The day of the independents

Chances are that, if you are in a band, the soundtrack to your life is not so much the roar of a frenzied Wembley crowd as the resounding thud of your demo landing back on your doorstep from a record label.

You guessed right. It takes a strong constitution to withstand the rigours of the music industry at the best of times. The coolest haircut, most famous girlfriend, sharpest suit, shadiest past or grooviest guitar won’t render you immune to the cruel hand that can sometimes be dealt you.

Needless to say, a major label can be a fantastic home for an artist. Bands can often, once the arse-clenchingly dramatic waiting game is over, benefit from the labours of a collective of astute, passionate and experienced team of creatives and business heads. Also, having a few quid and the weight of a slick marketing campaign behind you can make that rocky path to fame quite an adventure-packed and stylish road trip.

However, the large record label experience is not for everyone. Some bands… well, they just prefer the bus. The one they can drive themselves, that is.

The good news is that it’s not these large labels that make the music world twirl on its axis, not round these parts anyway. In Ireland, it’s impossible to fling a Whelan’s flyer across the street without hitting an independent label owner, or an artist releasing his or her own music.

Some facts for you pop pickers out there, courtesy of the Music Board of Ireland, then: in 1999, independent labels accounted for 23% of recorded music output here. Of these independent labels, one quarter operate as sole traders, and a third do it on a part time basis. Thankfully, it is estimated that by 2005, spending on recorded music in Ireland will increase to €175m. This should be very encouraging to anyone considering starting their own label. This article should provide you with all the smarts you need to be running your own empire in no time.

In other words – stick with us kids, we’ll make you stars. In your own lunchtime, at least…

The first asset you will need to establish yourself costs nothing, insofar as you are either born with a good ear or you aren’t. It’s all very well ‘having a feeling’ about your boy/girlfriend’s band, but to make any sort of impression on the industry, objectivity is key. You need to possess a certain amount of business acumen, industry knowledge, determination and passion for your product. You must be prepared to sit in the wee hours of the morning putting your records together, Blue-Peter style, and to tirelessly and shamelessly promote and develop your artists. And don’t even think about getting into the game to get laid. Pick up a guitar instead: much less hassle and a more surefire way to get results.

All the above boxes ticked? Onto the more technical aspects of the business…

As a small business, there are various ways of financing a nascent label, some of them even legal. You can hit up your family/friends, although some of them may be a little hesitant sinking money into an operation that is, statistically speaking, on the risky side. It may be worth approaching a bank about a small business loan, once you have a detailed business plan, outlining your projected sales, costs of recording, artwork, distribution and marketing.

Another option is to find a ‘business angel’ who would be willing to sink some risk capital, possibly as a tax relief exercise – but as you might imagine, these are few and far between. Organisations worth contacting specifically about business finance include Enterprise Ireland, the Chamber of Commerce and, most notably, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, who run the Business Expansion Scheme (BES) for start-up companies in the arts area.

There are other tried-and-tested ways of financing a record release – if an artist enjoys any kind of profile, revenue generated through live performance can be salted away to cover the costs of getting an album done. If you are recording your own songs, it may be an option to go for a publishing deal first (publishers then own the copyright to the compositions you create, and they collect royalties on your behalf). Six-figure-advance publishing deals signed by Irish artists have recently become the stuff of industry legend, and if your songs are of a high quality, there’s no reason why a healthy advance can’t be yours… If you are extremely lucky, placement of your music in an ad, film or TV show can be very fruitful – in fact, this activity was worth €3.5bn in 2001.

As to how much money you need to get started, the amount will vary depending on the nature of the record you want to put out. Edison Waters of Vibe Music, the label that has enjoyed success through the likes of Luke Thomas, contends that his label spent €6,000 to fund the release of Luke’s first single, which eventually hit the Irish Top 10.

“It’s quite a low figure but we do everything in-house – website design, video production, promo duplication, postering, flyering, CD design – but on top of that there are hundreds of hours of free overtime and a mountain of favours called in,” he states.

It’s best to set up a label as a limited company, which basically means that if the label goes under (oh, we KNOW it won’t!), your personal assets are safe. It doesn’t take a lot of money to register your company – normally one can be bought off the shelf for about €100.

“When we started out the original investment was around £20,000 for Schism,” says label boss Peter Fleming, who had learned the ropes as bass-player with Northern hopefuls Scheer. “This was financed by residuals/ royalties from Scheer and a tolerant bank manager! As the label progressed the company grew into other (much more profitable) sectors such as Public Relations and Event Management, which in turn helped bankroll the label. In terms of Riverman Records, we had an initial investment of six figures which was put up by investors and Riverman.”

