Recording Companies

What is your name?

Glenn Dicker.

What is the full name of your label? Do you have any other or sub- labels?

»Yep Roc Records«. »Yep Roc« is now part of an expanded label group (»Yep Roc Label Group«) which also includes »Bella Union«.

Why did you choose this name? Does it mean anything? Does it have any relation to the music you release?

The name comes from a Slim Gaillard song and has nothing to do with any of the music we release. It’s an artist that my partner and I both really dug while growing up though.

Are you still happy with the name? Do you sometimes want to change it?

The name is great, so we tend to love it.

Is it really important for a label to have a name and to put it on the back of a record when most people are mainly interested in the artist/the music?

Totally. I think having some kind of brand recognition makes a lot of sense. Many rely on a certain genre to help identify with. We focus on quality without boundaries.

What other names of record labels do you like?

»Stax« (mainly for the logo), »Daptone«, »Secretly Canadian«, »Merge«, »Warp«, »Memphis Industries«, »Bella Union«, »Moshi Moshi«, »Bomp!«, »Norton«.

www.yeproc.com

What is your name?

Sam Valenti.

What is the full name of your label? Do you have any other or sub-labels?

I’ve got two labels: Ghostly International and Spectral Sound.

Why did you choose these names? Do they mean anything? Do they have any relation to the music you release?

The word ›ghostly‹ kept appearing for me. In books, conversation, film. It means a feeling, a sensibility. Spectral means ›dark ghost‹. The names directly apply to our music.

Are you still happy with the names? Do you sometimes want to change them?

Yes. No.

Is it really important for a label to have a name and to put it on the back of a record when most people are mainly interested in the artist / the music?

The music is always most important, but yes, it is now more important than ever.

What other names of record labels do you like?

»Dial«, »Rough Trade«, »Factory«, »Output«, »Wolf + Lamb«, »Transmat«, »Mute«, »Hyperdub«, »Echospace«, »Warp«, »Dischord«, »Underground Resistance«, »Vertical Form«.

www.ghostly.com

What is your name?

Simon Raymonde.

What is the full name of your label? Do you have any sub-labels?

Bella Union. No, I have two publishing entities, »Showpony« and »Bella Union Music« but they are not record companies.

Why did you choose this name? Does it mean mean anything?

Firstly, it sounds good. On two levels: ›Bella‹ means ›beautiful‹, ›union‹ means ›marriage‹, ›relationship‹ but also »Bella Union« was the name given to the houses of entertainment by Native Americans. It seems that in the series »Deadwood« a ›Bella Union‹ is actually a whorehouse but I am not sure this is right!

Does it have any relation to the music you release?

I would suggest this is subjective. I sign bands based simply on whether I think they’re amazing, not for any connection to the name. But to me, the hope ist hat we will all be involved in a beautiful relationship forever. But maybe that is just wishful thinking.

Are you still happy with the name? Do you sometimes want to change it?

No, I love it. Maybe I would like to have another label one day just so we could think up a new name. But new names take ages to come up with!

Is it really important for a label to have a name and to put it on the back of a record when most people are mainly interested in the artist / the music?

I think it is, yes. Some people only find about a new band because they follow a label. If you trust someone’s taste then you will discover a lot more things that way. I know after twelve years we now have a small dedicated fanbase who love what we do and will order our new releases because they find that more often than not we are more right than wrong! I hope that it is like a sign of quality, like »Mercedes-Benz«.

What other names of record labels do you like?

»Rough Trade«, »Full Time Hobby«, »Postcard«, »Temporary Residence«, »Jagjaguwar«, »Absolutely Kosher«, »Minty Fresh«, »Polyvinyl«, »Trojan«, »On-U Sound«, »Thrill Jockey«, »Fargo«.

www.bellaunion.com

What is your name?

Caius Pawson.

What is the full name of your label? Do you have any sub-labels?

Young Turks, no sub labels.

Why did you choose this name? Does it mean anything? Does it have any relation to the music you release?

›Young Turks‹ is an old English saying that describes young people with a rebellious / carefree attitude. It’s summed up by the Rod Stewart song »Young Turks«. I’m not sure why I called it »Young Turks« but I did so when I was 18 and putting on parties. It stuck when I started putting out records.

Are you still happy with the name? Do you sometimes want to change it?

I am happy as it has a lot of meaning to me. However, a few years after starting the label, I found out about the Turkish Army officers / politicians called the »Young Turks«. They were a pretty horrible bunch (genocide / pointless wars / tyranny etc.) and so the name has some pretty awful connotations. I can promise, though, that me naming the label »Young Turks« had nothing to do with those Turks.

