ninehertz

1. • Electric Jelle
   • Chris, I enjoyed reading your post! Altough I consider our label to be 'smaller' than SD, I recognize a lot of the thing you wrote. Starting a label isn't that hard, but to keep it going, that's a lot harder!
     Good luck to all labels and starters!
   • [21:47 on 26/12/08]
2. • ChrisSD
   • Haha, I don't know about SD being 'bigger'. We're just crazy and release loads!
     
     Also, I think my choice of the word 'hobby' was a little foolish, without any explanation. You can have a 'serious hobby' and a hobby that you do now and then. I meant that I run the label as a serious hobby (and at the moment, don't have a job) and would hope that bands on a label roster like SD's, would try to do likewise and respect the way the label is trying to run, rather than be the kind that only does stuff 'now and then'.
     
     Obviously I don't expect amazing things from SD. First and foremost I want to release great music. The label is still young.
   • [14:57 on 02/01/09]
3. • Rob Himself
   • How the hell do you run a label without a job?
   • [10:12 on 14/01/09]
4. • Podge
   • you have a lot more time on your hands so once you get to the point where one release pays for its self you are sorted.
     
     time is worth more than money
   • [11:12 on 14/01/09]
5. • ad_sot
   • Cool thread. Lots of cynicism, but that's understandable. Having done 1000 runs and sitting on them I can understand the frustration. We've been lucky, I'm only sitting on around 200 copies of each of our releases at the moment - made the money back. Covered costs of printing, pormo and road costs such as van hire and petrol... but hard as fuck work, and this has all been for the self rather than representing other people, which has obviously driven us more.... not that we've achieved any great sucess but we know it's the best we can do with the resources and time available.
     
     You really have to believe in it I guess and push as hard as possible - something I'm guilty of not doing over the last year.... very lazy when it came to music, getting my real life in order has been quite important.
     
     I'm looking into something like this (small lable etc) but more from a community stand point - I can't see any way of making money through record sales alone. Everything here is falling appart, nowhere for kids to play, apathy and cyncism - the venues are all to big or lousey to do good local shows now. The plan is to put on all ages gigs on weekend afternoons in youth centres and community halls, put out cd-r compilations, encourage the youth and give them experience (being in uni, I have all the resources to make this happen including a recording studio). Hopefully we'll build up enough support and funds to put back into hiring a workshop/performance space near the centre of town - making it easier to put on gigs.
     
     The towns DIY ethic has gone since we got bigger venues and got signed bands coming down here... ultimately not a bad thing for the town at large buts it's all promo companies who haven't got much of a clue really and no sense of local solidarity. Everyones fighting for support slots and accusing eachother of elitism... which isn't the case I don't think. To many egos more than anything... no support structure.
     
     Ultimately I just want some sort of counter-culture development and to breath a bit of life back. Plus it'll make a great final project for my uni course if I can pull it off.
     
     Probably another pipe dream, but I'll do my damnedest to get the fucker rolling.
     [Edited by ad_sot at 16:10 on 18/01/09]
   • [16:07 on 18/01/09]

Forums - Music Discussion and Promotion - Any advice from labels on starting up?