We here at Tone Deaf love nothing more than reporting on everything that is music, however sometimes there might be a little bit too much focus on just the artists, and the myriad of work that goes on behind closed doors is forgotten. Therefore, each fortnight we will now focus on important sectors within the industry, speaking with leaders in their field as they detail their role within the whacky world that is the music industry.
This week’s spotlight on an Aussie indie record label is the electric and forward-thinking label Silo Arts www.siloarts.net, split between Brisbane and New York, Silo is spearheaded by (ex-Brissy, now New York resident) Hugh Francis, and (brissy lcoal) Luke Dalton the online label doesn’t necessarily pertain to any one sound, signing a plethora of varied talented local artists from Rainbow Chan, friendships, Planète and so many more.
We had a chat to Francis and Dalton who took us through her journey in running one of the country’s more progressive labels, from their almost accidental beginnings, their first release, their major obstacles, advice and what to look out for in 2015.
The Beginning
Luke: “Hugh and I both hung out with a lot of people who were dabbling in production and listening to similar music at the time. I think it was about early 2012/late 2011, and I was obsessed with the Low End Theory podcasts and all the stuff coming out of LA. We both knew a bunch of people who were dabbling in production, so Hugh initially broached the idea of starting a kind of beat collective, so that we could bounce ideas off each other and potentially get some gigs going around Brisbane. After putting on a run of shows over about half a year, I think we both just decided that we wanted to move to actually putting music out.”
Before Silo Arts
Luke: “I wasn’t really working on any projects before Silo. I studied classical piano for most of my time at school, but Silo was definitely the catalyst for me really getting into electronic production. I wasn’t too confident in my own ability to make tunes, so being a part of something like Silo was really encouraging.”
Hugh: “I used to play in bands around Brisbane for a while – but I eventually started getting into production. It really meshed my artistic and technical poles in an obvious way.
I started performing sound art as Reighna, and my clip Dawn.(new day) got a bunch of play at art festivals around Australia. I’m still really proud of this work – and It actually had a lot to do with why we started Silo Arts. The Reighna project felt like it had a decent buzz at the time, but I had no idea how to bring it to a higher level… at the time there were no Australian labels that would support stuff like that (sans the amazing Room40), so we decided to do it ourselves.”
The First Ever Release
Luke: “The first official release that we put out through the label was from a guy called White Palms out of Brisbane, who also happens to be my cousin Matt Cook. It’s a really chilled mix of ambient beat-laden instrumentals, which you can grab here: www.get.siloarts.net”
Hugh: “I still love that release. It’s got such a hypnotic, symmetrical quality. It feels like graphic design to me.”
The Great Divide
Luke: “It’s a huge benefit having Hugh in NYC. There’s so many great connects and opportunities that come out of simply having someone on the ground over there, I definitely think it’s helped a lot. Obviously the time difference can be a bit frustrating, especially when there’s a release about to drop. Things can get hectic sometimes, but we manage to keep it together using Skype and Google docs. It’s great to have a physical presence internationally while still focussing primarily on up-and-coming Australian talent.”
On Being An Online Only Label
[include_post id=”412943″]Luke: “Being online just seemed like the only logical thing to do at the time. Considering we only really properly kicked off the label in 2013, Soundcloud was already massive and everyone was finding music online so it just made sense. Obviously being based on the internet also helps with the Brisbane/NYC split, and makes it way more affordable.”
Hugh: “It was a funny challenge we set for ourselves. Let’s see if we can run a solid label with no office, no interns, no coffee machine. The internet is our office – and it’s given us some real freedom.”
Label Inspiration
Luke: “I think we’re both pretty big fans of Ghostly. The way they bridge the gap between music, art and technology is really clever, and their branding in general is immaculate. I also really love the fact that their catalogue spans a huge variety of genres. They don’t try and force a particular sound or style, they just pick what they like and go with it. I think that’s definitely been a core inspiration for how we run Silo.”
Hugh: “Yeah, Ghostly are brilliant. I also love Software. I love when labels that don’t focus on a genre, but rather a certain quality or inherent integrity. Being able to zero in on that stuff is way harder, but I think it makes for a far more vibrant catalogue.”
Main Struggles
Hugh: “Haha yeah, there’s one big one. Money. Running a label is such a difficult thing to do, because there really isn’t much money in it – even less when you’re a left field, art label.
