quoted 4 lines Folks, the honeymoon is over...people are learning the hard way that you just
> Folks, the honeymoon is over...people are learning the hard way that you just
> can't jump into the game without a net (either getting w/ an established
> label, like a +8, or w/ a distributor like Submerge). IMHO, boycotting Watts
> isn't the answer, making better records with regard to who's buying them is.
Well I don't know whether people realize this or not, but distributors
like Watts seldom listen to the music they get as demos. About half a
year ago, Orbitrecords sent them a demo of our new material, and after
quite a bit of prodding, the buyer finally called me back and said he
wasn't interested in the music at all.
We decided to press the record anyway and to just see what happens-- we
sent them a copy of the record, and the buyer called us within a couple
of days to order a bunch of them. So that tells me they didn't even
listen to the tape (which I probably would not have done anyway, if I
were as busy as him).
Just yesterday, in fact, I was speaking with one of my friends who
handles a lot of promotion for another label, and when I told her how we
go about getting distribution, she was *shocked*. "You sent them a demo
and they ordered some??" was what she asked. Later she said that them
actually listening to a demo is highly irregular, and that most
distribution deals are based on connections- who you know, who can vouch
for you, and who your friends are.
That certainly explains why so many terrible records are released each
week and why so many artists with vision, talent, and great music simply
do not get heard.
Techno and electronic dance music in general has gotten to the point
where it's easily accessable to the people who know where to get it, so
there's no point in 'seeking' out new music to most. Orbitrecords has to
push very hard to get our music heard and in the stores simply because it
sounds nothing like what's being produced today. It doesn't have the
scratchy aphex-twin-esque feel to it, it's not jungle, it's not house,
... people don't know where to place it because it's different, and two
distributors flat out told us they did not want to carry our new music
because they didn't know where to 'put' it.
Although it's very frustrating to have all this force against us while
we're trying to push the boundaries of music and make sounds no one has
heard before, that doesn't mean we're going to stop trying. Eventually
someone will listen and discover it. It's important for you as people
who buy records to make sure you support music you like, and to get store
owners to order things you want to see. Since store owners have to be
very careful as to what they order, they seldom take *any* chances as far
as ordering music. If house sells, they'll order house. It's up to you
to tell them what you want -- and it's up to you to buy it and support
it. That's the only way techno will continue to grow and develop.
Tom Butcher [bit@hyperreal.com]
Orbitrecords [412.392.1505]
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http://hyperreal.com/music/labels/orbitrecords/