From: The Cassette Mythos, Autonomedia 1990
For the amateur musician, the advantages of an independent local label can be endless. In the case of Home Recordings, they included the following:
-- A large number of local groups were formed which probably would never have existed without the label. This is due to both the availability of a recording studio and the continuous interaction among individuals from different bands.
-- Of the groups that would have existed, few would have released anything. If anyone had released cassettes on their own, they would undoubtedly have been of inferior quality and more expensive to make than the Home Recording releases.
-- There has been a pooling of talent and equipment. Amongst some recordings artists, there is a great deal of collaboration and short-term equipment loan which could not have been possible otherwise. A single musician recording his/her own project can borrow, say, guitars, basses, effects, and personnel from other artists on the label. This would be very difficult for the average lone musician to do.
-- Live performance booking is much easier. Some of the artists are booked directly through Home Recordings, while others prefer to take care of their own bookings. In either case, the fact that the band/artist is associated with a recording label, and that it is possible to send a release as opposed to a demo tape, is a big advantage.
-- It is possible for Home Recordings artists to gain a cross-over following from the other Home Recordings artists, since much of the music is in a similar vein.
-- The biggest advantage of all has tended to be the acceleration of progress. By the time Home Recordings was eighteen months old, they had released some two dozen cassettes and established a record label. Many of the musicians on Home Recordings actively participate in several ensembles, with more and more on the way. Entire projects can be shelved for extended periods of time and then resurrected at any later date.
So how does it all get started? The first thing that is needed is a group of interested musicians. If the label can get off the ground with five or so "member" groups, they should have enough resources, personnel, ideas, and projects to keep things going fairly well. Things will probably work best if the groups/artists on the label are of a similar disposition and at least mildly acquainted with each other.
The next thing you need is recording facilities. For a small independent label, the best thing you could probably buy for this is a 4-track cassette deck. However, make your choice carefully! Home Recordings decided (as you probably will) that it was necessary to get a 4-track which was compatible with normal stereo cassette decks and tapes, i.e. one which ran at 1 7/8 ips. Some 4-tracks run at 3 3/4 ips, resulting in slightly better sound quality, but also incompatibility. This means a tape made in a 3 3/4 ips deck must be played on a 3 3/4 ips deck, and 3 3/4 ips home stereo decks are uncommon and expensive. Think about what you want carefully before your buy! You will probably also want to get a new high-quality stereo deck for mixing and live recording, not to mention duplicating. Buy something reliable, and before you start duplicating tapes, take the decks to a qualified dealer and have them checked for tape head alignment, tape speed, wow and flutter, etc. Make sure you do this periodically, and remember to clean your heads and capstans frequently; the decks will get a fair amount of use with this type of operation. Assuming the musicians associated with the label have the other necessary equipment (mics, cords, instruments, stereos for mixing, etc.), it will cost about $1000 to get the recording studio started. When split among fifteen or twenty people, this should be reasonably affordable. If worst comes to worst, individual bands could use some type of devious capitalistic venture such as a garage sale or Kool-Aid stand to raise their share.
There are (at least) three functions (other than musicians, of course!) which must be performed in order for the label to function smoothly. They are the roles of business expert/correspondence manager, technical expert, and label chairperson.
In Home Recordings' case the business/correspondence co-ordinator and label chairperson is Steve Rubin. He does many of the things required for the operation of the label, such as the ordering of cassettes and labels and the production of booklets and inserts. He also makes the ultimate yes/no decision concerning a tape's release. If a small label is to survive, it must have someone devoted to straightening out the logistics of such a confusing endeavor.
The technical expert is responsible for most of the recording, tape assembly, and duplication of cassettes. He/she may also do a lot of live recording, depending on how much live performing the various artists on your label do. This person will probably be one of the musicians--the one who likes twisting knobs and playing with tapes and effects all day. In Home Recordings' case, this position is primarily filled by Pink Bob. (With other labels, it may be filled by several people who perform the function in their respective ensembles.) This person (or persons) is constantly trying to find new ways of recording things. The tech expert should also have full knowledge of the capabilities and features of their equipment. For this reason they will probably be present for the final mixes, as they will have a good working knowledge of the mixing board and effects order and use.
