Maximum Rock'n' Roll issue #276: Is Business Killing Punk Rock?
1-2-3-4 Go! was asked to take part in a round table-ish discussion of sorts put together by MRR featuring various people operating various businesses in the punk community. We were given the following set of questions to answer as were people from Jade Tree, Dischord, G7, Plan-It-X, No Idea, Razorcake and a bunch of others. This is what we came up with
1) What are your core business ethics?
1. Never release records you don't like based on the fact that they will
sell well if you do. I've been faced with this a few times. If I liked
shitty NOFX rip off style punk I would probably have more money and a more
famous label. I just can't do it though. Maybe that makes me a poor business
man but I couldn't lie to people and say it was a great record if inside I
was thinking it was the hugest piece of shit.
2. Be fair to the people you work with and yourself.
2) What does it mean to be independent? Why is it important to be
independent?
To me being "Independent" means not having to answer to anyone except
yourself. You don't have to turn in profit reports to a higher up to see if
you have a job next week. You live and die by your decisions alone. I think
it's important in a lot of cases because it keeps the art free to be what it
will be. You make the art you want to because it pleases you. You ask the
bands you like to do records with you because you love their music. The
minute you have to think about what the person with the money will think if
this doesn't sell X amount of copies you dilute yourself. You're not going
to have as much capitol as you would if you signed a P&D deal with a major
label or what have you but you'll be doing exactly what you want to do. On
the other hand as unlikely as it is, if someone gave me a million dollars
and said "I don't care what you do or how well it does and here's a contract
that says you don't have to pay me back" I'd take it. I guess those are my
stipulations for a viable "sellout" scenario haha.
3) What makes a ³punk² business different than any other business?
I don't think a "Punk" business is too different than any other business
accept we're all degenerates of one fashion or another buying, selling and
trading with each other...and the stuff is cooler. People like to think a
"punk" business will be fairer to it's employees and it's customers but
there's hundreds of examples of that not being true. Either through poor
business practices or the owner/operators being pricks. Those of us who
consider ourselves punk aren't any better or worse than the rest of
humanity...we're just loosely bound together under the same flag and we tend
to like skulls more.
4) Can we agree on what the ethics of punk business are?
Well until we establish a punk business owners association and draft a
uniform code of ethics there's always going to be differences of opinion on
what is ethical and what is not. In general I think most people running
labels agree that you don't fuck over your bands and people in bands don't
fuck over their labels. Even that is debatable for some people and
everything else is totally up in the air.
5) What is the definition of DIY?
Do It Yourself to most people. Don't Involve Yourself to others...and to an
even smaller degree it means the airport code for Diyarbakir, Turkey . Some
people out there think that DIY (the Do It Yourself definition) is more of a
communal thing. Like it's DIY to buy something from someone who is also in
the DIY community...even though you didn't do anything but buy something
like any other consumer. It's also still DIY if you're a band on what they
term a DIY label. But it's the label that pays for the record to be made and
distributes it. But that's still DIY to them. However if that same band then
goes to a larger label they don't consider part of the DIY community and
that label pays for the record to be made and distributed just like the
other label did....it is now not DIY. I think that's a bunch of hooey. Do It
Yourself means exactly what it says it does. You do it for yourself. You
record the record, you pay to put it out and you distribute it. You get
another party or business involved then it's not really DIY anymore. It's a
co-operative effort...which I think is just as valid if not better. Who
wants to be the lone wolf on everything? The band makes music, the label
makes that music available and all is right in the world to me.
5) Is ³doing it yourself² only for those who can afford it? (i.e., What if
you canıt afford to buy your own tour van, have your band recorded, release
your own records, etc.?)
You can only do what you can do with what you have. If you really want to do
something but you need the help or capitol of someone else and it doesn't
compromise what you're trying to accomplish I say don't restrict yourself.
6) Is it wrong to buy or deal with major labels? What about labels that use
major-owned (or partly major-owned) distributors like ADA, RED, Caroline,
Fontana, etc?
