The Weser label is a record label that has been operating out of Germany for quite some time. The artists that they sign are a mix between punk, surf rock, and rock and roll. They are known for signing artists that are native to Germany as well as an eclectic mix of artists foreign to Germany that make completely different sounding music than the genres they normally cater to.
The importance of Weser Label
This label is moderately well known throughout Germany, and though the artists that they sign are not the most well known ones available, Weser Label is known for their relentless promotion of these artists, continually announcing different festivals and events, and all kinds of other goodies that fans can partake in.
In addition to all of this, Weser Label is one of the most well maintained labels in Germany that still regularly puts out punk music. There are many German punk and hardcore bands, but none put out as much music and still advertise as relentlessly as Weser Label. This could be because of their punk ethos, or it could be because of a desire to make money, but regardless of their motivation, the point still stands that Weser Label is moderately successful in what they do, and that is in comparison to a major label. For a small company, Weser Label is run remarkably well, and their site is updated regularly. Though they do not service many areas outside Germany, they are extremely dedicated to those areas that they do serve, continually organizing event after event to keep people interested in the music they put out.
This record label has been up and running since early 2005 and is based out of New York.
Artists of Universal Motown
Despite the term Motown being used right in the name of the label, it has little to do with the genre of music popularized in the late 50’s and early 60’s known as Motown. The artists that they sign such as Nelly, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, and Forever the Sickest Kids represent the style of the label as a whole.
The reason that the genre doesn’t match the name is because Universal Motown was no the original name. Originally it was two separate record labels, Universal, and Motown, which decided to merge and form Universal Motown, Though Motown records had been operating since 1959, since Motown music for the most part was no longer being made, they were signing artists closely affiliated with the genre such as R&B artists as well as hip hop and funk musicians.
The universal merger saw Universal importing most of their major artists as the major exports of the label. Kid Cudi and Nicki Minaj and Forever the Sickest Kids are now the new face of Motown Records as it once was. Currently the former CEO of Elektra Records is the head of Universal Motown, and is making sure that the original point of the Motown label is not forgotten. As recently as 2008, the record label has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original incarnation of the record label by releasing the original #1’s box set, a collection of albums released in the late 50’s and early 60’s that appeared as #1 on the billboards music chart of their respective eras.
Mercury Records is sort of an anomaly in the recording world. It is an affiliate of the Island-Def Jam recording group (which services just about every genre of mainstream music including pop rock such as the killers, and Rap and hip-hop such as Drake, Ghostface Killah, and Justin Bieber) and yet doesn’t have a single artist as well known in the mainstream as anything on Island or Def Jam.
Influence in the UK
Mercury records is a stand-alone company operating out of the UK, the artists signed to Mercury don’t really carry over into the same genre as any of the ones signed to Island or Def Jam, erring far more on the side of mainstream radio acceptable music. The music from this label is made to sound like music that is regularly played on the radio, though at least in the US, little actual radio play is received for these tracks or artists.
The Noisettes and Portishead are among the most well known artists that are or were signed to Mercury, and aside from being backed by Island and Def Jam, the actual music has little to do with the music of any artists signed to either of the other record labels. They have the ethos of an independent network though, and despite the radio quality of the artists they sign, they attest that they have little intervention in the final sound of an artist’s album. Despite being backed by a large company, they are not trying to overpower or over market any of the artists that they sign. They want to keep the public happy and their artists happy as well.
Econore in a small independent music label that also publishes a magazine. One of the most noteworthy aspects of the label is that it is a non-profit label. Though they are small, they are steadily gaining notoriety in the music world.
Why Econore is Important
A non-profit music label like Econore will never make much money, but because this label is non-profit it means that it has the ability to change the face of music forever. A non-profit music label will only use as much resources on the bands it signs as the bands make. Essentially, the label is only there to manage the assets of the bands it signs but it does nothing more. This means that it exists in order to make the artistic visions of the artists a reality.
Many other labels have very nice contracts with the bands they sign, sometimes even nicer than Econore. Non-profits, unless backed by a wealthy person, have little capability to forward money to a band for recording or do anything else in that vein and in that sense, a major label may be better. But the difference is, a major label, being interested in profit, will threaten to void a contract if a band does not do well. With Econore, if a band puts out a bad album, they just regroup and try again until they get it right. The Econore website says that they are dedicated to free spirited music, ambient, noise, electronic, and other sound experiments. This is something that most labels cannot rightly admit to being open to. As long as they allow their artists to experiment, Econore’s influence has the possibility of being endlessly influential.
Cooperative Music is a label that has proliferated throughout Germany, France, and the UK predominately and caters towards artists that represent the alternative rock and electronic rock scenes. Their facebook page showcases such artists as Two Door Cinema Club, Yelle, and Mercury Rev, though they are not necessarily affiliated with all of the bands listed on their facebook page.
Cooperative Music is cooperative just like the title says
Cooperative music has an interesting ethos. Because of their relevance across Europe, and because of the artists they sign, they are able to let the artists that are signed to them freely experiment with a minimum of intervention. Unlike artists signed to major labels such as Warner Brothers, artists on Cooperative Music will receive little direction from the label as to what their album is supposed to sound like. This has a lot to do with the size of the company. They sign new artists, and small artists, fostering them into becoming well known and liked while their current roster of larger artists keeps them afloat monetarily, allowing them to continue to support their smaller artists. This is an interesting business tactic which is being adopted by a lot of the more moderately successful, but not yet world power level labels out there today. This is mutually beneficial for artists and the label because the artist can be absolutely authentic towards what they want to do, and because listeners appreciate this level of authenticity, this will result in much more interest in the label and many more purchases. Their audience is not necessarily the listeners that stick to the radio all the time, but they have more dedication on their side.
100records is a subversive record label in the underground of German techno and electronic. The releases that they facilitate are usually German artists that happen to be in the krautrock, electronic, or dance/techno genres.
What 100records does
100records specializes in bringing unheard music to the masses. Many large music giants refuse to publish or to help in the proliferation of music that they don’t deem to be commercially acceptable. Essentially if a record company listens to a song and they do not think that it will receive significant radio airplay, then they refuse to pick up the artist. 100recordsis a label that will pick up artists based on whether they sound good enough to sell enough records to at least break even. Because of the diverse musical climate of today it is hard to tell whether a band will be successful or not. Just because the music they make is not commercially acceptable does not necessarily mean a band will not become successful.
Sigur Rós is a good example of this idea. They are an Icelandic post rock and ambient experimental band with little commercial appeal, and yet going through underground avenues at first they have been able to reach a much wider audience. Though unaffiliated with 100records, this is what smaller labels such as 100records aspire to do, to help artists with a vision that does not fit commercial ideal to reach a wider audience and wider acceptance through minimal marketing. The idea there is that the music will sell itself. Though they may not have as many resources as larger companies, one successful artist can make them successful too, and they are not far off from reaching that plateau.