Does anyone have any advice on how to get this underway? I have a tape of my du-wop/pop punk project called Cosmonaut and my other band FCNG but I want to get other bands obviously. Do contracts need to be drawn up? Do you usually pay the bands to be on it? I really don't know anything.
Jer I know you had (or do you still have?) your label and perhaps you could offer some pointers.
This is how i have run my label, based on the advice Chris gave me...
I never had a contract drawn up with any of the bands I helped out. I never paid the bands, aside from sometimes a very small amount for recording costs. But they did get 20% of the pressing free that they could sell on their own at shows and junk. Whatever they make off those is essentially what they were "paid." That way no one ever has to worry about who owes who money.
If they wanted more than 20%, i'd sell them anything above that for what cost me to make them, no markup. If it ever went to repress, they'd get 20% of the new pressing as well.
I can asnswer more questions if you'd like.
To be honest, I wouldn't want to start a label in 2015. No one buys shit anymore. It was a helluva lot of fun in 2006, but it doesn't seem very fun now.
That is about the exact same backbone my friend at Already Dead do for their label, seems to be the exact right way to do it. I'm personally very happy with going through that system, and we definitely did well selling out own share of the tapes + the ones we bought at no mark up.
This thing Chris made will help too I bet.
http://chrisclavin.tumblr.com/post/107433695589/pixs-diy-guide-to-releasing-your-own-music-and
thanks guys. i just want to DO SOMETHING. anything. something that i'm actually proud of. I think of all the collected hours, maybe days or weeks that i've spent just TALKING. just bullshitting and talking and procrastinating about how i want to put out my zine, start a writing collective, publish more writing, write more, get more serious about my comics, go out more, get back to school.. Just endless talk with very little action. My days usually are pretty routine and the night ends with smoking a bowl, taking my sleep/antidepressant pill Elavil, and drift away while i babble to my girlfriend and to myself that TOMORROW i'm going to change, tomorrow i'm going to do this and that and everything i've always said. but now i want to take action.
so i spent last weekend doing something. I broke out my digital 8 track and recorded two different projects. one i'm calling Kosmonaut and it's du wop/poppunk/garage and the other is nameless but is chaotic instrumental music, almost No Waveish just without the crazy saxophones and such and spoken word and noise collages over it. I want to put out those tapes plus my band Fried Chicken N Gasoline (FCNG) want to put out an official tape. Plus my girlfriend is trying to get her old band back up, they were (will again be) called Harlem Renaissance. It's a band consisting of only awesome black dudes and gals, some queer, some not, but all talented and awesome individuals. The music is a sweet as fuck mix of soul, classic r'n'b, postpunk, punkrock and motown.
And then find another band or two and i think i got something going. My girlfriend and I wanted to do it together. She always dreamed of it and for years had the idea Bolshevik Records in mind and I think it has a good ring to it. So, yeah, that's my plan.