Marc Costanzo
{{short description|Canadian singer (born 1972)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Marc Costanzo
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Marc Francis Costanzo
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|08|01}}
| birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| relatives = Sharon Costanzo (sister)
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Singer-songwriter
- {{nowrap|record producer}}
- music publisher
}}
| other_names = Burger Pimp
| years_active = 1991–present
| awards =
| website =
| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| genre = {{flatlist|
- Alternative rock
- indie pop
- {{nowrap|rap rock}}
- hip hop
}}
| instrument = {{flatlist|
- Vocals
- guitar
}}
| label = {{flatlist|
}}
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
}}
}}
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".
Early life
Born in Montreal, Costanzo moved with his family to Toronto in the early 1990s.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2012/10/23/remember_len_onehit_wonder_toronto_band_is_back_with_new_music.html |title=Remember Len? One-hit wonder Toronto band is back with new music |last=Kane |first=Laura |work=Toronto Star |date=October 23, 2012}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1877413/behind-the-music-steal-my-sunshine/franchises/weird-90s |title=Behind The Music: Steal My Sunshine |last=Helman |first=Peter |website=Stereogum |date=May 19, 2016}} 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.{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-10/11/024r-101199-idx.html |title=The Crew's All Here |last=Harrington |first=Richard |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 11, 1999 |page=C01}}{{cite web |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/len-bumrush_sound |title=Len Bumrush The Sound |last=Quinlan |first=Thomas |website=Exclaim! |date=February 1, 2000}} 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{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition: Complete Chart Information about America's Most Popular Songs and Artists, 1955-2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EW9RsB0a0oAC&pg=PA376 |access-date=August 29, 2011 |year=2010 |publisher=Random House Digital, Inc. |isbn=978-0-8230-8554-5 |page=376}}{{cite web |url=https://business.financialpost.com/personal-finance/tax-man-steals-this-musicians-sunshine-for-good-reasons |title=Tax man steals this musician's sunshine for good reasons |website=Financial Post |last=Golombek |first=Jamie |date=May 12, 2017}} and was nominated for a Juno Award in 2000.{{cite web |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/2000/3/13/rocking-good-news |title=Rocking Good News |last=Jennings |first=Nicholas |website=Maclean's |page=64 |date=March 13, 2000}}
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.{{cite web |url=https://torontoist.com/2012/10/len-a-neglected-local-one-hit-wonder-releases-a-new-toronto-centric-music-video |title=Len, a Neglected Local One-Hit Wonder, Releases a New Toronto-Centric Music Video |last=Kupferman |first=Steve |website=Torontoist |date=October 16, 2012}}
=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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/publishing-marc-costanzo-and-inside-music-nashville |title=Publishing: Marc Costanzo and Inside Music Nashville |last=Bliss |first=Karen |date=June 24, 2020 |website=SOCAN |access-date=November 22, 2021 |language=en-US}} 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{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wg0EAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Marc+Costanzo%22&pg=RA1-PA66 |title=EMI Publishing Canada shines on |last=LeBlanc |first=Larry |date=January 29, 2000 |magazine=Billboard |page=66 |access-date=August 29, 2011}}{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/8ge7ga/cancon-rules-put-a-lot-of-weird-teens-on-television-in-the-90s |title=CanCon Rules Put a Lot of Weird Teens on Television in the 90s |last=Berman |first=Sarah |website=Vice |date=April 12, 2016}} and Junior Sanchez.
His current venture, Inside Music Publishing, with offices in Toronto and Nashville,{{Cite web |url=https://musicrow.com/2020/04/kory-caudill-launches-inside-music-nashville |title=Kory Caudill Launches Inside Music Nashville |last=Nicholson |first=Jessica |date=April 8, 2020 |website=MusicRow |access-date=November 22, 2021 |language=en-US}} has interest and ownership of catalog publishing rights totaling more than 35 million albums sold.
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.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/cancon-shines-at-international-songwriting-competition-1.665937 |title=Cancon shines at International Songwriting Competition |website=CBC |date=March 29, 2007}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Len (band)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costanzo, Marc}}
Category:Canadian people of Italian descent
Category:Canadian music video directors
Category:Canadian record producers
Category:Singers from Montreal