Neysa Mendes, 24, Label Manager, Counter Culture Records, since 2002
A lot of new bands are now putting out new, original music. Earlier, bands like Pentagram and Indian Ocean were the only ones that did originals. And they would have bottles and obscenities hurled at them. Today, they've got recognition and popularity. Even a metal band like Scepter, which mostly plays covers, has original material. All of the good bands have started writing original material and it will only get better.
The economy has helped the music industry and independent record labels. There are so more resources available. More venues, retail outlets, more people going out and spending money – more places where you can market and promote yourself. It's possible for artists to exist and access 20 venues, and there are 20 bands to fill up those venues.
An independent label should really provide the framework by which an artist can do it (make-distribute-market-succeed) themselves. We put together all the resources for the artist. Ultimately, it's about the artist, not the label. You're a fan of the artist, not the label. Soon, there will be a stage where you can connect directly with the artist, there will be nothing else.
Last year, we understood our ground, figured out what the scene was about. The only difference between an indie label and a major is that we have the ability to experiment. I don't have to be making five crore by the end of the year. The first goal is to break even and this year, to explore new revenue sources. We look at the label as a marketing tool – for artists, bands and live gigs. But you need to put the music out. And the money is not going to be in CD sales.
.......OZNEK
The economy has helped the music industry and independent record labels. There are so more resources available. More venues, retail outlets, more people going out and spending money – more places where you can market and promote yourself. It's possible for artists to exist and access 20 venues, and there are 20 bands to fill up those venues.
An independent label should really provide the framework by which an artist can do it (make-distribute-market-succeed) themselves. We put together all the resources for the artist. Ultimately, it's about the artist, not the label. You're a fan of the artist, not the label. Soon, there will be a stage where you can connect directly with the artist, there will be nothing else.
Last year, we understood our ground, figured out what the scene was about. The only difference between an indie label and a major is that we have the ability to experiment. I don't have to be making five crore by the end of the year. The first goal is to break even and this year, to explore new revenue sources. We look at the label as a marketing tool – for artists, bands and live gigs. But you need to put the music out. And the money is not going to be in CD sales.
.......OZNEK
