SXSWorld
Issue link: https://sxsw.uberflip.com/i/250660
With Birthdays Not Funerals, These Independent Labels Are Still Standing by Robin Cook 36 SXSWORLD / FEBRUARY 2014 To a certain degree, we need to embrace each new outlet, even before it's proven or established, because as a smaller label, often the only way to get in is on the ground floor." Irwin's attitude is: "Be open to new ideas, and be willing to embrace things as they come along instead of being doom prophets about them." Independent labels begin as labors of love, and the founders are often fans or musicians themselves who learn the business aspect of running a label as they go. They also learn to operate within their means. Merge co-founder and Superchunk frontman Mac McCaughan believes that this served his label better in the long run. "I think that starting small meant that as big as the label has gotten and as big as some of our bands have gotten, we still have the capability of operating on a small scale when it makes more sense." Another key to indies' survival is the ethos of the indie-label world itself. Today's indies are the heirs of seminal 1980s labels like SST and Dischord. Michael Azerrad's book Our Band Could Be Your Life chronicled the rise of the 1980s indie-rock subculture. The goal, he says, was "to build a system in which people could keep making the music they wanted to make, no matter how uncommercial it was." Since these labels operated outside the mainstream, their priorities were different from the majors'. The environment was supportive for new indies, as McCaughan found in Merge's early days. "We had some good role models in terms of labels that we followed growing up, and even people that we met and could ask questions of," he recalls. "The people that had come before us for the most part were all super helpful and friendly." Independents have become brands, just as Motown and Stax were. Azerrad notes that "people do still gravitate toward certain brands—if a record is on [an indie] there's going to be a certain baseline quality to it, even if those labels release a relatively diverse range of music." The independents also continue to remain ahead of the curve with new music and artists. Occasionally, an indie band such as Arcade Fire (a Merge artist) finds mainstream success without jumping to a major. "The major labels are the delivery system for that stuff once it gets done," says Irwin. "But the best ideas, the best music, the best of everything, comes from small enterprise." Equally important, independents altered the relationship between fans, artists and the labels themselves. McCaughan says, "I feel like there's still a community that's fostered between independent labels and fans and artists. And that's a community that's been important to us since we started the label … And I think that it still exists." n EBRU YILDIZ A decade ago, people predicted that record labels would go the way of triple-gatefold album sleeves and cassette singles. Record store chains like Tower and HMV were shutting their doors, while independent shops struggled to carry on. With the rise of the Internet, traditional ways of selling, promoting and distributing music no longer applied, and traditional labels seemed similarly endangered. Yet in 2013, many independent labels were having birthday parties instead of funerals. Sub Pop threw a free Silver Jubilee show in Seattle. Barsuk celebrated 15 years in business with a four-day festival. Anticon also celebrated the 15-year mark, while Mexican Summer and Captured Tracks turned five. These last three held anniversary festivals of their own. 2014 brings more milestones: Merge, Matador and Sundazed are turning 25, while Bloodshot turns 20. Clearly, the independent record label has proven to be hardier than people expected. The indies of today may follow in a historical tradition that includes Sun, Chess and Motown, but they are facing a musical landscape that Sam Phillips could never have dreamed of. Just how do they stay afloat? Nan Warshaw, co-founder of Bloodshot, says, "The only way for an ethical indie label Bloodshot co-founder Nan Warshaw to survive is to be nimble, forward thinking, extremely frugal, organized and downright lucky." Adaptability and openness to change seem to be the main factors that have kept independent labels alive. The demise of big-box record stores devastated the majors, but it was not a huge blow to indies. Record chains usually stocked major-label releases, while indie-label music was sold primarily in independent stores. Bob Irwin, co-founder of reissue label Sundazed, explains, "Even at the height of big-box retailers, there was a portion of our catalog that always made its way into those retailers, but it has never been our bread and butter or our primary focus." Meanwhile, the Internet has leveled the playing field somewhat for majors and independents. With the start of the new millennium came new ways for fans to hear and buy music, including such major players as iTunes, Spotify and Pandora. Nils Bernstein, artist liaison and director of publicity for Matador, says, "Indie labels have benefited from this new democracy in how consumers access music. It's not like years past where we're all fighting a few superstars for a tiny slice of MTV and commercial radio." Warshaw says, "Today, indies can adapt to the lightning fast changes in technology in ways the majors have proven wholly incapable …