dubstepforum.com

this can be modified and amendments can be made its not the final plan!

OBJECTIVE:

To get unsigned artists the break they deserve by a no frills label that is about music only.Pressing issues is a non profit organisation that can only be described as a global tool for releasing music from a growing scene.The founders of this organisation have soley the purpose to release music that is put before a board for consumption and if given the say so will be pressed to vinyl and sent around the world! via shipping.

OPPORTUNITY:

As there are no other labels to our knowledge that offer this service on such a big scale in this genre,we can only say that we are about the music not hype and pretty pictures-but we are pressingissues music made by and put out by the people who make it.There is a seriouse niche in the market on such a newly built scene-people wanna see more releases by diff names and wanna be surprised by up and coming acts and producers-this in turn will create hype alone.

THE BACKING:

The dubstep community is growing all the time with new producers and dj's catching the bug.Im sure the people of this very forum would like to see there own tracks pressed to vinyl and released into the world-now here is your chance.We have backing from many members already and have in place the pyramid of commited people willing to make ''pressing issues'' take off big time.We are backed by members and dj's and producers and radio because they are the people who make a release happen.

FINANCE:

As at any organisation start finance from members is key,the board and even myself will be contributing to the first press of vinyl-after that we hope to have made money to re-invest in another pressing,and return the expendature of the first pressing to the board who contribute.

*donations are key
*sponsorship
*advertising
*stickers and other ''fobs'' are welcome

A+R:

A+R will be relying on themselves to seek out new talent aswell as listening to music dropped into a pidgeon hole set up for myspace links and dload links.All music will be given a listen and a comment and the artist will be contacted to give feedback.No music will be tossed to one side-ALL MUSIC WILL BE HEARD.
We will also rely on the a+r team to negotiate for releases that maybe in other countries-which in turn will be handled by offshore a+r based in usa and croatia or wherever by the time we go to press.
GET SENDING

PROSPECTS/AIMS:

Up to 10 or more releases per annum-in turn 20 diff artists with a two sided vinyl.
Global shipping,internet buying of mp3's,t-shirts and merchandise
Also we will be aiming to create a database of artists that we can keep in regular contact with, for the latest productions and just so we can send freindly emails and promotions of what the label is up to.



more to come........

please feel free to edit and add things as such

this is a rough copy

Nice start... we can get polishing this turd into a diamond real fast

auralassassin wrote:Nice start... we can get polishing this turd into a diamond real fast

thanks i think

yep.

this is now inside of the project management tool. I have asked 8bit for his info to access the account. Anyone else who is officially involved can PM me their email, name and role they are playing.

thanks, Miro

I didn't add anything, but i edited:

OBJECTIVE:

To give rising dubstep talent an avenue for release by a no-frills not-for-profit music label. Pressing Issues Recordings exists for the sole purpose of internationally releasing tracks from new and established dubstep artists, with all profits being reinvested in the company to secure future releases.

OPPORTUNITY:

There are no current labels which operate under a group-ownership model, and very few dubstep labels in current existence (anyone know how many – figures help!). Pressing Issues Recordings aims to focus on the music and encourage community involvement and input at every point within the release and publicity cycle. Consumers have indicated that there is a strong want for new talent, and a desire for varied releases and styles of music.

BACKING:

Dubstep is a rapidly-growing music genre with new producers and DJ’s entering the scene almost daily. There is a large potential for expansion as the scene is in the early “growth” stage of the life cycle. Pressing Issues Recordings has secured backing from many members of the dubstepforum.com website, and has determined an organizational structure to manage the development and operations of the label. Variou DJ’s and producers have also expressed their support, most notably including xx, yyy, zzz.

FINANCE:

Initial investment will be provided by forum members, with current pledges and donations totaling $xxxx. Once released, any monies gained from the sales of a release will be reinvested to help pay for the next forthcoming release as determined by forum members.

Budget projections go here:

*donations are key
*sponsorship
*advertising
*stickers and other ''fobs'' are welcome

A+R:

A+R will primarily be responsible for communicating with prospective new talent, as well as managing the viral marketing campaigns for the label, not limited to but including myspace.com presence, message board postings, and email marketing campaigns. A&R will also take part in the negotiations for releases outside the US and the UK.

PROSPECTS/AIMS:

o Release 10+ two sided vinyl LPs per annum.
o Secure and utilize global shipping agreements, internet MP3 release (similar to iTunes music store), and generate additional revenue streams from merchandise sales (including t-shirts, stickets, and other novelty items)
o Create a database of artists, press contacts, and industry influencers in order to secure the future stability of the label and inform the consumer of upcoming releases and events.

its there to be edited so go for it,im writing the second part 2moro

10 releases in a year is pushing it. You're going to burn working capital reak fast. I'd say aim for 3 then a CD compilation.