Is it really important for a label to have a name and to put it on the back of a record when most people are mainly interested in the artist /the music?

The logo / name of the label on the back represents the amount of hard work that a label put into making the CD / vinyl you’re holding. Even if the artist is completely responsible for the music on the CD, the package and the fact you’ve been able to buy it, is partly thanks to the label. So, although I’m sure not many people acre for labels, there is some point to CDs / vinyl being branded.

What other names of record labels do you like?

»Cash Money« – great label and the name lets you know exactly what they’re about.

www.theyoungturks.co.uk

What is your name?

Maurice Summen.

What is the full name of your label? Do you have any other or sub-labels?

»staatsakt.«.

Why did you choose this name? Does it mean anything? Does it have any relation to the music you release?

›Staatsakt‹ means ›act of state‹. In Germany we’ve got an adage that says: »Mach daraus keinen Staatsakt« (»Don’t make an act of state of it«). I once saw a lady in a train who was stressed by a conductor because she couldn’t find her ticket. The conductor was really upset and this is what she said… I believe that everything stands in a relation to everything.

Are you still happy with the name? Do you sometimes want to change it?

The name is like a tattoo. It reminds me of my own past. Sometimes it can be very aggravating – sometimes it’s really adjuvant.

Is it really important for a label to have a name and to put it on the back of a record when most people are mainly interested in the artist / the music?

Hmmm… I don’t know. My label seems to have a life of its own. The autopoieses runs. It all seems so be a question of existence – not of importance, like the claim of the jazz avantgarde label ESP-Disk says: »The artist alone decide what you will hear on their ESP-Disk«…

What other names of record labels do you like?

I like other Teutonic labelnames like »Kling Klang« or »Atatak«. Theses Names all sound like the word ›techno‹.

www.staatsakt.de

What is your name?

Peter Kersten.

What is the full name of your label? Do you have any sub-labels?

»Dial« (sub-label »Laid«).

Why did you choose these names? Do they mean anything? Do they have any relation to the music you release?

Giving our label’s name a thought took maybe just a few minutes and it has nothing to do with the music. »Laid«, the sublabel’s name, is just the word ›dial‹ spelled backwards.

Are you still happy with the name »Dial«? Do you sometimes want to change it?

For me it was always ok. I never liked it that much and never hated it.

Is it really important for a label to have a name and to put it on the back of a record when most people are mainly interested in the artist/the music?

No, it’s absolutely not important for a label to name it and put the name on a record. The idea of collecting whole label catalogues is quite an absurd part of record company history.

What other names of record labels do you like?

All record labels I like have really odd and boring names: »Choose«, »Stones Throw«, »Mississippi«, »Folkways«, »Mainstream«, »Downtown 161«. I think names in general are highly overrated.

http://www.dial-rec.de/

What are your names?

Stephane Elfassi and Marc Teissier du Cros.

What is the full name of your label? Do you have any other or sub-labels?

»Record Makers«. We’re about to start a sub-label and a sister company, but their names are still secret.

Why did you choose this name? Does it mean anything? Does it have any relation to the music you release?

»Record Makers« describes our original activity of crafting nice objects. In our digital era, this name has become obsolete but we keep on and so far the response from the audience keeps growing. Our logo is about creating dreams. The factory is a tribute to one of the best indie labels ever, »Factory Records«.

Are you still happy with the name? Do you sometimes want to change it?

We’re still happy with our name.

Is it really important for a label to have a name and to put it on the back of a record when most people are mainly interested in the artist/the music?

Of course it’s important, we believe that people who enjoy the music we release will want to inquire about what’s behind it like we did with the records we liked. So it’s a sign for those people which adds some dream and links all the releases between each other.

What other names of record labels do you like?

»Casablanca«, »Italians Do It Better«, »Island«.

www.recordmakers.com

What is your name?

Dave Cawley.

What is the full name of your label? Do you have any other or sub- labels?

»Fatcat Records«, our sub labels are »Split Series«, »Splinter Series« (12” only) and »130701«.

Why did you choose these names? Do they mean anything? Do they have any relation to the music you release?

»Fatcat« was totally random. We couldn’t decide on a name for our record store and opened a book, shut our eyes and pointed inside. »Fatcat« was the name nearest the finger. This, believe it or not, is true. It doesn’t mean anything, well it means something now hopefully, as we have allied some great artists and music under this title. The »Split Series« and »Splinter Series« are curated by Dave Howell here at »Fatcat«.

»Split Series« – a strikingly designed and boldly conceived output of 12” that would pit divergent styles and producers against one another, guiding the label into increasingly uncharted territory. »Split Series« is used to describe the separation of artists on each side of the vinyl.

