Bohlen said that the band and Jade Tree "became more or less synonymous," and they wanted to distance themselves from the record label's sound. Another issue was Jade Tree's reluctance to license the Promise Ring's releases to labels in other countries.
Bohlen asserted that the band and Jade Tree had become so intertwined that they sought to break free from the label's musical identity.  Jade Tree's reluctance to distribute the Promise Ring's music internationally was another point of contention.