Local Record Label Beats the Big Boys

The little record label that can. An upstart music company keeps pace with the majors.

There's very little that's typical about the small independent record label that Rob
Case runs from his second-floor office above the corner
of Pikes Peak Avenue and Tejon Street.

The first tip-off is the office itself. When I met Case, the suit-and-tie-clad producer is
sitting at a long, ovalesque conference table that a small rock and folk label
shared with Case Holdings and several other of his family's real estate
development concerns.

There's nothing rock'n'roll about this place: The Cadillac-length conference table is
flanked by lots of dark wood and several maps depicting proposed suburban subdivisions.

But that's not the only thing that sets them apart. That's because it's company president, Case attributes his budding success in the music field to his experience in the work-a day world: his previous gigs processing job applications for the government and dealing in real estate.

"There are a lot of similarities between music and real estate in the sense that you're
making a long-term investment in an artist or a group hoping that, some day,
that investment will pay off," said Case, whose own office dons at
least a few rock trappings: posters, a small stereo, lots of cassette tapes.

Whatever the case, the small indy's slow and steady business strategy has helped Case - and the artists he represents - to quietly make names for themselves in an industry will known for its tell-me-your-name-again memory span.

Consider this: Two of the three artists signed to Case's label have made the preliminary nomination lists for the 1997 Grammy Awards. The Denver pop-metal band Silence, which Case has been working with for about eight years, made the long list in three categories: "Best Rock Album," "Album of the Year" and "Best New Artist."

Folk artist Lisa Bigwood, a more recent addition to the Case roster, made the long
list under "Best Contemporary Folk Album" and " Album of the Year"
for her CD "Woodland." At press time, Case was still expecting to hear whether
or not his artists are finalists.

The lists we're talking about here are not the ones read live on television on Grammy night. These preliminary line-ups contain anywhere from 150 to 250 names per category; the lists get whittled down once again before the awards show. Still, Case's long-time engineer and producer Steve Avedis said it doesn't exactly hurt a musician's ego to get on a list with the likes of The Kinks, David Bowie, Michelle Shocked and Bob Dylan.

"Think of the thousands upon thousands of artists, songs and bands that are out there and that were submitted [to the Grammies]," said Avedis. "So it's a pretty high honor for someone from a small indy label."

None of that high honor, however, makes Case or his artists any extra cash. Nor does it necessarily mean their music is any better than that of other nominees. After all, the Grammies and the committees that pick and choose are just as much about promotions, sales figures, and big money as they are about art.

Still, for a label with only three artists to get two of those artists on the list, in five separate categories - is a pretty amazing feat, Avedis noted. "And think of the amount of money the major labels have to promote their bands," he added. "They have mega bucks behind these groups...Rob cannot put a half million into one band.."

Luckily for Case, he does at least have enough money - made largely through his work
in real estate - to develop and promote music. But unlike the music biz's big boys,
who can buy success with radio promos, music videos and prominent retail
displays, Case has had to resort to shrewd spending and business habits.

Instead of buying tons of radio adds promoting his bands, Case markets his bands to the music industry itself.  He does that by getting the artists reviewed in music industry trades, putting them on compilation CDs and setting up gigs at industry conventions. In other words, he gets the bands' names and music in front of the people who might ultimately sign the musicians to major deals.

Case has also asked his artists to be more businesslike as well, having them do in-store appearances, for example. But local country-blues-rock balladeer C. Lee Clarke, who just produced a five-song CD promo with Case, said his musical backer doesn't come down with a lead foot on artists either. While he does make recommendations about the music, Clarke said he has a light touch.

"It's not like the big fat guy with the cigar saying, 'Do it this way, kid,'" Clarke said. "He'll listen to something and say, 'Why not try it this way? See what you think.' And sometimes I'll come back and say, 'No, I tried it that way and I didn't like it, or it didn't work, and he'll say 'OK." But most of the time his suggestions really improve the song."

In exchange for some of the publishing rights to Clarke's songs, meanwhile, Case funded the CD and bought Clarke a four-track tape recorder to help the guitarist compose. When the material is ready, Case will put up the dough needed to promote Clarke's songs. The hope is that the singer-songwriter will get signed to a major label, and both the artist and Case will make money, maybe even win a Grammy. "That would be cool," said Clarke. "I wouldn't mind not having to paint houses anymore."

DON'T FORGET TO BOOKMARK !
Netscape Users Hit Ctrl+D
....
I.E. Users
Click Here
....

All Material Copyright � 2000-2008 by Old Pants Publishing, Inc.