Thievery Corporation closes label

[James Ford]

Well I did sign in at 6:59am. So seems like it was quitting time.

Was only working from home due to medical reasons...

I'm with you there. Shouldn't you be headed out the door my now? I worked 9+ hours from home today. TV, music, and beer while on the clock and on the couch. Can't beat that.

If you had a job of any importance you probably wouldn't be listening to music at work. Or posting on music message boards.

i just can't deal with people who listen to music streamed on shitpie laptop speakers or their phones and think they're doing the world a favor and are cool...

How do you know what setups people have for music consumption?  You are making assumptions on people's consumptions and presenting it as fact. 

100 years from now no one is going to care what you did at work.  I don't know about you but I prefer not being at work.  When I am there I do prefer  to make it somewhat bearable.   Music helps.

I am not working now.  I have to work later tonight so I am enjoying some relaxation time.  Seems like you have a pretty swell job. 

[atomic]

I'm with you there. Shouldn't you be headed out the door my now? I worked 9+ hours from home today. TV, music, and beer while on the clock and on the couch. Can't beat that.

If you had a job of any importance you probably wouldn't be listening to music at work. Or posting on music message boards.

i just can't deal with people who listen to music streamed on shitpie laptop speakers or their phones and think they're doing the world a favor and are cool...

How do you know what setups people have for music consumption?  You are making assumptions on people's consumptions and presenting it as fact. 

100 years from now no one is going to care what you did at work.  I don't know about you but I prefer not being at work.  When I am there I do prefer  to make it somewhat bearable.   Music helps.

I am not working now.  I have to work later tonight so I am enjoying some relaxation time.  Seems like you have a pretty swell job. 

not only that, you're paying his salary!

I only pay around 30k in federal taxes a year I am sure he makes more than that.

[atomic]

Well I did sign in at 6:59am. So seems like it was quitting time.

Was only working from home due to medical reasons...

I'm with you there. Shouldn't you be headed out the door my now? I worked 9+ hours from home today. TV, music, and beer while on the clock and on the couch. Can't beat that.

If you had a job of any importance you probably wouldn't be listening to music at work. Or posting on music message boards.

i just can't deal with people who listen to music streamed on shitpie laptop speakers or their phones and think they're doing the world a favor and are cool...

How do you know what setups people have for music consumption?  You are making assumptions on people's consumptions and presenting it as fact. 

100 years from now no one is going to care what you did at work.  I don't know about you but I prefer not being at work.  When I am there I do prefer  to make it somewhat bearable.   Music helps.

I am not working now.  I have to work later tonight so I am enjoying some relaxation time.  Seems like you have a pretty swell job. 

Beer is for the back pain I assume. 

[Hexenjagd]

Celebration were on a major label and they weren't getting squat so they quit the game.  

Celebration dropping 4AD wasn't just about them not getting squat, as you put it.  There were several factors, including that they were not willing to tour as much as the label wanted them to, and they wanted to spend time with their families.  Here is a link (I will actually just quote the whole thing) to an article about them dropping their label.  The article features a quote from the band at the bottom (which actually fits into this discussion nicely).

http://exclaim.ca/News/celebration_quit_4ad_release_music_on_their_own

By Brock Thiessen
Despite most bands doing damn near anything to get on 4AD, TV on the Radio affiliates Celebration are parting ways with the celebrated London imprint. Today, the Baltimore outfit announced via their website that they are going the sans-label route, saying they have felt a need for a "barrier-free exchange" and that "the traditional methods of releasing music have put too much distance between us."

From now on, all Celebration releases will be released through the band's website, the band say, with all their new music being posted as free digital downloads and, in the future, vinyl. Two new tracks have already been posted on the website ("I Will Not Fall" and "What's This Magical") and you can download those here either free of charge or by adding some funds to the band's new donation box.

Here's Celebration's statement in full on their newly found independence:

Greetings, Dear Ones,

We, as Celebration, have felt the continual growth of web culture's need for barrier-free exchange. We also feel that the traditional methods of releasing music have put too much distance between us. As we see it, the current music business model is crumbling. We believe their methods waste resources and time in a "print for market world" that no longer makes sense. The birth of the MP3 has dreamt the death of the CD format, and so all across the board, CD sales have dropped. What has given way is something so magical and evolutionary, music has grown, that we have only begun to understand the cultural impact of this sharing. So, past the piles of broken CD cases and badly scratched polycarbonate rainbow discs, there lies a fantastic world of freedom - freedom to share instantly with little or no impact on the environment, in a seemingly infinite, eternal and virtually cost free universe of the world wide web. This is our emancipation. Without the need for manufacturing CDs and the danse macabre of the promotional corporate machine, we can be free to release our music when and how we want - no waiting. We know nothing of the marketing world and don't care about the vampires any more.

