Fed up of hearing about music from critics and bands points of views? We are asking the chair of 'The Walnut Tree Records' about the industry.
What made you decide that you were going to start a record label?
The label started in 2007, but I'd been involved in alternative music since about 2001. I started by running the UK website for Blink-182 and then went onto reviewing bands, to writing fanzines, selling merch for my local touring bands, hosting a radio show and then I had a small scale CD distro. This was called The Walnut Tree and it was where I’d sell smaller American pop-punk releases to people in the UK at cost price. I had some pretty cool releases such as the Four Year Strong album, the Valencia album, Daggermouth’s first two albums and sold every single copy that I imported. Unfortunately a band called Rushmore Academy decided to take my money and never send me their CDs to sell – so I came out of the whole thing £70 down, it was pretty upsetting. The band would go missing for months between replies and then eventually broke up and I never did get that money back. I then lost interest in the distro and thought I’d try my hand at putting out my own releases by UK bands. I was, and still do, work for a major record label during the day and the amount of awful releases they were churning out made me lose heart in music and I stopped going to gigs for a few months. I figured that the best way to get out of this slum would be to get back into working with bands and music that I love and it seems to have worked!
What exactly does a record label do?
I could go on all day here with this question - but if I had to summarise it in one sentence then I'd opt for "making their releases and bands accessible to as wide an audience as possible". This can come in so many forms, and not all labels offer the same functions. Walnut Tree Records on the whole looks after the production of the releases, the press, the promotions, the selling and then any ad hoc work that I think will help the bands. I'm sure there is much more than that though, it's pretty hard to get it down to a coherent list! I manage all the finance and accounts too, but that's mainly outgoings, trust me! One thing I don't offer is the ability to book tours for bands or have any real say in getting them onto tour supports. You could say this is a weakness in the label, but I find booking agents and good band managers are more than capable of doing this for their bands. I mustn't forget that I'm also the person who looks out for new bands to work with, any A&R as such is purely just me finding new bands I like and seeing what their situation is. Essentially the job is never finished for an independent label - there is normally always something more you can do or another route to take. Most small labels would probably love for more hours to be added to the day so they could get everything done.
What do you look for in potential bands?
It sounds really simple - but first and foremost I look for music that I love. If I'm going to invest time into a band then I want to be in love with their music. It helps you smooth over some of the more awkward moments as a label and when you've been at work all day and then come home and work on the label til 1am you want to be engaged with the band and their music. If you're only half interested then it can be hard to motivate yourself when the going gets tough. I also look for bands who understand the label and what I'm able to do for them, and then are willing to put the work in themselves. My first signing, Paige, worked hard as a band but never really understood the ethos of the label or the limitations of being on a start up label and got frustrated when they weren't huge over night.
How should you measure the success of a label, your happiness, the bands happiness or money?
I think it's a balance between my happiness and the bands happiness. Of course money is nice to have, but a small label like mine would be naive to think that they'd be making much from their 'business'. The success of a label is always going to different for each label - some invest more money into their bands and might expect more back as a result. I'm not in this to make money - if I'm enjoying myself and progressing my releases and the bands on my label then I consider it a success. I'm always interested in how the bands are finding it too - the happier they are then the harder they'll work, which in turn makes it easier to work with them. It works the other way too - an unhappy band can be extremely difficult to work with.
Do you think that free streaming sites and software like Spotify or Last.fm are helping the music industry or is it another way to get around buying music?
I'd sit on the fence here - I find that it's helping the music industry to have their releases heard by a wider audience at any time of the day, but that doesn't necessarily transfer to increased sales. Those successful record labels, such as Universal Music, have expanded their revenue streams though - so sales of albums over the counter at HMV or in Tesco aren't what's keeping them afloat. An incredible amount of finance comes through synchronisation, business partners, sponsorships etc. A great example is the increased awareness of The Noisettes after their track was used on a car advert - people flooded to streaming sites to listen again and then the track was a hit on the radio, the video was requested on TV...which all pulled money in for the label and the band. This issue seems to divide the industry a fair amount!
Who do you most respect in the world of music?
I respect any band member who is happy to spend their life waiting around venues, eating crap, living out of suitcases and sleeping in vans purely because they love music and want others to hear them play it. It's not a life that I'd want for myself. I also have a massive respect for anyone who takes a chance on a band or a release, whether that's an independent label, a live promoter, someone running a blog, the list is endless really. It's great to see people passionate about their music and not always driven by money or the chance to be a big shot.
The Walnut Tree is a unique name, how did it come around?
The Beck family house is called Walnut Cottage as there is a big walnut tree in the corner of the garden. From my old bedroom I had a great view of the tree and the fields behind it and that picture in my head always reminds me of home, so I choose the name as a reference to that. Without trying to sound like a doucebag, I also think the name is fairly symbolic in that trees can start off from the tiniest of seeds and evolve into something hugely impressive...just like a record label can. Of course some don't make it to that point for various reasons - but they've all got the chance.
If you could sign one band, who would it be?
If I had to pick a realistic signing then I'd love to be involved with The Maple State, even though they aren't a full time or touring band these days. I've rated them as one of my favourite bands for years now and it was a pleasure to get to go on tour with them and hang out with them as friends. I've still got my fingers crossed that I can put something out one day!
I've been asked a similar question in the past too - only instead of bands it was about certain releases I'd like to have been involved in. My answer from a year ago is still pretty relevant now. I said "I think I should probably stick to the ethos of the label here and talk about UK bands, it’d be very easy to say Blink-182 and New Found Glory though in hindsight but I’d never have stood a chance with either. I’d have loved to have been involved with A’s album “A vs. Monkey Kong”, I still listen to that a lot years later. It’s one of those albums, like with my Portman releases, where you’ll find a lot to love on it but at the same time you can understand why people aren’t so keen. Jason Perry’s vocals are a bit grating it has to be said, but they sit well with me. I can’t forget “Learning to Play with…” by Captain Everything too, especially since I’ve seen John and Lew down at Watford games in the past!
If we were to include overseas releases then I could talk all day about bands like Hey Mercedes, Hot Rod Circuit, Piebald, The Junior Varsity etc. All underappreciated bands who would have benefitted from having a bit more support in the UK. Unfortunately they’ve all broken up now though!
How important are labels in how successful bands become?
It's different for each band. Some bands find fame and fortune without record labels initially (everyone always points to Enter Shikari as an example here), but others benefit hugely from the work of their record labels. For most bands being "signed" is a benefit to them, but you'll always hear sob stories.
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