ADVICE FROM TODAY'S MOST ENGAGING INDIE RECORD LABELS

RUNNING A RECORD LABEL

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ALBUM LEAD
SUB POP RECORDS SUBPOP.COM

TIMES
Sub Pop likes to have the masters in hand approximately 22 weeks from
their release date. This allows a generous lead-time to create a music
video, press vinyl, and to advance the album to the press.

When it comes to the length of time between announcing an album

and when it’s actually released, Carly says, “we’ve been playing
around with our album lead times – now we’re leaning more towards
10 – 8 weeks. It seems like it’s become increasingly difficult to
keep people engaged for a solid 12 weeks.”

Generous lead-times provide a cushion for when things go wrong

and gives your team more time to create marketing ideas and
content that will support the release.

LABEL: SUB POP RECORDS

INTERVIEWEE: CARLY STARR
EPISODE: ORL018
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BUILD
ASTHMATIC KITTY ASTHMATICKITTY.COM

INLETS
“I think that we’ve been tricked by tech platforms into thinking that they are
permanent solutions... I think we should shed any illusion that any one is
our buddy, or that Spotify is going to be here forever. They (Spotify) are
personalizing and outsourcing the playlist curation to AI, so you can throw
a bunch of money on something and create a business around a certain
direction but I think it’s a waste of time. You have to build permanence
around structures which you can control which is quality, integrity of your
business, financial sustainability. Beyond that, you hold it loosely.”

“How do we build as many inlets to (the artists’) music as possible

so that if one closes up, it’s a little bit of a lost, but its not going to
kill us. We can’t throw ourselves at a platform disingenuously and betray
the quality of our music just because some platform is going to put it on a
playlist for a week.”

LABEL: ASTHMATIC KITTY RECORDS

INTERVIEWEE: JOHN BEELER
EPISODE: ORL022
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STARTING
A LABEL
“Honestly, one of the biggest hurdles was coming up with a name.
Finding a name and the right logo took us so long. We wanted something
that sounded strong and tough but ultimately after a certain point, words
take on a new meaning when they are attached to a label or a culture.
We were checking first on social media, domains, trademarks, xyz –
which I recommend people do, especially with band names – to see
what was available. I encourage all artists [and labels] to double-check
that their name is not used by somebody else.”

BAYONET RECORDS BAYONETRECORDS.COM LABEL: BAYONET RECORDS

INTERVIEWEE: KATIE GARCIA
EPISODE: ORL019
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FATHER/DAUGHTER RECORDS FATHERDAUGHTERRECORDS.COM

IT'S HARD
“I don’t think it’s benefiting anyone to not know that it’s hard to run an
indie label. It really is. You run out of money, you owe people money
on invoices, you work so hard for a year on something and it doesn’t
take off the way you were expecting and you’re in the hole. If we keep
putting this shine on a label, that you get signed and you get mon-
ey and every thing’s perfect, it’s not reality. And then our artists get a
different sense of respect for us because they realize that we are working
fucking hard, and we are putting our own time, energy, and money into this.
It changes everyone’s perspective.”

LABEL: FATHER/DAUGHTER RECORDS

INTERVIEWEE: JESSI FRICK
EPISODE: ORL013
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GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL GHOSTLY.COM

ALBUM
ARTWORK IS
IMPORTANT
Leave it to the pros: As tempting as it is to use an iPhone photo as a cover
and call it a day, there’s a reason people do this for a living. Budgeting
for artwork and a professional artist/designer now will save you from future
regrets.

An element of risk: The best artwork is striking, challenging, and iconic, so

avoid trends (especially genre-related ones!) and embrace the unexpected.

Marketability: Is your artist name on the cover and is it legible? If your cover
is minimal, is the artist name legible on a sticker? Don’t let anyone pass your
record by because they can’t figure out whose it is.

Save your work: Always save your high resolution and layered files for the
future - you never know when they might come in handy!