It’s a very good idea to dig deep into those pockets and hire a lawyer and accountant. Both can ensure that everything goes smoothly and that all things financial and legal are above board, leaving you more time to concentrate on the creative aspects of getting your records out there.

As a label owner, your lawyer can be your closest ally – sorting out your label paperwork, publishing/artist/ management contracts, and generally acting as a shield from confusing industry bullshit. Feilim O’Caoimh, of top entertainment lawyers O’Donnell Sweeney (www.odonnellsweeney.ie), says that the biggest problem he has encountered is the absence of written contracts…

“Bands with a manager where the relationship is based on a handshake at 3a.m. in pub three years ago, for example!” he says. “For small start-up labels, a big problem is when they do deals with large UK and US based record labels/publishing houses and don’t get legal advice on such deals. The big guys will provide contracts drafted entirely in their favour. Such contracts are generally not simple to understand – independent labels will need the advice of a lawyer in this regard. The best way to safeguard a label from encountering legal problems is to be involved with them from the start”.

As far as possible, there should be contracts in place to suit the fledgling label, and to protect everyone involved in the start up.

“Besides, the band might need a lawyer when they throw that TV out the hotel window!” he laughs.

The next step is recording. Of course, a home studio is a good option if there’s a little cash – Damien Rice recorded his platinum-selling album, O, on a mobile recording studio. But there are plenty of recording studios and producers (check your hotpress Yearbook!) that are sufficiently dedicated to the Irish independent scene and smart and hungry enough to be able to offer services to fit your budget. Or you could make like The Frames, Berkeley and Adrian Crowley and hire the services of the Patron Saint of Dublin bands and Chicago’s finest, Steve Albini.

Once the recording is sorted, it needs to be mixed and mastered and then manufactured. Paul Waldron of Dublin’s Trend Studios, has worked with the likes of The Frames, Luka Bloom, Jerry Fish, Mic Christopher and Woodstar, as well as for RMG Chart distribution.

“The problem can be that, while the recordings are fine and each song is a masterpiece, the album does not hang together,” he explains. (Trend use the SADIE CD Mastering Suite, as used by Abbey Road and CBS, for all you pub bores).

“Slowly, the importance of mastering is dawning on musicians and producers, because the fact is that it has to be done right. Over the years we’ve received master CDs with the same track repeated twice, a song (or two!) missing, or the album in the wrong running order. We’ve had masters with loud glitches or skips, and some with tracks where the first beat of the bar is clipped…”

Kids, you have been warned…

As Trend also provide an artwork and pressing/manufacturing service, they use a team of designers with different musical interests and design instincts, ensuring that there should be someone on call to handle any style that might be demanded.

“The majority of singles make little or no money so by doing the design of the CD packaging in-house, you can reduce the cost of manufacturing,” says Edison Waters from Vibe.

On the manufacturing side, for most independent projects a pressing of 1,000 copies is recommended initially, which will normally take around ten working days to produce. But that will only ever make sense if the end result is good! Whatever you do, don’t imagine that a bit of desktop publishing makes a designer of you – there are already enough atrocious sleeves out there to wallpaper the Spike from top to bottom, thank you very much.

Drogheda-based Christopher Jennings of Design Joint, has designed for US labels such as Arista, Atlantic, Interscope, Bad Boy, East West and BMG, and has created posters and merchandise for artists as diverse as Led Zeppelin, Pantera and The Black Crowes. One of his most bizarre requests in this line of work came, unsurprisingly, from one Marilyn Manson, who requested that he devise artwork for a condom, wrapped up like an old-style lollipop on a stick.

Of the artworking process, he advises that “the first step is to identify those designers, photographers and copy writers who have the ability, experience and style to facilitate the desired image you wish to package your music with.

“Once determined, these individuals should be given your advance CD release as early as possible, in order to familiarise themselves with the music. Play it safe, include ample time for photo shoots/retouching, artwork presentations and revisions and any unforeseen delays. As the old saying goes, ‘you can’t rush art!’.”

Christopher cannot emphasize enough that communication is important between the artist and the designer.

“It’s essential that the spirit of the music is understood and represented accurately. Some bands have a definitive idea in mind, others offer a clean slate. When designing a cover sleeve, I fuel myself by listening to the advance recording, by reading the lyrics if available and, where possible, by talking to the band or artist directly.

“Remember your cover art is a visual cue by which your fan base is usually identified, your live events are promoted, and more importantly, personal emotions and memories are attached to”.

Interestingly, Christopher’s favourite Irish cover is the Cranberries’ Bury The Hatchet release, created in 1999 by Stom Thorgerson, which he describes as ‘very surrealistic’!

