Next Plateau Entertainment

Background

1980s

Seminal, New-York-based indie Next Plateau began in the early 1980s and immediately attracted trendsetting writers and producers, such as John Robie, who had a major hand in introducing pop-oriented electronic music to American dance floors through his productions of C-bank’s “One More Shot,” and “Get Wet,” as well as his groundbreaking “Planet Rock” record. The company transitioned into the 1980s emerging freestyle scene and signed such luminary acts as Sweet Sensation, which had a smash hit with “I’m Hooked On You”. Next Plateau then advanced onto the burgeoning hip hop landscape, and signed some of the cutting-edge artists and trendsetters of this decade and genre, including DJ Red Alert, Kings of Pressure, O.C., and Crazy Eddie from the Fearless Four, as well as Salt-n-Pepa, the underground divas who became iconic international stars.

1990s

During the 1990s Next Plateau made its move into mainstream music by blasting radio hit after radio hit onto the Top 10 of the American and international airwaves, with Paperboy’s “Ditty”; Sybil’s “Don’t Make Me Over” and “Walk On By”; Boy Krazy’s “That’s What Love Can Do”; KWS’s “Please Don’t Go”; and the ever-evolving Salt ‘N’ Pepa with its numerous hits, which included “Let’s Talk About Sex,” “Push It,” “Shoop,” and “Whatta Man,” along with 12 million album and 15 million single sales.

In 1992, Next Plateau was distributed by PolyGram until 1996 when distribution was switched to Roadrunner Records, which was at the time was distributed by RED Distribution until the company's assets (excluding the company's name) was sold to PolyGram, Roadrunner, and Warner/Chappell Music in 1999.

2000s

Next Plateau was restarted in 2004, and with his ear still to the street, company founder Eddie O’Loughlin discovered Latino dance-music twins Nina Sky, whose debut single, “Move Your Body,” was a top-5 mainstream worldwide hit; Next Plateau once again became the home of electro, dance, and trance recordings percolating at the clubs. Today, the company is firmly established as a destination for DJs, producers, and artists.

Always poised to discover and recognize the next cultural/musical moment, as exemplified by being the catalyst for bringing the new hit TV show THE VOICE and Madcon with its gold-selling single “Beggin” to Universal Republic Records, Next Plateau’s Eddie O’Loughlin has an A&R consultancy role in selecting the artists, songs, and producers for this enormously successful NBC television show that was picked up for a second season after only two airings.

Founder

Eddie O’Loughlin is the president and founder of Next Plateau Entertainment and previously co-founded the successful Midland International Records for RCA. O’Loughlin has a reputation for being a hands-on music executive. International stars and Grammy winners discovered by him include John Travolta; Carol Douglas; Silver Convention; Jenny Burton; Sharon Brown; Salt-n-Pepa, Paperboy, Sybil, Sweet Sensation, KWS, Boy Krazy, Nina Sky, Patrizio, Madcon, and ringtone star the Crazy Frog, among others who combined have garnered over 40 gold and platinum RIAA certifications.

Eddie O, as he is known in the business, is a member of ASCAP, a voting member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Grammy organization NARAS. Currently O’Loughlin is a Senior A&R Consultant for the Mark Burnett NBC TV show THE VOICE. In addition to discovering and overseeing singers, producers, and songs for this show, Eddie is the creative driving force behind Next Plateau’s rise to being one of the leading US dance-music labels in the country. Attracting the best DJ’s, producers, and artists of a genre, Eddie O’Loughlin has a unique take and has made a distinctive mark on the music community.

Current

Former

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