| Ont Records |
Article Index for Ont |
Website Links For Records |
Information AboutOnt Records |
|
Ont Records is a small independant record label based in the North West of England. It is owned and staffed by members of Ely, A Band (rhymed with knee fly)] from Rossendale, Richard Kennedy, Robert Marsh and Thomas Bishop. The label is committed to releasing music by local bands who share their passion for creative, exciting music, and to doing so at less obscene expense than that which has become typical in the major label market. Who? Ely is a small band in Rossendale , made up of Richard Kennedy, Robert Marsh, Thomas Bishop, Steven Isherwood, and their friends. The four attended college together, then Kennedy, Marsh and Bishop went to University to study Music Technology. When they returned home (almost completely bereft of any learning) they decided to start a record label to release a few of their own recordings, then - soon realising how easy this was - they began to record and release music by other bands. With their technology background, all three share engineering/production credits. They operate a principle of DIY music - many of their releases have been recorded in living rooms, kitchens, etc. Ont Records now boasts two well-specified home studios, and a rather large (and rather cumbersome) location recording setup, and the label is currently involved in completing forthcoming releases by local acts Link 66 , Das Bish-Hop , Cossack , and the next Ely album. Principles Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, Ont Records is founded on some basic principles which govern the way they do business: 1) Bands are contracted only one release at a time - Ont Records believes musicians should not be tied down to long-term, profit milking contracts. 2) After the cost of production (and a small fee agreed between artist/band and label before work begins), ALL proceeds from record/download sales go straight to the artist/band. 3) Large advances (or even small advances) on record sales are not paid to bands - Recording is done 'in-house', ie - at either of Ont Records' small home studios, or else wherever is available; working within Ely, the Ont Records team have developed a strong dislike for sterile commercial studios and their approach to sound, prefering to record in characterful space, while using their knowledge of modern recording techniques to maintain a surprisingly respectable sound quality (see especially Cossack's 'Night Raid', recorded half in a bathroom, and half in a bus shelter) 4) Wherever possible, and at every stage of the production process, Ont Records strives to engage local talent and skilled craftspeople rather than outsourcing for cheap, impersonal third party labour. The label feels that a great deal of northern artistic talent is discouraged by the lack of commission opportunities, and seeks to address this by providing the opportunities. 5) Anyone is welcome to release anything (within copyright obviously) as long as they can: a) Convice two out of the three 'bosses' that they believe in their music b) Afford to pay for 10% of production costs if sales don't meet costs. 6) Ont Records will never succumb to greed and allow themselves to be appropriated/bought off by a major label. In Comparison While Ont Records clearly holds some unorthodox (and arguably naive) ideas about music, their intentions may be seen as quite admirable. They intend to subvert the current dominance of the major labels by providing a non-profit service to local bands. They share a lot in common with the Canadian independant Constellation Records, the most striking difference being Ont's refusal to turn its back on the major marketplace - ie HMV, Virgin, Wal-Mart etc. Where Constellation see these chains as another part of the Industrial Music Machine that continues to dilute music, Ont regards them as a necessary evil, and indeed appreciates the heightened variety allowed by these modern superstores - to this end, Ont Records tries to ensure their local music retailers, major and independant, are reasonably well-stocked with their releases, all at their online prices. Listeners outside the North of England are restricted to online buying. Discography (Discography to follow with next update) |
|
|