October 13th, 2006
I am very proud to share with you an interview I conducted over email with Sonny Kay, co-owner of G.S.L. I have had the opportunity of knowing Sonny since 1994, when he booked Club 156 on the CU Boulder Campus(the school I also attended). Sonny started G.S.L. in college partly funded by student loans but has taken the label to new heights by releasing records by bands like the Locust, Mars Volta, !!!, The Faint, and more. In 2001, Omar Rodriquez, of At the Drive In and Mars Volta, became co-owner and the label has continued to flourish. G.S.L. recently left Lumberjack Mordam shortly after the merger and has been working with Red Eye Distribution. They are big advocates of vinyl and are well known for working with artists that don’t fit the cookie cutter mold most labels are known for. I have nothing but respect for Sonny Kay and have since I first met him.
I highly recommend reading the interview as he articulates his thoughts on what he looks for in a band, marketing, and his thoughts on the merger of Lumberjack and Mordam. Thanks Sonny Kay!
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Written by Virgil Dickerson | 5 Comments
September 13th, 2006
Dr Strange Records has for some time now been a label that I have had nothing but respect for. During the years I first got excited about Independent music, Dr Strange was putting out some of my favorite bands including Zoinks!, Rhythm Collision, Schleprock, Bollweevils, ManDingo, and more. While starting Suburban Home, I interviewed Dr Strange bands, I reviewed Dr Strange releases, and went to every show in town featuring a Dr Strange band. As the music industry continues to change so to have Dr Strange Records. In addition to running a record label, Dr Strange also runs a brick and mortar record store, and runs a very successful mailorder business. It was an honor to interview Bill, owner of Dr Strange Records and I hope you consider taking the time to read this interview. Thanks for your time Dr Strange and I hope you continue to have success in the many endeavors you take part in.
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Written by Virgil Dickerson | 3 Comments
August 30th, 2006
I have had the opportunity of knowing Dan of Rocker Management for the past few years. We have shared a number of discussions about the music industry, labels, and bands. We helped distribute a release for one of his artists, Fire When Ready, and had a few conversations about possibly releasing their next album on Suburban Home. One of Dan’s newest artists, Damiera, just inked a deal with super big indie label, Equal Vision, and I thought this would make for a good interview with Dan. Dan sheds some light on getting Damiera signed to Equal Vision, what bands can do to get the attention of record labels and managers, and even tips for those of you considering managing artists. Dan is one of the good guys in this crazy industry and I highly recommend you read this interview. And bands, Dan is looking to work with some new artists. If after reading, you think that Dan’s want list fits your band, try getting in touch. Thanks dan!
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Written by Virgil Dickerson | 4 Comments
August 21st, 2006
Those of you that keep up with IndieHQ know that from time to time, I mention Lumberjack Mordam Music Group. In early 2005, Lumberjack did the unthinkable and merged with Mordam Distribution. This was quite possibly one of the biggest things to have happened in independent music and everyone had an opinion on how the merger would go. I actually went to the label meetings in Las Vegas and sat in on a number of panels which included the plans the newly formed Lumberjack Mordam Music Group had in store. I must admit that I was impressed. A lot has happened in the year and a half since sitting in on those panels and unfortunately, there has been a fair share of bad news. A number of labels have since left. Labels like Jade Tree, Death Wish, AF Records, G.S.L., Level Plane, 31G, Ace Fu, Load, Facedown, File 13, and others left and entred into new distribution deals with distributors like Red, Red Eye, Touch and Go/ADA, and Caroline. The good news is that LMMG are forging ahead and continuing to be add up and coming indie labels. I hope the best for them and the independent ideals they represent.
I was recently contacted by Tim Hinsley, president and COO at LMMG, regarding my posts on IndieHQ. He thanked me for the press, good or bad, regarding Lumberjack. I took this as an opportunity to put together an interview with Tim and he was more than kind enough to put together well thought-out answers for my many queries. I highly recommend you read this interview whether you are an indie band, smaller label, or just a curious music fan. Tim has a lot of interesting things to say about indie distribution, the CD format, and getting picked up for distribution. Thanks Tim and LMMG!
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Written by Virgil Dickerson | 5 Comments
June 27th, 2006
If you were to ask me to name one person who inspired me to start a label and dedicate my life to independent music, without hesitation, I would say Mike Park. Mike Park and his band at the time, Skankin Pickle, would always travel through Colorado and I still remember the first time I saw them. It was 1993 at the Mercury Café and my world was turned upside down. I was always passionate about music, but it wasn’t til I saw Skankin Pickle that I realized that independent music offered so much more than a soundtrack. After the show, I was able to introduce myself to Mike and he was so incredibly nice. Since that first performance, I made sure to see them play nearly every time they came to Colorado. I purchased their albums which they self-released on Dill Records. I purchased records by unknown bands(at the time) they also released like Less than Jake, Slapstick, and Tantra Monsters. When I started Suburban Home, I built a rapport with Mike and his newly formed Asian Man Records. He put out releases like Link 80, the Misfits of Ska, and another one of his projects, the Bruce Lee Band.