The next port of call should be a distributor, unless you yourself are not adverse to trawling the country on a regular basis visiting shops from Letterkenny to Killarney. A distributor like RMG Chart, whose best-selling clients last year included Mundy, David Gray, Damien Rice, Muse and Ash, is a good place to start. A good distributor offers a sales, marketing and distribution service to independent labels.

“Distribution does not just mean distributing your product to the shops. It also has to be sold correctly and ideally in sufficiently large quantities to make the charts. That’s why I sell-in the release myself, with the distributor, to insure large shipments”, says Edison.

While the point of working your own label is that you keep in control of all aspects of the production of the music, it is often wise to farm out certain duties. Says Dan Oggly of Friction PR; “It can also help free up time to concentrate on other areas. And just because you’re precious about what you do doesn’t mean you won’t find someone who is sensitive to what you do... a lot of it comes down to finding like-minded people or people who have a similar or complementary outlook and attitude.” Friction cover print, radio and TV promotion on a national and regional basis for labels like Volta Sounds, Independent Records and Bright Star Recordings. The cost of hiring this service can vary, but you should expect to set aside about €700 for it.

Although there are very few places to show promos on Irish television, a music video may also be useful in getting your record out there. Step forward the likes of Del 9 and D.A.D.D.Y., the new visual mavericks du jour who have worked on videos and visuals with Creative Controle, The Reindeer Section and Decal.

If you are living in Dublin, you will be familiar with the powerhouse that is Road Records (ww.roadrecs.com). Owners Dave Kennedy and Julie Collins (pictured) are regarded by the Dublin music cognoscenti as near-godparents and pioneers of this blossoming scene. Their shop and mail order service has been a vital part of the story of most independent artists in Dublin, and they’ve got the polaroids on the wall to prove it! Certainly, in a world in which it is increasingly difficult for lesser-known Irish outfits to claim shelf space in the bigger stores, Road provide a reliable retail outlet for indie releases.

If cash is really hard to come by there is an alternative way to get your sounds out there. Online labels have been on the increase in the US and UK (see www.607music.com), and it has been predicted by the Music Board of Ireland that by 2010, online sales could account for 46% of all music sales.

Putting together a website is relatively inexpensive, and will give you a chance to flex your creative muscle as you co-ordinate free downloads, subscriptions, mail order CD sales and internet promotions. Melaton, for example, have released internet-only singles (through their website with great success, while building up their dedicated fanbase.

Before stumbling into action, take with you some final words of inspiration, desperation and advice from your soon-to-be industry peers.

Says Angela Dorgan, CEO of the Federation of Music Collectives: “Be realistic with your expectations. Give yourself deadlines and try to stick to them. Even if you don’t reach them it’s good discipline. Be imaginative in the way you raise funds (I said imaginative, not illegal), be aware of your market, do your homework, and most importantly, don’t let anybody put you off. It’s better to have launched and lost than never having launched at all!”

While it may sound like fun rising at the crack of midday to speak with your distributor on the telephone at your own kitchen table (in your underwear if you’re so inclined), there are downsides to having your own label. Joss Moortjens, owner of Scientific Laboratories, home of Joan Of Arse and The Dudley Corporation, identifies one.

“The worst thing is probably the begging emails from people who want you to listen to their work having paid no attention to the style of music you release,” he says. “The most interesting correspondence has been from glam-metal bands. There’s been several from California who tend to be pushy about how they’re guaranteed to make you millions and, bizarrely, one from Uruguay. These are uniformly awful. I used to allow them to send CDRs to my home address until one turned up at my flat while I was hungover and insisted I listen to his CD before he left. According to his press sheet he was ‘like a young Eric Clapton or Paul Weller with excellent songwriting skills’”.

On the upside, Peter Fleming, who numbers Pulzar, Asterix and Lima among his charges at Schism, hits the point home about what keeps him sane in this business; “Aside from the obvious artistic validation, it’s a sheer joy to watch a demo tape evolve into a finished product. When the band goes out on the road and people hopefully like it and buy the record, it’s a great triumph”.

And that, my friends, should give you enough ammo to get out there and get your label off the ground. If you are a struggling musician, those scornful pitying looks from family and friends could well be a thing of the past as they embrace your new career as entrepreneur and man-about-town. Once you are prepared to put the work in, the pearl of fame and infamy can be yours. Remember, anyone can start a label or talk about starting a label, but your motto has to be, in the words of the Great Man himself, “a little less conversation, a little more action”…

Or maybe, in the words of the OTHER Great Man: ‘I did it myyyyyyyy waaaaaayyyy….’