how to...start a new label

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Dal-Tech
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Re: how to...start a new label

Post by Dal-Tech »

I respect the analog medium for it's warm sound when properly mastered and the right system set up for it but I've decided to throw in the towel concerning vinyl even though I have the money to press some music. After a bit of soul searching it's really just an ego thing these days.
Dal-Tech wrote: Everyone else is trying to be cool, not me.
hey everybody : I'm a douche !
Barfunkel
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Re: how to...start a new label

Post by Barfunkel »

Dal-Tech wrote:I respect the analog medium for it's warm sound when properly mastered and the right system set up for it but I've decided to throw in the towel concerning vinyl even though I have the money to press some music. After a bit of soul searching it's really just an ego thing these days.
I wouldn't call it an ego thing. More of an old-fashioned retro thing, combined with the marketing value. These days, when we are talking about selling a few hundred records/files, it's definitely not a money thing to own a label. Having an underground label used to make at least a bit of money 10 years ago, when even low-key no-name records could sell a few thousand copies. These days not so much. The money's, what little there is left in the music business, in the DJ gigs now, for which the release is a calling card/marketing device. For that reason alone, I would release on vinyl, if I were good enough at making music.

It could be just my twisted perspective though, as I still buy and play only vinyl. If someone releases on digital only, I would have never even heard of the artist.
eggnchips
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Re: how to...start a new label

Post by eggnchips »

Dal-Tech wrote:I respect the analog medium for it's warm sound when properly mastered and the right system set up for it but I've decided to throw in the towel concerning vinyl even though I have the money to press some music. After a bit of soul searching it's really just an ego thing these days.
Dal-Tech wrote:There's like 0 money in labels. People are real flaky too. Good luck.
You sound a bit flaky yourself mate by coming out with comments like, "Even though I have the money to press some".
Sounds like you need to massage your own ego a little.
Dal-Tech
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Re: how to...start a new label

Post by Dal-Tech »

eggnchips wrote:
Dal-Tech wrote:I respect the analog medium for it's warm sound when properly mastered and the right system set up for it but I've decided to throw in the towel concerning vinyl even though I have the money to press some music. After a bit of soul searching it's really just an ego thing these days.
Dal-Tech wrote:There's like 0 money in labels. People are real flaky too. Good luck.
You sound a bit flaky yourself mate by coming out with comments like, "Even though I have the money to press some".
Sounds like you need to massage your own ego a little.
I would say don't do it in the year 2013 unless you are the cool kid in class.
Dal-Tech wrote: Everyone else is trying to be cool, not me.
hey everybody : I'm a douche !
Dal-Tech
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Re: how to...start a new label

Post by Dal-Tech »

Barfunkel wrote:
Dal-Tech wrote:I respect the analog medium for it's warm sound when properly mastered and the right system set up for it but I've decided to throw in the towel concerning vinyl even though I have the money to press some music. After a bit of soul searching it's really just an ego thing these days.
I wouldn't call it an ego thing. More of an old-fashioned retro thing, combined with the marketing value. These days, when we are talking about selling a few hundred records/files, it's definitely not a money thing to own a label. Having an underground label used to make at least a bit of money 10 years ago, when even low-key no-name records could sell a few thousand copies. These days not so much. The money's, what little there is left in the music business, in the DJ gigs now, for which the release is a calling card/marketing device. For that reason alone, I would release on vinyl, if I were good enough at making music.

It could be just my twisted perspective though, as I still buy and play only vinyl. If someone releases on digital only, I would have never even heard of the artist.
I walked into a record store the other day and it was mid aged balding guys. It used to be young people. I walked away thinking it's more about nostalgia and people who think it's cool to play a vinyl record then anything else. It's like opening a video rental store only selling VHS tapes and VCR's to rent. Some people would enjoy that nostalgia and in the right city such a store could probably do okay.
Dal-Tech wrote: Everyone else is trying to be cool, not me.
hey everybody : I'm a douche !
breton
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Re: how to...start a new label

Post by breton »

Dal-Tech wrote:I walked into a record store the other day and it was mid aged balding guys. It used to be young people. I walked away thinking it's more about nostalgia and people who think it's cool to play a vinyl record then anything else. It's like opening a video rental store only selling VHS tapes and VCR's to rent. Some people would enjoy that nostalgia and in the right city such a store could probably do okay.
It says more about the sorry state of culture in your Homeland, than about vinyl as the medium.

Fine, you grew disillusioned with vinyl, but why do you feel the urge to disparage it and people preferring it?
Saying that preferring vinyl to digital is nostalgia is plain stupid though.
It's like saying "why play acoustic guitar, when there are electric ones?"
And these days you don't even need a guitar, there are VSTis.
So why play acoustic guitar/piano/cello, when you can press keys on your MacBook keyboard, while sitting in a Starbucks, checking out other people's outfits?

And why buy records, when you can just google "Soul Capsule Overcome zippy", download it, listen to it once (for 3 minutes), tweet about it, post a sepia toned iphone photo of you listening to it on Instagram and forget about it forever.

It's not about nostalgia or ego, it's about being something more than just a shallow consumer.
It's about devotion.
Something you seem to lack. At least that's the impression i get from your posts in this topic.
Kiani
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Re: how to...start a new label

Post by Kiani »

Guys,

I also want to start a label, not to be a hipster, not to make money, but just to release some tracks I play out a lot and are getting good response. I love vinyl and I just want to have some of my own stuff on wax, nothing more to it. Please, can anyone help me with the following questions:

- Is it true that when you want to press records on vinyl, that it has to be mastered differently? I believe I read this once on this forum.
- Also, what I see regularly, is that people say you have to have a releasing schedule with a few releases already when you want to get it distributed by eg d&p. But what's up with labels like novel sound or deconstruct which only release stuff once in a year or so?
- What is the lowest amount of vinyl you can press: 200? 300? Any good tips where to do it?

Thanks in advance!
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