P.O.D. Explains Split With Label

Launch Radio Networks reports: Changes at P.O.D.'s label, mostly personnel, led to the band leaving Atlantic Records after eight years with the company. A message posted by the band at its web site notes that "We've been proud to be Atlantic recording artists, but it's not the same place anymore." The band added that "For most of our stay, we were blessed by a staff that was gracious towards our vision, faith, and love of music... resulting in more than 7 million records sold. It's time to dream again with a new staff and we leave with grateful hearts." P.O.D. has not revealed any future plans.

While promoting this year's "Testify", P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval told Launch about the group's dissatisfaction with the label. "All the people got fired, all of a sudden everybody that set up the record, well, now nobody's there, and all the top dogs are gone, and it's like, so they have no personal attachment to the record. Why are they gonna work it if they had nothing to do with it? And that's kind of their mentality."

P.O.D. was with Atlantic for four albums and two EPs. The band signed with Atlantic in 1998, after selling more than 40,000 copies of its independently released EPs. The group's Atlantic debut, "The Fundamental Elements of Southtown", came out in 1999 and went platinum, while 2001's "Satellite" was a multi-platinum success. But the group felt that personnel changes at Atlantic were responsible for recent sales dips — 520,000 copies of 2003's "Payable On Death" were sold, but only 210,000 copies of the recent "Testify".

P.O.D. next performs on Saturday (August 19) after the San Diego Padres-Arizona Diamondbacks game at San Diego's PetCo Park.