Musicians' Own Indie

Rip It Up, Issue 75, 1 October 1983, Page 20

Musicians' Own Indie

Unsung Records is one year and two months old. It's just received its first fan letter. The label's catalogue has just doubled in size and while the future is being pondered realistically there's still enough energetic idealism to go round.

Unsung started with 10 people and a lot of big plans. The independent co-operative record label idea had .been kicked round for a while but wasn't acted upon until people connected with the Big Sideways project found if they wanted to put an album out they had to do it themselves. Robbie Sinclair's Three Voices album was recorded and awaiting release so two albums came out at once and Unsung was here. "Unsung was very untogether at first and that was rather costly,"

says foundation member lain Watkins. "Everyone had different areas to look after and lack of communication led to some things being done which cost us thousands of dollars. We've made lots of mistakes. Like we just found out a few weeks ago *hat you have to apply for a chart

position, a record doesn't automatically chart. We were wondering why the Big Sideways record was selling well, but not in the Top 40. That was why." Unsung is now down to five key personnel. lain says people's individual projects got bigger, no one worked at the label for money and people just drifted away. Now the initial expenses have been paid off and business is on a firmer footing. A sympathetic lawyer is handling a lot of the paper work free of charge. Despite a year-and-a-bit of changes the aim of Unsung remains the same. 'To stimulate and activate the New Zealand independent music, within New Zealand and hopefully overseas," says member Ben Staples. "We're the only record company run by artists and we give musicians complete control from the music to the cover art."

'lf we like what someone brings in," says lain, "Well release it without any interference at all. We tell a band with a raw demo to go away and get it done and then bring us back the master. Until that day we don't hear it again. And we're getting a great response,

some of the demos are amazing quality. I don't understand why the majors are turning them down." "Dollars and cents," says Ben. So does being a musician and a record company executive create any conflict of interests? "You have to wear two hats," Ben admits. "Sometimes you just want to be a musician, hand the finished product to the company and say, Tiere, you hassle with it.' It's hard too when you're closely involved with the music, like I've been on the Avant Garage and Miltown Stowaways' albums. But it's the best way. The musicians know what's happening." "Unsung will always be a cooperative," says lain. "We get the artists to do a lot of their own groundwork, like press kits. And when groups go on tour we ask them to go into all the record shops and act as sales reps for Unsung. The Miltowns came back from their recent tour with $2500 worth of orders." "Distribution is the biggest hurdle for a small record company," says Ben. "We're helped in the South Island by Flying Nun and that's great because they've got so much credibility. It's taken us a while to get round the retailers up here and get them to buy even one record. lain: "One thing we have learnt is that there's no money in records in New Zealand, no profits. It really is 10 cents here, 20 cents there.

"However, we do offer a good royalty percentage to the artist. In fact the more they put in the more they get back. Like Avant Garage paid for their album's pressing, cutting, covers. We're handling distribution and giving them a

massive percentage. One thing we won't do though is pay for recording. We tell the bands to do that to show faith in themselves." The future? "Well we had a seven month lull after the first two albums, in fact some people thought we'd disappeared altogether. We've done a 12" single for the Miltowns and their album is just out. The Avant Garage album is doing very well and we're still getting orders for their cassette which is totally different to the album. Upcoming we're doing a new Big Sideways 12", an EP from Peking Man in mid-October and hopefully something from DVCE who've just appeared with an amazing song recorded on a four-track in someone's front room."

"We've got so much music just within Unsung though," says Ben. "I mean all the bands and projects we're involved in. Unsung is a bit of a family." Is there a danger of the label becoming too insular? "We're very wide," says lain. 'The criteria is basically anything New Zealand.

Unsung is soon on the move. Downstairs into the Foxhole in the Limbs dance troupe building in Ponsonby. There will be space for offices, a retail shop selling all New Zealand releases, rehearsal space for Unsung acts and also storage space for the label's growing record collection. In the fast-spinning world of the record industry Unsung Records seems remarkably composed. Expectations of money and fame are not high. Integrity, though, is and that and hard work have produced four of New Zealand's best albums and the basis to shoot even higher. Play it again, Unsung. Mark Everton