Status of Stolen Transmission Unclear

The status of record label Stolen Transmission remains unclear in the wake of staff cuts at Island/Def Jam. The independently minded sub-division of the major label was founded by IDJ A&R rep, Rob Stevenson, and music blogger Sarah Lewitinn (aka Ultragrrrl) and has released albums by the likes of The Oohlas and Bright Light Fever. When it was announced on December 3 that Stevenson would be let go, amongst those major staff cuts at IDJ, Lewitinn posted on her blog that Stolen Transmission would become independent.

Stolen Transmission started IN MY BEDROOM as an indie label putting out hand made cds of bands that me and Rob Stevenson believed in. We werent funded back then, and we were really happy. We did everything because of how much we loved music. Now that I've had my experience with Island/Def Jam, I know how to actually do what's necessary to release an album and develop artists.... We plan on continuing with Stolen Transmission and are really excited to be returning to our indie roots.

Later in the week, however, a source told Billboard that "Lewitinn jumped the gun when she wrote her posts over the weekend. At this point, Stolen Transmission is still an IDJ venture, and the expectation is that it will remain a venture."