MEET THE RECORD LABELS CHANGING THE INDUSTRY FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Three forward-thinking labels you need to know about!

In an industry that is statistically male dominated, there’s no question that we are in desperate need of change. In 2018, The New York Times reported that: of the 1,239 artists featured on Billboard’s top 100 charts between 2012 and 2017, just 22.4 percent were female. But, the inequality doesn’t end there. Behind the scenes, the industry is still self-evidently a ‘boys club.’ With just fifteen percent of record labels female-owned, and the number of women working in the industry as a whole on a steady decline, it’s become painfully apparent that change is overdue; a fact that much of the industry recognises. Meet the record labels working to change the industry from the inside out. 

Slow Dance Records

East London based label Slow Dance Records are eclectic and full of surprises. Established in 2016 by Darius Williams and GG Skips, the label began running live events across the capital with a focus on bringing a diverse range of artists together. It was those live events that gave platform to bands such as Sorry - then under the moniker ‘Fish’ - and Mercury nominated Black Midi when they were just teenagers.

Five years on, Slow Dance have made a name for themselves as a wholly diverse and innovative label. Renowned for their forward-thinking and all-inclusive ethos they are among many labels working to diversify London’s underground indie scene, having drawn in a number of talented artists in the process. Speaking on the label, Platonica Erotica has said: “Slow Dance's open-mindedness has made me feel confident in my own ideas and what I can bring to the table independently, without being filtered through a popular/trendy image or a male producer's sound. I obviously love the boys I work with, but I've never felt like a raw material waiting to be crafted by the men around me, and I value this respect.”

Now a flourishing label, they have just released their annual compilation album Slow Dance ’20, which houses 16 specially recorded tracks from artists such as Platonica Erotica, Comfort and Julia Sophie, along with a track from ZZ Bop; the collaborative project from PVA’s Ella Harris and Blue Bendy’s Olivia Morgan. You can listen to the compilation here.

Sad Club Records

Founded in May 2016, London based independent, Sad Club Records was born out of Tallulah Webb’s boredom of the current indie scene, and her desire to provide a platform for the masses of up-and-coming indie artists swarming the capital. 

After leaving school aged eighteen, Tallulah began working full-time at Rough Trade East, where she witnessed the beginnings of the recent cassette resurgence. Seeing an opportunity, she took the plunge, deciding to pursue her dream of starting her own label. Just two weeks later, she had the fully-functioning Sad Club to her name. 

Now a thriving label, Sad Club is home to a number of artists; Clara Mann, Swallow Cave, BUGS and John Myrtle - to name a few, all of whom are tied together by one shared belief; that physical releases are the way forward for small artists. 

Although cassettes are produced by major labels who have the means to fund vinyl production, when it comes to independently signed artists cassettes have proved crucial. Their low manufacturing costs allow for a far greater creative freedom and are often the only viable way for small musicians to release physical copies of their music; this in turn is one of few the viable ways for artists to make profit.

Sad Club fully embrace this, being a cassette-exclusive label, their artists-centred ethos has gained them great respect within the industry. Speaking on the label’s focus on physical releases, Tallulah Webb has said: “It’s about creating an experience for your fans...with a physical release, that format is going to be sitting in someone's home. You could have liner notes that people will take out and read, or even a poster that someone will put on their wall and see every day! You can create that perfect environment for your listener which you can’t do online, which I think is beautiful!” 

Spinny Nights 

Initially a student-led platform, showcasing the various musical projects of Bristol University, Spinny Nights has quickly blossomed into a completely innovative organisation; bringing infectious live performances to underground venues across Bristol and surrounding areas of the UK. With previous nights hosting acts such as Lynks, PVA, Glows, Gene Pool and Shit Creek, Spinny Nights live shows are truly dazzling and provide artists with a fair chance to win over their audience; a task which has proved increasingly arduous in the current fast-paced digital climate. 

Having recently expanded into a record label, Spinny Nights founders Rafi Cohen and Arthur Cross have just one release under their belt; ‘Str8 Acting’ by kaleidoscopic “drag monster,” Lynks. But, with the music industry soon to be up-and-running again, and with a stream of releases expected to follow, the future's looking bright for Spinny Nights.