I'm of the opinion that if for some reason one of those cats wants to pick
up some of my records that's fine by me. Their money spends just as well as
anyone else's. I'm not going to cut my own throat to offer them price breaks
to get in to Best Buy or what have you...but I will use their money to put
out more records if it comes to me on my terms.
7) Is a punk band still punk if they sign to a major label? Is there ever a
good excuse to sign to a major label?
Depends. If you play the style of music that falls under the big old "punk
sound" umbrella you're still a punk band no matter where you go. Are they
going to be accepted by a lot of people who hold "punk" as more than just a
style of music...I suppose not. I think it's important to define the two
separate sides of the Punk style of music and the Punk style of life. Both
are hugely debatable as far as their boundaries go. Some people think the
punk lifestyle is all about rules of what to do and what not to do. On the
other hand there's people who think punk means no rules or boundaries at
all. This here is the endless punk debate that I don't think we'll ever come
to an agreement on. We're trying to decide where the boundaries are and half
of us see wide open sky and the other half see clearly defined walls and a
roof.
8) Is an indie label that acts like a major just as bad as a major? Why or
why not? Is the major vs. indie debate moot?
Yes it is just as bad. Bad people are bad no matter what sort of business
model they're operating under. I don't know if the major vs. indie debate is
moot or not. I know that there needs to be independent businesses to keep
things from stagnating, period. No matter how expansive they are the major
corporations aren't picking up every piece of music that deserves to be
heard. For some reason they don't seem interested in putting out an amazing
7" that sells 500 copies.
9) What can we do to take punk out of the hands of big business? Should we
even worry about big business?
Do not even worry about big business and/or taking "punk" out of their
hands. "Punk" is intangible. It's not something anyone can clearly define or
hold. Keep creating on your terms and don't concentrate on what Big Busines
is co-opting this week.
10) Should we be just as adamant about remaining ³independent in areas of
our lives outside of punk rock?
Do what you think is reasonable. I say don't suffer needlessly though
because you think getting what you need wouldn't be DIY.
11) Is it wrong to buy/sell bootlegs?
I think straight up bootlegging someone's record is very wrong. Then you're
directly interfering with their livelihood and art. Live recordings that the
band never intends on using...passable I suppose. Sort of flattering really.
People are so rabid for your music they'll buy poorly recorded live concerts
to get more if they have to. Sometimes it prompts the bands to release
superior sounding versions which is cool.
12) Is it okay to trade/download MP3's of independent/DIY punk bands without
paying?
Individual songs to show someone how rad a band is? Absolutely okay. Ripping
a whole album you got a promo of and putting it on the internet before it
comes out on a small label...not okay at all. Small labels and bands make
little if any money as it is. Putting out their hard work for free before
they've even had a chance to break even is shitty. A lot of kids think that
bands and labels are inherently rolling in money so if a few hundred people
get the record for free it's no big deal...but for small bands or labels a
few hundred copies could be half of their total sales right off the top.
13) Why donıt punks have a problem with Rupert Murdochıs MySpace.com? Is
there an alternative?
There are alternatives all over the place. www.punkrock.org is one of many.
However to me using a free service that is owned by a company that falls
under Rupert Murdoch's ownership isn't really an issue. Is it weird? I guess
so a little to some people. But it's Myspace. It's a weird place where
people can hear your music conveniently and you can keep track of friends on
the internet. If I want to see the Simpsons or Family Guy I have to watch
Fox and I'll be damned if I'm going to stop doing that because some
Australian douche owns the network. It's kind of funny really. Fox is one of
the trashiest networks on non-pay TV and Fox News is one of the most
conservative networks on Cable. Dude has got people at both ends.
14) Is it okay to make a living off of punk rock?
If you can make a living doing what you want...and what you want is a punk
related business then more power to you. I'd rather someone make money doing
what they love than work some shitty job to survive wasting time instead of
creating something or enjoying themselves.