A lot of British music fans will own a record released on Big Scary Monsters, whether they realise it or not. Early releases by Pulled Apart By Horses, and Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly feature the BSM logo on their back cover. So does the solo album of Rival Schools/Quicksand front man Walter Schreifels.
Formed over a decade ago by then schoolboy Kevin Douche, the label is rapidly working it’s way towards it’s 150th release. We had a quick chat to Kev to ask him about how the label came about, and how vinyl works for Big Scary Monsters and it’s fans.
How Did BSM Come Into Existence?
I was at a family wedding this past weekend seeing lots of Aunts and Uncles for the first time in nearly a decade. Through the course of the day, explaining way too many times just what it is I do for a living, it dawned on me how strange it is that this is my occupation! I began the label purely because music seemed a cool thing to be involved in and I didn’t have the talent or patience to pick up an instrument. It was never meant to be a career, it was a short-sighted idea which quickly got out of hand and now, here I am, 29, and still plodding along!
Which artists are you most proud of working with?
A great number of them, all for different reasons. Artists such as Pulled Apart By Horses and Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, both of whom I worked with from their first or second ever gigs, going on to be as successful as they have been is awesome. Equally working with the likes of Meet Me In St Louis and Kevin Devine, who are yet to achieve the same sort of commercial recognition, but have developed really strong, cult fanbases, is just as rewarding.
Which bands currently on the label are you most excited about?
It’s hard to look too far beyond Tall Ships. I’ve worked very closely with them for two years now, managing as well as running their label, and it’s exciting now, just three weeks before the release of their debut album, to see how well things are building. We have some big plans for next year and, rather than this record being the culmination of our hard work, which is how it’s felt with some bands before, the exciting thing for me is it feels as though this is just the beginning of something.
As a music fan, what format do you listen to your music in?
I’m actually quite lazy and often opt for digital formats, purely because I seem to be at a computer more often than not these days! That said, I bought a new record player about 18 months ago, my first since the early days of the label, so it’s been nice starting to build up a vinyl collection again.
Was releasing records on vinyl always a part of the plan for BSM?
There was never really a “plan,” as such, although 2 or 3 of our very first releases were on vinyl. Back then it was very cheap to press a run of 200 – 250 7″ singles and release them in some form of DIY, makeshift packaging. Unfortunately prices have risen steadily ever since, so for a long time we had to stop releasing vinyl, but it’s very much part of our plans right now. I think we’ve released more on vinyl than not, over the past year, in fact.
What are the pros and cons of an indie label releasing vinyl in this more digital age?
We really rely on a smaller number of people who want to own a premium product. I think everyone is now well aware that music is available digitally, for free, somewhere, but it’s the people who like to own a nice, limited edition record, which is what we focus on. As such, the digital availability doesn’t always come into it. These are people who want the record for the full package and the overall quality, not just the music, so the digital side can often end up serving as a good advert but not necessarily a reason why people won’t then purchase. So, for me, I feel that with regards to buying vinyl, the pros of digital music actually outweigh the cons, as the two sit nicely together rather than opposing one another.
Why do the fans of BSM still buy vinyl? Is it purely a collectable thing, or is it still an audio choice?
A bit of both, I imagine. I think this answer kind of depends on the band in question, too. For artists such as Joyce Manor, I feel it’s very much a collectable thing. You see many punk fans buying multiple copies of the same record so that they can own every colour variation. Whilst with artists such as Minus The Bear, it’s a bit more about the musicianship and quality of the sound recording which seems to drive the fans to the purchase. They don’t necessarily care what colour the record is, they just want it to sound incredible. These are, of course, sweeping generalisations and there’ll always be exceptions to the rule!
Do some types of music work better on vinyl than others? Do you carefully plan which formats to release which artist on?
Choosing the right format for each release is a big part of the job, these days. I feel as though, with the benefit of hindight, it’s something I’ve got wrong a couple of times over the years, so I like to spend as much time as possible considering it now. CDs are cheaper and quicker to produce, and are better suited for artists who’ll be receiving a lot of press so are needed to be in every HMV across the country, but more often than not, the small runs of vinyl, although expensive and cupboard-filling, seem to appeal more greatly to a number of people. We’ve always tried to focus on mailorders and direct to fan sales so the shop presence isn’t always a big issue, hence vinyl winning out over CD more recently.
This writer’s five must hear BSM releases:
Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly – Self Titled EP, April 2005 (BSM029)
Talons – Hollow Realm, November 2010 (BSM106)
Tall Ships – Self Titled EP, March 2010 (BSM093)
Walter Schreifels – An Open Letter To The Scene, April 2010 (BSM092)
Sam Isaac – Sideways, December 2007 (BSM051)