»Splinter Series« – loosely running in parallel with »Split Series«, this imprint was initially established for CD-only releases, remaining undefined by generic boundaries, yet largely seeing artists who worked in the margins or between genres, mixing accessible melodic parts with noisier or more destabilising elements. »Splinter Series« is used to describe a fragment that has parted from the whole. It makes me smile writing this as I appreciate the thought that Dave has put into the labels he curates for »Fatcat«.

»130701« series is a home for ›post-classical‹ music, artists include Sylvain Chauveau, Max Richter, and most recently Hauschka. The label is a date, the 13th of July 2001. This day falls on Friday 13th. I like the superstitious significance this has.

Are you still happy with the names? Do you sometimes want to change them?

We are happy with the names. Never thought about changing them to be honest, only adding to the different identities that fall under the »Fatcat« umbrella.

Is it really important for a label to have a name and to put it on the back of a record when most people are mainly interested in the artist/the music?

Yes, I personally think it is. I look out for releases from labels I respect. A label is an identity, a statement of intent. A good label will be following its own rules, creating its own unique path.  When I was growing up i wanted to hear what »Irdial Discs« were doing, where »Basic Channel« was going creatively; a label can be a stamp of approval, a benchmark of quality. I could name a load of labels I love and respect. Yes, we don’t get it right all the time but who does, if the label releases records it truely believes in then the label should share equal importance with the artists it promotes.

What other names of record labels do you like?

»Rough Trade«, »Warp«, »Southern Lord«, »Resonance«, »Underground Resistance«, »One Little Indian«, »Sub Pop«, »Irdial Discs«, »Transmat«… Phew, the list could go on and on.

www.fat-cat.co.uk

What is your name?

Simon Halliday.

What is the full name of your label? Do you have any sub-labels?

»4AD« is the full name, no ›Records‹ or ›Recordings‹. No sub labels and we don’t plan to have any.

Why did you choose the name/s? Does it mean anything? Does it have any relation to the music you release?

The name was chosen in 1980 by a pretty random process – a bastardization of the word ›forward‹, but not really meant to mean anything. The name now does have a relation to the music – but only because people have become accustomed to the name with certain music and artwork etc.

Are you still happy with the name? Do you sometimes want to change it?

Yes, the name is great. It has an enviable legacy. Sometimes it’s tempting to chance the name so a label can have a totally fresh start but better to keep the name so there are high peaks to try and emulate and surpass.  Keeping a name gives the idea of continuity and history.

Is it really important for a label to have a name and to put it on the back of a record when most people are mainly interested in the artist/the music?

Sometimes it is. With so much music being available and competition being fierce a label logo on a CD can be beneficial and may sway people to listen when they might not. But a more established band does not really need a logo to help sell it.

What other names of record labels do you like?

»Underground Resistance«, »Stones Throw«, »Sub Pop«, »Atlantic«, »Philly International«, »Factory«.

www.4ad.com

What is your name?

Tom Steinle.

What is the full name of your label? Do you have any sub-labels?

Tomlab. No sub-labels at present.

Why did you choose this name? Does it mean anything? Does it have any relation to the music you release?

Originally the label I am running was a very private affair with the release of my own recordings (Summer DSP) and the recordings made with friends (Visor). It was merely a hobby, with virtually no distribution and the helping hands of friends and 1990s electronic music lovers, the catalog numbers simply were ›Tom1‹, ›Tom2‹… With the time more records were put out, distribution was looked for and I became tired of always talking of myself in the second form (»Tom is doing this, releasing that blabla…«). For the sake of continuity I added the word ›lab‹ and was using »Tomlab« as the label name since release #6. I picked it because it suggests multiple meanings like label, labour, laboratory. Actually I think of it as a laboratory most of the times.

Are you still happy with the name? Do you sometimes want to change it?

I sometimes have this immense existential feeling that I want to disappear completely behind the records we are releasing and thus get rid of the ›TOM‹ in the label name. But then again it makes a lot of sense when I keep coming back to the ›lab‹.

Is it really important for a label to have a name and to put it on the back of a record when most people are mainly interested in the artist/the music?

In the past I would have said »NO« as each artist is unique and deserves the spotlight! But my opinion has changed especially with the internet being so dominant these days and short attention spans ruling the average music ›consumption‹. Now, I am much in favour of marketing the label name as a quality trademark for the music being selected for release – for me it’s a signature of longevity against the eroding digital sign of the times.

What other names of record labels do you like?

My personal favourite names might be »Basic Channel« (which is very technical and transcending its meaning at the same time) and »Les Disques du Crepuscule« which is the perfect match for my beloved night-time listening of music.

www.tomlab.de