Disney Acquires Mammoth Records

The Walt Disney Co. on Monday purchased the alternative label Mammoth Records in its latest bid to bolster its struggling music business.

In buying Carrboro, N.C.-based Mammoth, Disney picks up not only a few promising acts, but Mammoth founder and president Jay Faires.

With Mammoth, Faires has cultivated popular and profitable bands such as Squirrel Nut Zippers, whose album “Hot” went gold featuring a sound reminiscent of the Big Band era.

“We’re going to maintain our culture … but I think there’s leverages you get with being with a bigger company,” Faires said.

“Whether it’s one of my artists writing a song for a hit TV show at ABC to help his career … or doing a soundtrack for the next ‘Pulp Fiction,’ those are the kinds of benefits that could catapult us to becoming a major record company,” he said.