Not that fans would need much convincing to drop their Chunky Monkeys. ''There's really not a big din of 'sellout,''' notes John Athayde, cofounder of nancies.org, one of the 11-year-old group's most popular fansites. Even pricey memorabilia like a $139 hemp jacket doesn't rankle diehards. ''Most of the early Dave fans were [University of Virginia] fraternity kids,'' says Athayde. ''These kids are looking to make $100,000 a year, so if their favorite band can [make] that in one show, then great.''
Those same Dave disciples also helped make a surprise hit of David Gray's ''White Ladder.'' The 2001 disc was released on BMG subsidiary According to Our Records -- a label founded in 1999 by Matthews, manager Coran Capshaw, and business partners Michael McDonald and Chris Tetzeli. Matthews plugged ''Ladder'' extensively in interviews, and early copies were stickered with his endorsement. ''I don't think anybody else would have worked [the album] for so long,'' says Gray's manager, Rob Holden. ''They're motivated by a love for the music.'' Of course, a healthy payoff doesn't hurt: ''Ladder'' has sold more than one million copies. (Other ATO artists -- such as singer-songwriters Chris Whitley and Ben Kweller -- have garnered critical kudos but fallen short of platinum sales.)
Matthews' latest enterprise might surprise the concert-and-kegger crowd. In late 2001, ATO launched a film division with plans to produce a handful of movies per year. First up is ''Amandla!,'' which follows anti-apartheid musicians in South Africa (the title means ''power'' in Xhosa) and is due in theaters by year's end. Director Lee Hirsch wasn't worried about selling his work to a cinematic neophyte: ''The partnership could allow a film like this to reach his fan base, which traditionally may not be a documentary or art-house audience.''
Besides, Matthews offers benefits few film veterans can match. ATO plans to distribute two soundtrack albums, one featuring South African artists from the film paired with Western musicians (Wyclef Jean is among the performers who have been approached). There's even talk of mounting a touring stage show.
With this crush of entrepreneurialism, is it possible that Matthews will become the true king of all media? ''That's in the plans,'' laughs ATO president McDonald, ''but I can't talk about that now.'' Note to Howard Stern: Watch your back.
Additional reporting by Bob Cannon
