CFO$

CFO$
Also known asArcadia
Kromestatik
OriginLong Island, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Producers, songwriters, composers, mix engineers
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, drums, piano, production
Years active2012–2020
LabelsWWE Music Group, Arcade Songs

CFO$ (/ˌsiːɛfˈoʊs/) was an American songwriting and production duo consisting of John Paul Alicastro and Michael Conrad Lauri. They were primarily known for creating entrance music and program themes for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Career

CFO$ joined forces with the WWE through Arcade Songs, a record label owned by Gregg Wattenberg, when it was named Wind-Up Records back in 2012.[1] They made their musical debut on the special 1,000th episode edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, named WWE Raw 1000, which aired on July 23, 2012, when their song "The Night" was selected as the show's official main theme.[2] Shortly after, they began contributing themes for main roster WWE talent.[3]

The duo acted as WWE Music Group's executive producers and were the driving creative force behind the WWE's music department until early 2020. During their tenure, they secured two number one singles in the iTunes Soundtrack category with "The Rising Sun" for Shinsuke Nakamura[4] and "Glorious Domination" for Bobby Roode.[5] They further contributed theme songs and original scores to shows and programming which aired on the WWE Network.[6]

In February 2020, it was publicly reported that CFO$ had been in a dispute with their publisher over the previous month, due to money CFO$ states was owed to them per their publishing deal. CFO$ attempted to have WWE buy them out of their publishing deal and have them work in-house but the publisher rejected the proposal. In August 2020, CFO$ were released from their recording contract and disbanded shortly afterwards. All of the production input has since been replaced by def rebel.[7]

Television appearances

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Total Divas Themselves; Alicastro and Lauri Episode: "It's a Beautiful Life?"

Web

Year Title Role Notes
2018 WWE Ride Along Themselves; Alicastro and Lauri Episode: "Ballad of Elias and Balor Club"
2018 Walk with Elias: The Documentary Themselves; Alicastro and Lauri WWE Network mockumentary

WWE discography

Main article: WWE Music Group discography § Themes by CFO$

See also

References

  1. ^ Hyman, Dan (September 15, 2017). "When WWE Wrestlers Need Music, They Call This Industry Insider (And No. 1 Hitmaker)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  2. ^ Melok, Bobby (August 17, 2016). "Meet CFO$, the musical masterminds behind your favorite Superstar's entrance music". WWE. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Pasbani, Robert (August 18, 2017). "WWE Music Composers CFO$ Talk Favorite Metal Bands, How They Created Some Of Your Favorite Entrance Themes". Metal Injection. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  4. ^ WWE.com Staff (April 7, 2016). "Nakamura's entrance theme is the No .1 iTunes soundtrack song". WWE. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Peterborough Examiner (August 23, 2016). "Bobby Roode's music No. 1 on iTunes chart". Peterborough Examiner. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (October 3, 2018). "CFO$ Discuss Their Process In Creating Music For WWE". Fightful. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Sapp, Sean Ross (February 20, 2020). "Exclusive: Why CFO$ Isn't Working With WWE". Fightful. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2024.