Record labels are necessary not only for the distribution of
music to support the musician in their careers from the ground up allowing
their work to reach wider audiences but also for the nurturing of the
production staff that will go on to run the industry in years to come, without
them an artist’s music could never be physically created or technically
mastered. Behind every musician is a team behind them ensuring C. D’s, vinyl
even down to t-shirts and badges are reaching as many people as possible.
Nobody knows the local scene better than Elina Lin, musician and guitarist for noise-pop four-piece The Ninth Wave. Having relied upon the aid of independent labels to allow for her band’s music to be made and released, Elina began organising her own event to celebrate and raise awareness of the fertility of the D.I.Y music circuit within Glasgow. Entitled the Glaswegian Record Fair, the all-day showcase is split between labels and musicians, sound tracked in part by live music, Elina says: “Glaswegian Record Fair is a celebration of local music and talent. We have so many amazing bands in Glasgow I wanted to give them a place to connect with fans and get their music heard. The event includes an independent label market for local D.I.Y labels as well as a band market in the evening for bands to directly sell merch to fans. The night time will also include exclusive stripped back sets from some of the finest local bands.” The market features thirteen of the city’s most exciting independent labels highlighting the diversity of the music being made her in recent times, everything from garage to post-punk can be found all under one roof. Elina says: “These kinds of events are really important; in this day and age we need to support each other. The music industry’s going through huge changes and whether you're in a band who just does it for the love of art or try to succeed commercially, the local support and community is where it all starts.”
One label showcased at Elina’s event is Fuzzkill Records as Ross Keppie of the company explains: “Fuzzkill Records began life in the Summer of 2013 in Shetland, it is a record label who release mainly on cassettes and put on shows in primarily Glasgow.” As a label verging on almost legendary terms following a landmark couple of years they are single-handedly fast becoming the frontrunners of the entire garage scene in Scotland organising festivals comprising of entirely their own roster, with previous alumni like Catholic Action for example going on to gain praise from organizations such as the BBC to now be in a position to play major festivals like SXSW in Austin, Texas and having the backing to be funded by PRS. Seeing the industry from an insider’s perspective Ross says local music is: “very healthy, there are loads of labels and artists doing cool things and everyone works together and collaborates on projects.” With their job as a label to “help the artists from the very beginning, getting the artist shows, helping them get noticed. If you have an idea, just go for it, collaborate, develop it. For an artist, the music is important, but you also have to be good people too.”
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| Photo Credit- Aidan O'Mara; Walk Talk Productions |
With major labels more hesitant in adding small town artists to their rosters, this beginner level musician evolves because of the D.I.Y approach they need to take, alongside the know-how from the front runners of these labels that in turn creates the foundation of an organic following that’s worth far more in the long run than major label backing. After all, a band can be dropped as quickly as they can be signed and if you’re left without the stable footing you created to begin with any bid to carry on a career in the industry will surely fail.
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