Blog
TBT Label Series: Art Before Commerce at 1320 Records
October 19, 2011By: Ben Weiss
Label: 1320 Records
Location: Boulder, CO
Featured Artists: STS9, Big Gigantic, Emancipator, Eliot Lipp, Archnemesis, Hefty Records, Eskmo, The Polish Ambassador, Mochipet and many many more
Featured Releases:
*Archnemesis - People's Radio - Available Now
*Jellyfish Brigade (The Great Mundane & Lucas Dix) - Gills and a Helmet - Available Now
*Eliot Lipp & Jasia 10 - Moves Made - Available Now
*The Polish Ambassador Remixes STS9's "Scheme"
STS9 - Scheme (The Polish Ambassador Remix) by Polish Ambassador
Record labels are perpetually treading the line between art and commerce. And when it comes to mega labels like Sony and Universal, commerce virtually always reigns supreme. In other words, if the record isn’t projected to pad the exec’s pockets, it likely never sees the light of day. Consequently, though a group like Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) exhibits innovative musicianship and boasts some of the most impressive touring statistics in the country, their instrumental and at times abstract qualities would likely leave their albums shelved at one of the aforementioned institutions.
But fortunately for all those artists whose sound doesn’t conform to mainstream sensibilities, STS9 refused to bow to those politics and established their own independent, boutique label “1320 Records,” providing a framework of support and openness that allows the more localized, grassroots label to release the content it wants, when it wants to.
As STS9 guitarist Hunter Brown mentions, “It’s not about the bottom line as much as it is for a company like Sony or Universal” where so much needs to be approved by board members and “all these people who have nothing to do with the music or the creation of the art itself.” As such, the label provides a more “organic experience for the artist,” because there’s not as much pressure to produce something that’s going to be so easily labeled and consumed by the masses.
Furthermore, by tailoring the label’s services to the needs of the individual artist rather than dictating a single blanket agreement, 1320 provides its clients with far greater autonomy to pursue their specific goals. For example, prolific West Coast professor/producer/composer Steve Nalepa (a 1320 artist himself, pictured left) will bring students just learning the musical process to the label, introduce them to the community, help them refine their sound, put them on 1320’s live events, and assist them in every aspect of their career launch. Simultaneously though, you can have a duo like Virtual Boy (alumni of Nalepa’s classroom) who have released albums like How Long Does It Take to Get To Space and Omega Supreme on 1320 but who were free to drop their latest release Symphony No. None on Alpha Pup. As Brown states, it’s all about “supporting the artists when they need our support…it’s not about retaining them for the label forever,” meaning 1320’s services can be as broad or as targeted as the artist likes.
And by embracing digital distribution platforms, 1320 is able to minimize production costs and provide artists with a generous royalty rate. But interestingly, Brown mentions that the primary way in which the label helps artists to put food on the table is getting them plugged into 1320’s affiliated live shows, showcases, after parties, and festivals. “We take people making great records at home and bring them out to the stage so they can start making new collaborations and new affiliations,” said Brown. And because the asset in the industry is shifting to live performances, often times this aspect allows the music to “take off on its own and they can find other ways to support themselves through that.”
Another unique label feature is 1320’s dedication to family values. Citing inspiration from classic jazz labels like CTI Records where artists like Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, and George Benson were intertwined in one another’s musical processes, all the 1320 artists support their label mates musically, creatively, and artistically whether it’s on tour, in the studio, or at home. For example, this November label owners STS9 are taking Mochipet (just signed this summer) and The Polish Ambassador on tour to help spread their music to new ears. And when Emancipator released Remixes this past June, label mates Big Gigantic and The Great Mundane both contributed tracks to the project.
But rest assured, these collaborations are by no means gimmicks to sell more records, and in fact, they serve as a gateway to spearhead communal activism. For example, in the summer of 2009, STS9 donated 100% of the profits generated through the Make it Right Remixes, a collection of Peaceblaster remixes featuring 1320 artists Eskmo, Alex B, Bass Science, Pnuma Trio, The Flying Skulls, Big Gigantic and many more to the Make it Right Foundation in New Orleans. Consequently, a new sustainable house was built in one of the regions hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina, and the community got 30 bangin’ new tracks. As Brown states, it’s something that “speaks to our greater mission…to be able to step outside of what we’d be able to do as individuals and be able to do bigger things…it’s something that makes the label/community idea spark a little brighter.”
And that’s just scratching the surface. The bottom line is that 1320 Records has turned the traditional label formula on its ear and is successfully building an ever-growing community where creativity, consciousness, and art are finally able to trump over capital gain, and where artists are assisted in the areas they need it most. And that's what sets this label apart from the rest...refusing to get jumbled in a mess of CEOs, quarterly reports, and portfolio managers and simply leaving the music in the hands of those who will care for it most: family.
Be sure to check out the first installation of our label series featuring Boulder's Elm And Oak
STS9 Tour Dates:
10.19.11
Higher Ground
Burlington, VT
10.20.11
House of Blues
Boston, MA
10.21.11
Electric Factory
Philadelphia, PA
10.22.11
Best Buy Theater
New York, NY
10.23.11
Jefferson Theatre
Charlottesville, VA
10.26.11
State Theater
State College, PA
10.27.11
The Fillmore
Silver Springs, MD
10.28.11
The NorVa
Norfolk, VA
10.29.11
MoogFest
Asheville, NC
10.31.11
Georgia Theatre
Athens, GA – SOLD OUT
11.02.11
The Lyric
Oxford, MS
11.03.11
House of Blues
New Orleans, LA
11.04.11
House of Blues
New Orleans, LA
11.05.11
House of Blues
Dallas, TX
12.27.11
The Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA
12.28.11
The Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA
12.29.11
The Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA
12.30.11
The Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA
12.31.11
The Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA
01.26.12-01.30.12
Mayan Holidaze
Tags: STS9 | Sony | Emancipator | Alex B | Sound Tribe Sector 9 | Virtual Boy | The Polish Ambassador | Eskmo | 1320 Records | Hunter Brown | Record Label | Steve Nalepa | Alpha Pup | Universal | CTI | Stanley Turrentine | Freddie Hubbard | George Benson | CTI Records | Mochipet | Make it Right Foundation | NOLA | Peaceblaster | The Great Mundane | The Flying Skulls | Pnuma Trio | Bass Science