays.
Catalog
Releases
For artists
The work, not the pitch.
Radio. Film. The road. A Los Angeles studio. This is what signing here actually means.
Los Angeles
Cranked Up Studios West
David Dominguez. Mix, master, record. Multi-platinum credits — Weezer, Papa Roach, Staind, Guns N’ Roses. The room is open to Cranked Up artists and to anyone ready to make a real record. Call 833.721.8266.
Virgin / TLG
Global Distribution
Worldwide release through Virgin Music Group and The Label Group. Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeart, and 400+ outlets — not a dashboard you babysit.
Airplay
Radio Promotion
Founded by a nationally syndicated rock and country host. Real relationships across terrestrial, satellite, and specialty radio — not a spray-and-pray email blast.
Film
Visuals & Video
Campaigns and videos with South Town Productions. 9 Left Dead’s “Happy” took a Bronze Telly. We treat the picture like the record.
Road
Live & Tour
Two decades of promoting rooms, festivals, and radio shows. Tour placement, support slots, and a live brand — Cranked Up Live — that already has an audience.
Reach
Marketing & Audience
Playlists, social, content, and venue activation through CrankCast. The work after street date is the job. We do not disappear when the song goes live.
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From the founder · Hardcover
4 AM Truths
Chasing the Stage, Surviving the Sharks
Curtis McKinney
The music industry is a shark tank. Not the polished version you see on TV — the real one. Mattress salesmen, fake endorsements, buy-on tours, streaming math that looks like a breakthrough until it isn’t. Curtis McKinney has been on every side of it: radio, promotion, labels, live events. This book names the scams, explains why bands fail, and tells you what it actually takes to build something real — on your own terms.
Join the roster
Think your band has what it takes?
We sign craft, authenticity, and a long-term vision. If that is you, send the music.