Marc Costanzo

Marc Francis Costanzo (born August 1, 1972) is a Canadian singer, musician, music publishing executive and the co-lead vocalist of the alternative rock group Len. Costanzo and his older sister, Sharon Costanzo, formed Len in 1991, although the group has featured a revolving lineup of touring and studio musicians since its formation. In 1999, they released their third album, You Can't Stop the Bum Rush, which went platinum in the US and featured the platinum-selling single "Steal My Sunshine".

Marc Costanzo
Born
Marc Francis Costanzo

(1972-08-01) August 1, 1972
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Other namesBurger Pimp
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • record producer
  • music publisher
Years active1991–present
RelativesSharon Costanzo (sister)
Musical career
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Labels

Early life/Personal life

Born in Montreal, Costanzo moved with his family to Toronto in the early 1990s.[1] He is of half Italian and half English descent.

Music career

Len

Costanzo and his sister formed the pop duo Len in the early 1990s, and, with various touring and studio musicians, released several albums and singles over the next few years.[2] The group self-released two studio albums, Superstar (1995) and Get Your Legs Broke (1997), through Costanzo's label, Funtrip Records. The band's third album, You Can't Stop the Bum Rush (1999), was more hip hop oriented, and Costanzo toured using the stage name Burger Pimp.[3][4] Costanzo wrote several hits over the years, including "Steal My Sunshine", which Costanzo also produced and which contains samples of "More, More, More" by Andrea True Connection. Released as a single, "Steal My Sunshine" became an international hit[5][6] and was nominated for a Juno Award in 2000.[7]

Since then, they have released two more albums: The Diary of the Madmen (2005) and It's Easy If You Try (2012). In 2012, Costanzo appeared in the last Len video, "It's My Neighbourhood", featuring scenes of Toronto.[8]

Publishing

Over the years, Marc has been a music publishing executive and has owned several music publishing entities in the US and Canada, specializing in emerging artists and songwriters.[9] Costanzo served as Senior Creative at EMI Music Publishing and signed a number of multi-platinum acts and writers, including Deryck Whibley from Sum 41[10][11] and Junior Sanchez.

His current venture, Inside Music Publishing, with offices in Toronto and Nashville,[12] has interest and ownership of catalog publishing rights totaling more than 35 million albums sold.[9]

Accolades

Costanzo has won several awards, including three MMVA awards as a music video director, two as an artist, a Billboard Music Award, and several ASCAP awards as a songwriter. He was a co-composer of the song "Reckless", which won the 2007 International Songwriting Competition.[13]

References
  1. Kane, Laura (October 23, 2012). "Remember Len? One-hit wonder Toronto band is back with new music". Toronto Star.
  2. Helman, Peter (May 19, 2016). "Behind The Music: Steal My Sunshine". Stereogum.
  3. Harrington, Richard (October 11, 1999). "The Crew's All Here". The Washington Post. p. C01.
  4. Quinlan, Thomas (February 1, 2000). "Len Bumrush The Sound". Exclaim!.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition: Complete Chart Information about America's Most Popular Songs and Artists, 1955-2009. Random House Digital, Inc. p. 376. ISBN 978-0-8230-8554-5. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  6. Golombek, Jamie (May 12, 2017). "Tax man steals this musician's sunshine for good reasons". Financial Post.
  7. Jennings, Nicholas (March 13, 2000). "Rocking Good News". Maclean's. p. 64.
  8. Kupferman, Steve (October 16, 2012). "Len, a Neglected Local One-Hit Wonder, Releases a New Toronto-Centric Music Video". Torontoist.
  9. Bliss, Karen (June 24, 2020). "Publishing: Marc Costanzo and Inside Music Nashville". SOCAN. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  10. LeBlanc, Larry (January 29, 2000). "EMI Publishing Canada shines on". Billboard. p. 66. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  11. Berman, Sarah (April 12, 2016). "CanCon Rules Put a Lot of Weird Teens on Television in the 90s". Vice.
  12. Nicholson, Jessica (April 8, 2020). "Kory Caudill Launches Inside Music Nashville". MusicRow. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  13. "Cancon shines at International Songwriting Competition". CBC. March 29, 2007.
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