LABEL: GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL

INTERVIEWEE: MOLLY SMITH
EPISODE: ORL017
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UPSTREAMING
INFINITE COMPANION ICRECORDS.COM

ARTISTS TO NEW
LABELS
Here’s one way to look at it: as someone who runs a small record label,
you’ve probably got a day job. A larger label, they have people for whom
doing the label IS their day job. You can’t, and probably shouldn’t aspire to
compete with those labels — they’re a different kind of business, and have
different capabilities and goals. If the artist you’re working with is ready to
make that leap, to have a team of full-time staff working on their record
rather than one or two passionate but ultimately part-time advocates, that’s
awesome! You should celebrate a job well-done to have helped them
advance far enough in their career to be ready for that! THIS IS WHAT
IT IS ALL ABOUT — you care about art and you want artists to succeed.
Celebrate with them when they do, be proud that you’ve helped launch
their career, and support the heck out of them in the future.

As a footnote for you self-interested types who won’t listen to reason,

upstreaming artists to a new label can also be good for you! Launching
careers is a big deal, doing right by the artists you work with means they will
remember you fondly.

LABEL: INFINITE COMPANION

INTERVIEWEE: BEN HUBBIRD
EPISODE: ORL007
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KEEP ARTISTS
TINY ENGINES TINYENGINES.COM
ACTIVE
I think the benefits of touring are innumerable, but to sum it up succinctly:
bands who spend a significant amount of time on the road playing shows
and building a fan-base are simply more successful than those who do not.
In turn, that success helps the label and the distributor sell more records, it
leads to more press coverage, playlisting and opportunities in general, and
it lays a stronger foundation for future releases and touring.

Why does touring do all that? Because people are more interested in
bands that are active; they pay more attention and often root for those
bands. It would be nice if the quality of music was the sole determining
factor in band’s success, but that is almost never the case. Music fans
want to cheer for artists that they can invest in and feel connected to,
which leads to my final point ...

The best way to interact and build a personal connection with fans is through
a live show. All the other stuff (social media, press, advertising, etc) is
important, but none of it has the same impact that seeing a band live does.

LABEL: TINY ENGINES

INTERVIEWEE: CHUCK DALEY
EPISODE: ORL020
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MAKE ROOM FOR

EVERYONE
Have a space to play that is safe, loud and respected.

Have a machine (a label, a PR vehicle, something that members of the

community are willing to devote time to, invest money in to, run with a serious
mind).

Be aware that any community by definition will have people immediately

feeling like they are NOT part of the community. Try to, for the first time
in history, not do this. Don’t be exclusive. Cool kids are boring as fuck.
Don’t be like that. Make room for everyone, and encourage everyone to be
involved. Stop being ageist. Stop side-eying everyone you think might be a
degree less woke. It’s boring. Don’t turn everything into fashion.

Be critical of each other in supportive ways and always think about the
person who wants to come in but finds your “community” intimidating. Fix that
problem and invite that person inside.

TEAM LOVE RECORDS TEAM-LOVE.COM

LABEL: TEAM LOVE RECORDS

INTERVIEWEE: NATHANIEL KRENKEL
EPISODE: ORL024
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A TANGIBLE
FORGED ARTIFACTS FORGEDARTIFACTS.COM

WAY
Minnesota-based, Forged Artifacts have released over 85 titles, primarily on
cassette. The label has become known worldwide for the consistent aesthetic
and presentation of their releases. Matt’s passion for physical media is
evident: “Tapes, CDs, Vinyl are a way for fans to connect with the music
and bands on a deeper level. Physical media exists outside of our fast-
paced, algorithm-driven landscape. Physical media can transcend digital
trends and technology. They are timeless, so long as there is equipment to
play said physical media. It’s fun and versatile. It’s a way for a band or label
to express themselves and their aesthetic in a tangible way.”

LABEL: FORGED ARTIFACTS

INTERVIEWEE: MATT LINDEN
EPISODE: ORL010
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ASK MORE
OTHER SONGS OTHERSONGSMUSIC.COM

QUESTIONS
To be honest, I started the podcast, Other Record Labels, as a way of gleaning
wisdom from the labels I admire. I quickly learned that they were more than
willing to give away all their secrets, especially the biggest secret of all:
that no one knows what they’re doing.