Have you thought about doing a P&D deal with ST Holdings? P&D = they finance mastering and pressing and try to push it into shops, forum does marketing and pr. They'd need a to buy into the quality of the tracks (i.e. which big DJs are playing them), would need a CD.

If you press up yourself, how you going to get it into the shops? Can do it out of the back of a car but it takes a while to collect cash and it's a pain to do.

We'd considered getting distribution, but as an organisation we wanted to, as far as possible, cut out the costs of 'middle men', so as to give the customers the cheapest possible price, and maximise returns to the artist and the label infrastructure. None of this is set in stone, and voices of concern are welcomed, in fact desired! Especially from people with experience in the field.

In terms of independent distribution, the idea we had was a two-pronged approach...

Firstly, we would make an effort to form a network of subscribers, primarily through the forum, but also through other connections (internet and otherwise). The initial idea was to involve the community to a considerable degree in the decision making process, especially in terms of track selection and art direction, and thus generate as much interest as possible in the release. We would therefore be able to send the records direct to the individuals (we have established certain individuals are happy to act as mailing distribution centres), without the extra costs.

Secondly, we thought that the remaining records could be distributed through the relationships which we have each built on this forum. There are individuals who have expressed an interest in helping out who live in almost every major city in the UK (the US requires more discussion), we figured we could utilise individual knowledge of record stores to distribute - selling directly from individual to store.

Do you see any obvious (or less obvious!) problems in that plan? It obviously requires more precise planning and communication, but as a theoretical starting point...does anyone have any thoughts following their experiences with distribution?

One concern I had had is whether some record stores have arrangements with certain distributors to receive goods only from them. Does anyone know anything about this?

i will say that a lot of things like distribution and more of the sensitive issues are organised away from the forum-
i agree that while the posts on this forum seem unorganised and far fetched in place,these arent a true representation of whats actually going to happen

when decisions are made and they are concrete we will be posting progress on releases and nubers etc

Record stores generally have deals with distributors, but they are non-exclusive for the most part.

El Gato and 8bit are correct... we definately are all about hearing the ideas that anyone has. WE being YOU as well, if you want to be a part of WE. And there is TONS being discussed right now in regards to the business end. It really seems unprofessional to discuss some of it in public though, so we do a lot of it in private and the things that will require participation will be public.

Mainly, we just sit around and make fun of you all... haha just kidding. Sortof

Nah, we talk distribution, websites, accounting, promotion, getting lists of tracks that are on the market, contacting known as well as unknown producers. It seems like a clusterfuck now, but "we have everything under control" *explosion*

What's that you say? Explosion? That wasn't an explosion.. that was... umm...

For my part, I would like to emphasise that I see the interaction with / advice of those experienced in the industry (such as Greivous...Dust Science no?) as extremely important to the success and progress of this label

elgato wrote:For my part, I would like to emphasise that I see the interaction with / advice of those experienced in the industry (such as Greivous...Dust Science no?) as extremely important to the success and progress of this label

well said elgato

exactly

I'd point you all in the direction of www.subvertcentral.com

On there, we've tried to set up a DIY drum and bass label for forward thinking music, no distributor, records only in select shops, very limited white label pressings.

It's different than what you're trying to do, as I assume records will be in the shops - with dubstep there's no reason to go for such a punky approach as vinyl is still selling well, and you'll probably want to press more copies. But still, I'd recommend checking it out. Statto is the man in charge over there, and after two years of plugging away at this he has a lot of experience - both of mastering houses, pressing plants, possible difficulties etc...

Not wanting to distract as such, but just thought you guys might be interested to see another forum doing a similar sort of thing

Not sure where to post this, but I've been quite busy recently with work so I haven't really taken part in much discussion here, and just wanted to say I'd be more than willing to help out with promotion or anything else that needs to get done.

thanks man that was educational!

good luck with that it looks professional

8bitwonder wrote:thanks man that was educational!

good luck with that it looks professional

Haha, not really. So far this is far more organised

UFO over easy wrote:

8bitwonder wrote:thanks man that was educational!

good luck with that it looks professional

Haha, not really. So far this is far more organised

everything starts somwhere and eventually the headaches will be worth it-or i at least hope they will be

big up all pioneers trying to make things move whatever background!

there is one very positive thing about PI -> unknown artist will have more attention, ppl will siriously listen and debate about their tunes - which is nothing but good.
and not only unknown artists, but every tune will have some sirious public reaction and discussion..

that's why i think it's very healthy and i say BIG UP


+ my advice: all profit should be re-invested in next releases, development etc.

good luck!