Obviously, the first thing that you need once you get the basic inner workings of the label straightened out is a series of releases. It is probably best to start the label with at least three releases, each by a different artist. This will make it easier to gain local recognition, as the label will be perceived as an organization of local musicians from its inception. This in turn will make it easier for you to gain local airplay and space in retail outlets. With Home Recordings' first four releases, we were able to get our cassettes into six record stores in three cities including Chicago.
In the planning stages, there are several things an artist or group may wish to decide. Realize, however, that it is not inherently necessary to spend a long time planning your releases. It is possible that you may want to just start recording and then put the tapes together when you have enough material. This is the typical modus operandi of Home Recordings, writing the material as it is recorded. There are a few things that need to be decided on before a project is started, however, such as the format (4-track, stereo live, etc.), who will do the recording, and how the cassette will be assembled (roughly) after the material is recorded.
As far as the actual recording, it is assumed that someone within your label (one of the tech-heads) knows something about the equipment to be used. If you're new to all of this, consult the manuals that came with your equipment and some books on modern sound recording. There are a few tips that we've stumbled onto, however, that probably warrant mentioning if you're recording on 4-track. The first is that when recording, you should always let the machine run several seconds of tape past the absolute end of the song. This will give you a bit of clean trailer tape. You'll probably find that when you stop the machine or punch out a track, there will be a click on the tape. If the song fades, let the faded note or riff go much longer than what you intend to use and make sure none of those annoying clicks are included.
The second tip concerns the mix. This is another reason why, when you buy your 4-track, you'll want one compatible with a normal stereo deck. Most people do their track-bouncing internally. That is, they leave a track open on the tape for mixing purposes, fill up the rest, and then mix it onto the free track. This makes a certain amount of sense, as it is easier and results in slightly better fidelity (due to the fact that the mix was recorded with the same tape head which will play it). However, there is another method of recording six tracks on a 4-track machine.
Using the internal method, you record the first three tracks on tracks 1, 2, and 3. These are mixed down (in mono, of course) onto track 4. Now the last three tracks are recorded on tracks 1, 2, and 3, destroying the first three tracks. (Note that the mix of the first three tracks is in mono while the other three tracks are independently panable.) Now consider the external method: Record the first four tracks, filling up the 4-track tape. Mix these down in stereo onto a compatible stereo deck (on a new tape, of course). Then place the new tape on the 4-track and record the last two tracks on the presently blank tracks 3 and 4. Notice that on this tape all six tracks may be placed anywhere on the soundstage independently from each other. This will dramatically increase the depth of your recordings. In addition to this, notice that you haven't erased over any of the original tracks, unlike the internal method. This may not seem to be of any great help, but it is. Say you recorded a tune on the fly nine months ago. You've completely forgotten about it, and suddenly run across a stereo mix. You listen to it and like it, and decide you want to do it live. Trouble is, there's some weird rhythm guitar chords and a particularly nimble and confusing bass line in there which you want to duplicate, but you can't quite hear it in the mix. So you get out the masters and discover that since the drums, bass, and rhythm guitar were recorded first and them bumped down onto the same track, you still can't quite tell what's going on. If you had mixed externally, you would be able to listen to the rhythm guitar independently.
No matter what you are recording on, use a high-quality tape (chrome at least, though metal is preferred if your deck can handle it). As previously mentioned, keep your heads and capstans clean, especially in 4-track machines. Get a decent demagnetizer and use it often. And use high quality mics and cords--nothing will piss you off more than recording a great cut that has buzzes and clicks in the quiet parts due to bad wiring or mics. Also, always use Dolby C. For the inexpensive home equipment you'll be using, it will do a great job of eliminating hiss. After the tracks are recorded, you must assemble the new release. If there are no tricky edits, it's probably easiest to do this with two stereo cassette decks. If a lot of edits and fading together of material are necessary, you will want to use the 4-track to assemble your master. If you can do this, a helpful thing to remember is that the 4-track can be used as two synchronized stereo tracks. A good example of using four tracks in such a manner may be found on the cut "The Day's Begun..." on the Sediments EP tape. This cut is actually two separate stereo recordings faded together in the middle.
When properly mixed, the fade sounds natural and smooth. If you do your assembly on a 4-track in this manner, it should be mixed onto a stereo master, which is then used for duplication. Make sure to keep the original recordings and a 4-track master in a safe place and do not play them. Once you have made copies, play only the copies! Save your originals for backups. You might also want to save knob settings of all of the mixes (a drawing of the setup of the board and effects devices) in case you are fated to remix later.