These are people that I now call friends. They guide me, encourage me, inspire
me, and support the things that I believe in.

The labels that I have interviewed have been incredibly transparent and authentic.
Through these conversations, I’ve found that their generosity, authenticity, and
enthusiasm is all rooted in a genuine fandom for the music. Their artists are
lucky to have them on their side, and as a part of their community, I value them
immensely.

I was nervous when I first pitched the idea of the podcast to these label owners.
I never expected them to be so receptive to the idea of sharing their experiences
and expertise with the greater community. But I’m glad I asked, and I’m glad they
said “yes!”

“When you compete against everyone else, no one will want to help you.
When you compete against yourself, everyone will want to help you.” - Simon Sinek

LABEL: OTHER SONGS

INTERVIEWEE: SCOTT ORR
EPISODE: ORL016
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BANDS NEED TO BE CREATING WORTHWHILE, INTERESTING MUSIC EPISODE ORL008

“It’s honestly pretty simple… bands need to be creating worthwhile, interesting

music and be willing to work as hard towards their goals as they expect a
label to work for them.” SEAN RHORER, 6131 RECORDS (JULIEN BAKER, SUBURBAN LIVING)

DON’T THINK ABOUT SPOTIFY AS A DISCOVERY PLATFORM EPISODE ORL002

“Bandcamp, I’m a huge fan of, they have a great staff of curators.
I recently heard that 99% of Spotify listens are for 10% of the songs on
Spotify. That’s not surprising, that’s the nature of popularity. The nice part
about Bandcamp is they are not an algorithm. At Bandcamp, and at other
(similar) sites, you are going to find new music that you could never imagine.”
PORTIA SABIN, KILL ROCK STARS (ELLIOTT SMITH, HORSE FEATHERS)

THINK OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN EXTENSION OF YOUR OWN PERSONALITY EPISODE ORL003

“You should be maintaining a constant presence on social media, otherwise

it can be fairly transparent that you’re just using these channels as a means
to promote a new release... Just think of the social media platforms as an
extension of your own personality. No one’s following a particular band to
hear when their new song is dropping, they’re there for a window into the
artist’s life.” JASON BAXTER, HARDLY ART (CHASTITY BELT, DUDE YORK)

EPISODE ORL022
SITTING ON THE FLOOR PACKAGING UP MAIL-ORDERS
“I remember when we were in North Carolina going to Merge, (co-founder)
Laura Balance’s sister worked there. We would buy mail-order 7”s from them
and sell them in Canada. And I remember her sitting on the floor packaging
up mail-orders and I thought, it’s exactly the same in this place as it is in ours!”
MARK MILNE, SONIC UNYON RECORDS (HAYDEN, BASEMENT REVOLVER)
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Photos by Scott Orr, Shawn Tung, Alina Grubnyak, Namroud Gorguis, Paulette Wooten,
Chuck Daley, Andrea Maggiore, Umberto Cofini, Hans Vivek, Florencia Viadana, Manuel
Sardo, Kevin Laminto, Natalie Perea, Mitch Lensink, Florencia Viadana, Miguel Ferreira.

Produced and Edited by Scott Orr (Other Songs).

With written contributions from Sean Rhorer, Matt Linden, Nathaniel Krenkel, Chuck Daley,
Scott Orr, Ben Hubbird, Molly Smith. Interview excerpts taken from Other Record Labels with
modified quotes from Jessi Frick, Mark Milne, John Beeler, Katie Garcia, Jason Baxter, Portia
Sabin, Carly Starr.

podcast@otherrecordlabels.com

© 2021 OTHER RECORD LABELS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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RUNNING A RECORD LABEL

FREE GUIDE

podcast@otherrecordlabels.com
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© 2019/2020/2021 OTHER RECORD LABELS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.