Our company – FDM Records.
FDM Records stands for ‘Folk n’ Deadly Music’, a play on a much used and unprintable Irish phrase that basically means “good, great, exceptional, real” etc. (If you really want to know what that phrase is, just try saying ‘Folk n’ Deadly’ really fast…)
I founded the company about 8 years ago and have been the MD since day one. We are a very small independent label; my wife is a director, as are Luke (my son) and his musical collaborator John Parker, who together make up the band Nizlopi.
We often refer to ourselves as a ‘bespoke label’, because we were set up exclusively to support and protect Nizlopi’s music. Right from the start, the artists have had a ‘hands on’ involvement in the day to day running of the label, so when they weren’t writing, rehearsing, recording or touring they would be helping with every element of the business. You may know that back in the autumn of 2005 we had a ‘big record’ when we released the ‘JCB Song’ and it went to number one: selling in excess of half a million copies. In the six months building up to that campaign we were all working 24/7.
My role
I’m the MD and I manage the band (is that a conflict of interest?) In the early days when the band were completely unknown, my role was pretty varied.
- I was a driver/roadie (I would drive for hours to what ever part of the country we could get a gig while the guys caught some Z’s in the back of my old Volvo)
- I sorted out the money and the merchandise at gigs (this usually meant me going round the room with a box of CDs, telling people about the band and flogging the music)
- I prepared press packs and pestered venues for gigs, generally trying to get the band noticed (I can remember attempting to get the band booked at the old Kashmir Klub in London, which was very influential and always had ‘industry’ in the crowd. It took six months to get that first gig – after that the promoter tried to get us on there as often as possible because he loved the guys and knew what a ‘draw’ they were)
- I set up and organised recording sessions in our own studio (I had built my own project studio in the garden a couple of years earlier)
Back in those early days, we thought the way most emerging bands do: a deal with a major label was the Holy Grail. As we progressed through the industry, it became clear that it was changing rapidly and perhaps the best way to protect the band and their music was to go down the DIY route. This sounds easy enough and very often bands make a “virtue of a necessity” as they have no alternative, but you should never underestimate the work and effort needed to go it alone. In a strange twist of fate, just as we made the decision to do this project our way, the industry got involved in a ”feeding frenzy” for the band. In short, we had offers to sign with Sony, Universal, Chrysalis and Atlantic – and we declined them all. Can I say, hand on heart, that this was the right decision? I’ll leave that question unanswered!
As interest in the band grew, we had to bring in extra people to help with websites and internet shop orders for physical copies of the CDs. As we prepared for the Christmas re-release of the ‘JCB Song’, my role covered the following:
- Setting up deals with digital aggregators* to get the music onto online music stores like iTunes
- Meeting with and appointing prospective radio pluggers* (very difficult)
- Booking tours with our agent
- Booking transport and accommodation for touring
- Appointing tour manager and tour crew (sound and guitar technology etc.)
- Researching and appointing PR agents (also very difficult)
- Organising distribution and manufacture, artwork and advertising
- Hosting key campaign meetings to brief pluggers, distributors, retailers, PR agents and generally pulling the whole campaign together in a coherent fashion
- Setting up live radio sessions with Dermot O’Leary, Johnny Walker etc.
What advice do I have for new labels or artist management?
Managers need to be totally behind the artist and the music. The artist is completely dependent on the manager for ‘getting them out there’. This means working every contact you’ve got, attending industry events for training and networking (AIM run some very good events and generally are the first port of call for Independent labels).
The artist needs the freedom and ‘creative space’ to write and perform to the best of their ability, and the manager should help facilitate that so that the artist can “be an artist” and not a burger-flipper at MacDonald’s.
In my case, once we made the decision to go it alone we needed to find a publisher and a deal that would give us some money to allow us to build the band and a campaign, without signing our rights away to a major record label. Using the contacts I’d made, I got a number of key publishers interested in the band and eventually did a publishing deal with Warner Chappell. This gave us a ‘cash injection’ that allowed us to give the artist a weekly wage and money to pull a campaign team together (plugger, PR, etc).
These days it’s usually easier to get a publisher involved than it is to get a deal with a major label. Once publisher support is secured, the industry seems to ‘take you more seriously’ and often the publisher can help in extra little ways with promotion or contacts.
The bottom line for a manager? Work every angle you can to bring the artist to a wider audience and get the deals that particular artist needs. This will take shrewd judgment on your part, so ask yourself the following questions:
- Who is my artist?
- What do they need right now?
- What do they need for a long term career?
- Does this artist have the prospect of a long term career?
- Do they need the support of a major label? (Weigh up the pros and cons of going with a major – some artists need a major, some artists don’t or wont – which kind do you have?)
- Do I believe in the music’s potential? If you do, stand up for it!
Labels?
Most new young labels are created because an artist or band can’t get a deal anywhere else and it’s often the best way to promote a fledgling band and raise their profile. Always take care of ‘the boring stuff’; if you’re releasing records on your own label, talk to PRS for Music* and let them know about your releases. There are ways of releasing your music without having to pay them at the beginning, but having them ‘on side’ is important. Also, sort out ISRC (the International Standard Recording Codes) and barcodes (I told you it was boring - but it’s still very important).
A wise man once told me there is no such thing as a silly question, only silly answers – if you don’t know something, ask somebody who does, it’s as simple as that. There is so much to learn about this business that it’s impossible to have all the answers, but someone out there knows the answer to your question or knows someone who does. Pick up the phone and speak to them - if you treat people with courtesy they are usually willing to help. Talking to people about their own experiences and how they did things will often help you and your artist onto the next stage…its good to talk!
*The Music Biz Glossary*
Digital Aggregator – A handy organisation that compiles a huge amount of information on musicians to promote them to the public… digitally.
Radio Plugger – A well connected person who promotes band to radio stations and makes sure their tracks are played often enough to reach a wide audience.
PRS for Music – This is the Robin Hood of the music world collecting and paying royalties to musicians, making sure that they don’t get exploited by more experienced/well connected industry people.
Kit List
Kieron uses:
G5 Mac running Logic Pro 8 and Pro Tools 8
Drawmer 1960 Compressor
Focusrite ISA 428 Pre-amp
Digidesign 002 Rack unit
Mackie Control Surface
Rode Classic Mic
Two AKG 414 's
Matched Pair Oktava MK-012
Pair of Alctron Chinese mics (with Peluso parts to emulate CEK-12 and P-K47)
To find out more about education discounts on all of the above links give us a call on 03332 409 333 or email us at learning@jigsaw24.com.
(Where necessary some items in the kit list have been substituted for their newest models.)