Record Label to Promote Gay Artists

The recording industry is coming out of the closet.

Sony Music said it was launching the first major music label dedicated to nurturing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender artists.

The label, Music With a Twist, is a joint venture with Wilderness Media & Entertainment, a company led by Matt Farber, who founded MTV Networks’ new gay and lesbian channel Logo, which is available in an estimated 20 million homes.

The label also comes as Wilderness Media plans this weekend to launch a syndicated national radio show called Twist targeting the gay and “gay-adjacent” communities, debuting on FM stations and the Web.

The weekly two-hour radio show will feature music, celebrity interviews, entertainment reports, relationship and lifestyle advice, and news in a “morning show” format.

“It’s an idea whose time has come,” Farber said, referring to the expansion of gay-themed media properties.

Music With a Twist’s roster will feature gay artists who have mass appeal and hit potential across all musical genres, he said. The label will collaborate with Sony Music’s other U.S. labels and divisions. Sony Music is part of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann.