JOY MACHINE RECORDS is a record label seeking to change the way we think about theater music. We call ourselves Joy Machine because we love making records. The music we release embraces the joy of authenticity, both in style and genre for today’s artists and audiences. Our focus on process and collaboration stems from our collective experience in the recorded music industry as well as our work on Broadway. Our hands-on approach to each project allows artists at every level to develop their own voice. Artists will be greeted with kindness and transparency as they explore the best solutions for their unique musical projects. Our services provide the ability for artists who have typically worked within the space of musical theater to explore where they fit within the recorded music industry. We are a company of theater music artists for today.
We are a full service record label with the ability to record, produce, market, and distribute all ranges of Cast Recordings and concept albums.
We work with established artists to record, produce, market and distribute their original music as well as any covers they may wish to release.
So much of the way music is consumed has changed over the past decade. We partner with composers, artists, and developing musicals to release singles and EPs to promote their work.
We are committed to seeking out and working with emerging artists and composers through various collaborations, including our Launching Pad program.
We offer three tiers of support for musical development through demos to provide quality recorded materials for artists seeking to market and amplify their shows.
“Joy Machine” may churn like a machine, but it’s the people who make the joy. Will Van Dyke helped turn my messy demos into something sparkling and professional. “Joy Machine People” is more like it.
IAN KAGEY is a music producer and Grammy-Award winning recording engineer who has worked on numerous cast recordings including Into the Woods (2022 revival - Grammy-Award winner), Shucked (Grammy-Nominated), Sweeney Todd (2023 revival - Grammy-Nominated), Merrily We Roll Along (2023 revival), Here We Are, A Beautiful Noise, Come From Away (Grammy-Nominated), Hundred Days and Be More Chill. Ian has also done extensive work for television and film including West Side Story, Tick Tick Boom, Up Here and Harlem. Ian is co-owner with producer/engineer Derik Lee of Renaissance Recording located in the historic Film Center building.
@iankagey or www.iankagey.com
SONNY PALADINO was most recently the Music Supervisor, Arranger, Orchestrator and Conductor for the Broadway Musical A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. Other credits: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of1812, Getting the Band Back Together, and the off-Broadway revival of Smokey Joe’s Café. Sonny has done arrangements and orchestrations for orchestras across the United States. TV: Disney’s Encore!, TheX-Factor (Australia), The Next Big Thing. Sonny is a founding member and arranger of the hit group The Doo Wop Project. As a record producer: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Getting the Band Back Together, four albums with The Doo Wop Project, as well as various projects for solo artists.
@sonnypaladino or www.sonnypaladino.com
BRIAN USIFER Broadway credits include The Heart of Rock and Roll (Music Supervision, Arrangements, Orchestrations) A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical (Arrangements, Orchestrations), Disney’s Frozen (Music Director, Additional Arrangements), Kinky Boots (Music Director, Additional Arrangements, Associate Music Supervisor - Tour, London and Toronto) and The Book of Mormon (Associate Music Supervisor). Other highlights include Chess at the Kennedy Center, Swept Away at Berkeley Rep and Arena Stage, Afterwords at Seattle 5th Ave, and Mr. Chickee's Funny Money at the Atlantic, Bobby and Kristen Lopez American Songbook, NBC’s Annie Live, and The Wiz Live.
@brianusifer or www.brianusifer.com
WILL VAN DYKE is a Grammy-nominated music producer, songwriter, music supervisor, orchestrator, and arranger working in theater, television, and film. Will served as the EMP for the film Theater Camp. Will has penned the score to shows at regional theaters across the United States. He currently serves as the Music Director of Swept Away on Broadway as well as the Music Supervisor, Orchestrator and Arranger for the hit revival of Little Shop of Horrors. Other credits: The Heart of Rock and Roll, Pretty Woman: The Musical, Fly, Kinky Boots, Rent, The Addams Family, Grease, and Wicked. Will writes musicals with Jeff Talbott and has a band.
@wvdmusic or www.wvdmusic.com
January 10, 2025
A quartet of behind-the-scenes Broadway veterans started Joy Machine Records to support developing shows and voices.
January 7, 2025
The concept album for the new musical will be released in January.
December 3, 2024
Check out a behind-the-scenes video of the making of the album here!