EA establishes new music label

Electronic Arts has teamed up with Nettwerk One Music to establish a new music label which will be based in Los Angeles and will operate under the name Artwerk.

The company will seek to sign both unknown and established artists from around the globe for publishing, recording and distribution deals.

Artwerk's first signing is Junkie XL, who has previously produced songs for EA games Madden NFL '07 and Need for Speed: Carbon. Future artists who join the label will also have their music appear in EA titles, as well as through film and distribution channels.

"For the past five years EA has been instrumental in breaking new artists, but we have been limited in our ability to grow them," said Steve Schur, worldwide executive of music and marketing at EA.

"With Artwerk, we can now directly sign, develop and launch artists for publishing, master recordings, sync deals and beyond. With Nettwerk, we are once again partnered with the most visionary team in the industry. And with Junkie XL as our premier signing, we are enormously excited about the future."

EA first teamed up with Nettwerk in November 2005, when the two companies established digital music distribution label EA Recordings. A year previously the publisher had launched Next Level Music, a joint venture with Cherry Lane Music.