Mike is an amazing individual. I have considered him a close friend for years and even asked him to perform our wedding last summer. I could not imagine a world without Mike Park and Asian Man Records and lucky for all of us, we do not have to imagine such an existence. Asian Man is celebrating 10 years as a label and I was lucky enough to get mike to answer a few questions I had for him regarding Asian Man and the music industry. Please read the interview and please consider supporting everything Mike does. At a time when indies act as though they are majors, it is refreshing to see someone so passionate about being a small, independent label.
And on a side note, if any of you speak to Mike, tell him he needs to record his under the influence record for Suburban Home!
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Written by Virgil Dickerson | 10 Comments
June 23rd, 2006
Every once in a while, you see a site or an idea, and you think, “Damn, why didn’t I think of that first?” Daytrotter is one of those ideas. I was lucky enough to have heard about the Daytrotter site recently and it got me really excited. Daytrotter is a site ran by a group of talented, interesting people who decided to work with independent, touring bands by putting them in the studio to record 4 songs. The bands are able to rework existing songs, lay down new songs, or do whatever their heart desires. And the kicker is that when the songs are all done, the kind folks at Daytrotter give the songs away through free downloads on their site. I know, it sounds too good to be true, but guess what? It is in fact happening and you can go there right now and download really great sessions by bands like Sunset Rubdown(Absolutely Kosher), Hockey Night(Lookout), Somone still Loves You Boris Yeltsen (Polyvinyl), and most recently Casey Dienel. They post new sessions every Sunday night and have upcoming recordings from French Kicks, Two Gallants, Maritime, Oakley Hall and Tigersaw to name a few.
I interviewed Sean Moeller of Daytrotter who happens to be a fan of Deadwood and best of all, is a fan of Drag the River! He was very kind and prompt in answering all of my questions,
Please read the interview and when you are done, check out the Daytrotter site. These guys are doing some of the coolest things in independent music!
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Written by Virgil Dickerson | 4 Comments
June 13th, 2006
EXCLUSIVE: eMusic CEO Speaks Out On DRM And Consumer Dissatisfaction [Hypebot]
I have actually been meaning to interview the folks at Emusic. Since becoming a subscriber about 6 months ago, I have nothing but praise for this digital music retailer. Emusic offers one of the best collections of independent music and best of all, it is DRM free. What does that mean? Well, that means you can play songs purchased on Emusic on any player including an Ipod, you can burn CDs, and you can share them anywhere you go. Emusic also offers one of the best deals in music as their $10 per month subscription includes 40 downloads which ends up being 25 cents per song. Their catalog includes all our (Suburban Home) catalog plus the catalogs of labels like Matador, Epitaph, Jade Tree, SST, Lookout, Anti, Militia Group, and so much more.
Hypebot asks some very interesting questions and David provides really great answers. I recommend reading the interview and recommend joining Emusic. Click our Emusic banner and we get paid for you trying 25 free downloads!
Written by Virgil Dickerson | 2 Comments
April 30th, 2006
CD Baby is a remarkable company that I have held a lot of admiration for. They have helped indie/unsigned bands since 1997 providing a space for bands to sell their music online. CD Baby has grown so much since those early days and in addition to providing online retail space, they help indie/unsigned artists sell their music on digital retail spaces like Itunes, Emusic, Rhapsody, and more. And most recently, they have added brick and mortar distribution to their arsenal of services with a deal with Super Discount CDs, a one-stop distributor who will help CD Baby artists get their music into as many as 1400 different stores. Since their beginning, they have paid out over 25 million dollars to indie artists and can boast having over 85,000 artists that have sold over 2 million cds. Alex Steininger, Vice President of Marketing and Business Relations at CD Baby was kind enough to answer some questions for IndieHQ. Thanks to Alex and CD Baby and for those of you that are looking for distribution outlets for your music, CDbaby could be your best bet.
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Written by Virgil Dickerson | 2 Comments
March 21st, 2006
Equal Vision Records started in the early 1990s as a vehicle to distribute Shelter’s releases. The label has come a long way since those days. They have since been responsible for releases by such successful acts as Converge, Saves the Day, Coheed and Cambria, Bane, and Refused. They are currently home to a whole new wave of bands playing some of the most exciting music in independent music including Circa Survive, Fear Before the March of Flames, Armor For Sleep, Fall of Troy, Good Clean Fun, and so much more.
I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview Dan Sandshaw of Equal Vision Records. Dan has worked for EVR for the past 8 years and serves as A&R (Artist and Repertoire) for many of the biggest past and present acts on the label. His answers are very interesting especially regarding what he looks for in a band and which bands were signed to EVR from demos(you would never believe who!). A big thanks goes to Dan for taking the time to answer these questions.
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Written by Virgil Dickerson | No Comments
February 28th, 2006
Last week, I wrote a post mentioning how Last.fm could become a great promotion tool for your band/label. Last.fm is the future of social-networking. They offer a plug-in that allows your profile to keep tally of what you play most often and in doing so, last.fm can offer you recommendations based on what other users’ listening habits are. They also have last.fm radio which allows you to stream songs by artists you might like based on your most played tracks. This is a great site for any music fan, but the biggest potential lies for bands and labels. You can upload your music, write journals, and see stats on who listens to your music. You can also network with users and recommend your music as well as create banner ad campaigns that target people who would like your music. There are already over one million users and that number is growing daily.
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Written by Virgil Dickerson | 7 Comments