Our plan and experiment is to post new songs monthly, as we create and record them. Under the creative commons attribution non-commercial share alike license, all of our new music will be free to download on our website for non-commercial use. When we have enough music for an album, we will release it on vinyl for those who want to have something to hold. As artists we can only stand for our music, our art, our creation. So here it is laid bare. Some may say we are fools. If we be fools, then let us be the Fool of the tarot. The Fool card of the tarot represents a leap of faith, a leap into the unknown, a trust in the adventure of chance. It is in this spirit that we are unvailing a multidimensional, interactive musical Tarot deck, on our new website. We are constructing an experimental place to experience and share our musical vision with you. We strongly encourage you to blog, podcast, email and share links to our music and our site with others. We will post stems in the near future for remixing. If we like your remix, we will post it on our site. This experiment is funded solely by us and those of you who choose to be a part of making the music available. We've added a donation box to the site in hopes that you, our audience, can help support the artist's right to autonomy. Thank you!

So with a leap of faith and fortune, we turn the fate of our future to you. We look forward to the time and moment when we share our music with you - it is our greatest joy.

Love,
Celebration

[azaghal1981]

They probably just quit to focus on opening more stuffy douchemagnet bars that charge $15 for a cocktail.
The last thing of interest they released as far as I know is that Federico Aubele album.

Currently active DC area labels of note:
Sister Polygon
VHF (Fairfax)
Fire Records just opened a US division based out of DC.
Cricket Cemetery
Ian Svenonius just started a label on which he is releasing the new Chain and the Gang LP. Not sure if that's a one-off or not.
Cuneiform (going strong for 30-ish years)
Future Times

[hutch]

these labels being mentioned are a joke.. have they sold more than 100 copies of any one item?


Local labels of note I can remember are

Teenbeat
Dischord
ESL

in the early 80s there were some go go labels that also made a dent

I want to say JAMTU which put out the Trouble Funk singles and TTED which put out the Chuck Brown stuff.. those 12"s sold


that's about it...

doesn't mean there isn't some home shop label somebody runs out of their basement as a side project that puts out great music... and that the "owner" isn't a nice guy...

DIY is great . ..all for it..

[Hexenjagd]

You are a joke.

[kosmo vinyl]

Actually The Funk Ark and Ocote Soul Sounds records were really good.  The were a one point a leading downtempo label.  Think I have about 2O of their releases with Ursula 1000, Chris Joss, the above to funk albums and their early compilations.

[kosmo vinyl]

Don't forget Windian records.

[azaghal1981]

I think that died with its head, sadly.


Every one of those labels (except for maybe Cricket Cemetery) that I mentioned above has gotten some sort of national/international attention. Just because you (Hutch) haven't heard of them, it doesn't mean they're nobodies.

[atomic]

I looked at the artists on Esl and I never heard of any of them.  I have seen almost every band on friends records.   Times are changing and no one needs anyone to make CDs for them.  Does this esl label even do vinyl releases?  Hutch you sort of are not the most up to date person on the local scene.  The artists that are bigger don't stay on the local labels.  Wye Oak is on Merge,  Beach House on sub pop, future islands on 4ad, animal collective on domino. 

You can't just sit on your ass and think your label is going to succeed.  The smaller local labels fill a gap and they are useful for the artists and their fans.  I doubt anyone thinks they are going to make a living off of them.  If thieverary corporation was in it for the money they need to sign better artists and promote them.  Once a band signs to a label like sub pop they get a ton of exposure, reviews in the press, articles in music magazines, they get better reviews, tv appearances. 

Running a profitable label is not a part time vanity thing.  I think the streaming sites lose money.  What is your next attack?  Fm radio and how they screw the artists.

[James Ford]

You're never heard of Federico Aubele? Really? Where have you been?

Maybe the whole pseudo-world chill music scene isn't your thing. Maybe you're too caught up in pseudo-arty crap like the Decemberists.

[atomic]

You're never heard of Federico Aubele? Really? Where have you been?

Maybe the whole pseudo-world chill music scene isn't your thing. Maybe you're too caught up in pseudo-arty crap like the Decemberists.

The Decembrists actually sell albums and I doubt Capital records are about to shut down.  I do like some artists that don't have many fans like Rasputina and Holly Golightly.  But they do things to get by and aren't blaming their lot on streaming.

[lily1]

I looked at the artists on Esl and I never heard of any of them.    Does this esl label even do vinyl releases? 

ESL has been producing vinyl for years.  The founders were/are DJs and classic vinyl-especially Latin American and lounge music from the 50's and 60's were their, and continue to be their inspiration.

Like Kosmo, I have many, many of their albums from a variety of artists they promoted and released.

[hutch]

You are a joke.

Well i think this is uncalled for...

I mean you have nothing to add to the conversation other than a personal attack?


weak