[include_post id=”364437″]We often find ourselves working with people who assume we’re profiting big off these artists, so they push us really hard and try to milk us for all we’re worth. Really we’re just two guys who love weird music, trying to do our best to give unknown artists a leg up. It’s can be a loveless job sometimes, I get kinda upset about it.”
Luke: “There’s nothing worse than putting a huge amount of effort into organising a show, only to have it blow up in your face. I remember, we were putting on the Lapalux show in Brisbane for the second time around, and it rained that night, which I think scared a lot of people off.
Not only did we lose a bunch of money from that, but when I was walking back to my car with Stuart to drop him off at the hotel, I found out that my car had been towed and I had to pay $450 to get it out of the impound…. That wasn’t a great night.”
Biggest Lessons
Hugh: “There’s a lot. Probably the most important thing is transparency. We go out of our way to ensure the artist knows exactly what’s happening all of the time. We keep them on virtually all email chains concerning them, and do our best to keep them in the loop on everything. We really respect the people we work with, and want them to feel that way.”
Luke: “I think one of the most interesting lessons I’ve learnt is the unfortunate importance of social media in the music industry. I know a bunch of people who almost definitely put more effort into their Facebook feed than into their tunes, which is pretty fucking depressing when you think about it. It’s definitely important to engage with fans and maintain that relationship, but I’d love to start hearing more music and seeing less memes.”
Proudest Moments
Hugh: “Back in 2013 we put on our first BIGSOUND showcase. At the time most of the artists we were working with were based in Sydney and Melbourne, and we had a tiny budget from Alhambra, so we had to figure out the cheapest way to bring nine artists to Brisbane.
We were down in Melbourne for some meetings – so we rented a van, and whipped around town picking up the friendships guys, and Grant (HTMLFlowers). We drove to Sydney, and watched Black Vanilla, then picked up Rainbow Chan, our pal Luen Jacobs and her artist Nakagin, and drove up to Brisbane. It was a ton of fun – and the show was amazing. It was packed from 9.30pm through 3am. Outside of some tiny artist fees, no one really made any money – but we’re still seeing ripples of excitement from that show.
And off the back of that effort, we tripled our budget for BIGSOUND 2014, and ended up paying artists more than their guarantees. I’m super proud of our little team.”
The Future Of Indie Labels
Hugh: “I will talk anyone’s ear off about this, because in my opinion in 2015 tastemaker labels are super important. That’s because these days, It’s easier than ever to release music without a label. Music fans have realised that – and are finding it harder to cut through the noise.
Labels provide an inherent value to artists, through legitimacy, strategic placement, and brand propulsion. It’s the thing that can really elevate an artist, and turn a hobby into a career.”
Luke: “The fragmented nature of the internet and the way it has changed the consumption and dissemination of music has really brought home the importance of smaller indie labels. As Hugh said, it’s a struggle to be heard amongst the thousands of original tracks being uploaded every day, so these labels are starting to be used more and more as a sort of map to help music lovers find their way.
I also think that by bringing like-minded artists together, these boutique labels help to catalyse innovation and the exploration of new sounds and concepts.”
For Those Wanting To Start Their Own Indie Label
Hugh: “Email me! We’ll jump on a skype and I’ll talk you through everything. I’ll get you up and running with some white label contracts and ideas. The more labels in Australia, the higher the bar is set, and the better the music. Remember that Taylor Swift thing? That was sad.”
Luke: “You can sit around talking about it for ages, but ultimately the best advice I can think of is to just start doing it ASAP. Collect your sources of inspiration, determine what motivates and inspires you and then build a brand around that. Scour the net for music you love, and reach out to anyone that catches your eye. You never know where a random Facebook message or email might lead.”
Plans For 2015
Hugh: “Exciting stuff! We’ve got some big stuff from some of the artists we’ve been working the longest. We’re also working on releasing some tools and information for younger kids out there, wanting to start their own labels and such. We’ve been on a bit of mission to help grow Australia’s music scene, and a big part of it is making the resources and lessons we’ve learnt open to the public.”
Silo have just released the incredible new single ‘When I Feel Like Killing, I Murder’ from friendships, check it all out here. For more info on Silo, or to get in touch with the guys, you can visit siloarts.net, Facebook, and Soundcloud
Header image credit: Amy Commins www.amycommins.com