Assuming that you now have the master tapes for your first releases, there are still a number of things that you need to do before the duplication. First of all, there's the packaging (often overlooked by independent labels). Many independent tapes we've seen have nice inserts with beautiful art, but no information included. We've even seen tapes where the artist's name is not included anywhere! Unless you have any specific reasons for omitting them (which, of course, you might), you should include song titles, lengths, and authors, personnel list, lyrics (if applicable), credits for production, recording, and packaging, label name and address, and anything else you find relevant. Most people would be surprised at the booklet you can make with one standard-sized sheet of paper, printed on both sides, cut into halves or fourths, folded, and stapled.
You also need labels and cassettes. Your best bet is to get these through a cassette manufacturer/packager, such as Poly Line in Chicago. If you buy a hundred tapes at a time (most places have a $50 minimum order), you can get high quality chrome tape for less money than those cheesy ninety-nine-cent disasters sold at K-mart and Radio Shack. ALWAYS GET GOOD TAPE FOR YOUR COPIES!
Figure out a way to print the labels inexpensively. If you have access to a cheap computer and a printer, the programs can easily be written to do this. If not, use rubber stamp kits or get them printed professionally. You should probably include artist, title, release number (if there is one), tape info (Dolby, bias/eq), and copyright info (if applicable). You'll also need some plastic cassette cases, and some form of outer wrapper if something other than a case insert is included. Zip-Loc or Seal-a-Meal baggies work nicely for this purpose.
Once you have all of this, you're ready for a production run of cassette copies. At Home Recordings, we usually make four or five copies at a time by stringing the cassette decks together, output to input. If you use this method, be sure to set the levels on all the decks properly. This will take a fair amount of time, and should be done by adjusting the first deck in the chain to the proper recording level, then the second, and so on. Once all the decks record at approximately the same level, we run off many copies of the tape, and then use the output fader on the master deck for volume adjustments for the next tape. The dubbing chain should not be altered once it is set up properly.
Ifyou use this method (the alternatives are using a dubbing deck or professional duplication), do yourselves a BIG favor and mark, with a permanent pen somewhere on the shell or label, a code which will allow identification of the deck that made the copy. Home Recordings didn't do this on the first production run, and we had to listen to over a hundred tapes to find the ones made on a particularly fucked Pioneer. Not fun...
Now that you have several copies of each of your releases, it's time to do the leg work. Read Option and Sound Choice (and anything else you can get your hands on, like back issues of Op) and look for connections. Keep a separate sheet (or sheets) of paper for each kind of contact: radio stations, distributors, and reviewers, including the magazines above. Be sure to make it clear that you are a label, as opposed to a musician with one or two releases. Give the reviewer as much information on the release as possible. You might find it helpful to send tapes in groups of two or three, as they will probably all be reviewed together.
Try to get local record stores to stock your tapes. You will probably have to deal with them on a consignment basis, at least at first. Arrange live performances with the talent on your label. Always include "A _____ Production" on the flyer, where the _____ is your label name. Home Recordings sponsors and books countless shows for its member artists, and has promoted such major local events as Skeleton Crew on 1984 and Shockabilly/Nameless Dread in 1985.
If you want to advertise, fine. Remember, though, that the most important thing is to get the releases reviewed. If you get a good review to quote, use it! Throw it around, and place it in your catalog. Which reminds me--once you get a few releases out, you'll want to make a snappy-looking catalog. Realize, of course, that you'll have to do most of the stuffing. If you can arrange this, do it. It's worth it. Hand the catalogs out at live performances, and have the tapes there to sell. Remember, a one-sheet catalog costs just a few cents.
Once you get things going and all of the musicians are interested, you will find you have a tremendous amount of ideas and material. The progress you make in just the first year will be astounding (at the time of this writing, Home Recordings has had tapes available for just ten months!). Things will probably happen which you never would have believed possible (for us, seeing and meeting Skeleton Crew and Shockabilly was one of those things). Obviously, the label will not be a huge money-making venture. What it will be, however, is an organization that provides the community with an alternative music source, and the musicians will be able to work with a large amount of talent and equipment on a large number of projects. The environment for live performance will be improved, and so will the chances of the eventual release of vinyl, if that's one of your goals. You'll also learn and do much more than if you had not become involved.
And that's reason enough to do it. So do it!
"Busyness is better than idleness"--David Thomas, "Semaphore"
Mr. Dink also wrote about the Importance of Wasting Time.
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