There may be five major corporations controlling 85 percent of the music sold in stores, but there are hundreds of small, independent record labels distributing equally great music. And there are several in Centre County, including two right here in State College. Despite varying musical interests, these labels have one goal in mind: to provide support for artists just starting out or those simply without mainstream accessibility.
Jump Start Records
State College resident Jeremy Myers founded this mostly punk rock record label in 1996. There are now five bands, two fulltime employees, two interns and two printers that work at a spin-off company called Jump Start Screenprinting. "We do whatever we can to promote," distribution manager Matt Berringer said. "But the rest is up to the band. We're here to help, not hold hands."
Berringer said his job involves contacting distributors, including ones in Canada and Europe, to make Jump Start merchandise available outside of State College.
As for making the albums, Berringer said the label pays for it, but it's up to the band to go out and promote it.
"We at least break even," Berringer said.
Then after giving it a second thought he added, "That's probably not true. Jeremy has been in debt his entire life."
According to Berringer, the only time the record label makes money is when it sells CDs. "At first we were just concerned with having records to put out," Berringer said. "Now that we have records, we want them to be good. We don't want you to pick up a record and say, 'This sounds like it was recorded in State College.' "
But despite its hard work, the small time record label business is not very profitable.
"If you're in it to make money, than this is not the right business for you," Berringer said. "It has its perks though. We're like a family. And the bands don't have to fight for attention."
Eight One Four
Started in the mid-90s by web designer Dan Rugh, Eight One Four focused on promoting local punk rock.
"I was working in print and a lot of my friends needed artwork for their CDs," Rugh said. "It was always a side project but then it grew too big."
When Eight One Four signs a band, they go on a sort of test run, making only 20 CDs at first to see how they sell.
"When a band busts their asses on tour, we'll start promoting," Rugh said. "And that can be anything from building a street team, to making fliers for shows and sending press releases out to radio stations."
But ever since the label became official, it has been based out of Pittsburgh with representation in Chapel Hill, N.C.
"Ninety-nine percent of the company has been built on the Internet," Rugh said, adding that he contacts the other branch mostly through instant messaging programs.
"Our philosophy on music is to survive on an independent and artistic level," he said.
PeSt Records
The most recently formed record label in the area, PeSt Records, is a non-profit, independent label based in State College and, taking its name into consideration, focuses on the Penn State community.
PeSt President Tim Baskerville has spent the better part of two semesters trying to get Undergraduate Student Government (USG) funding, but several setbacks prevented the label from acceptance this semester. But he is prepared to keep asking. With USG funding and money from local gigs, PeSt would be able to pay for artist recording time.
In the meantime, Baskerville has begun contacting other labels for help. He sent a press kit to Lava Records, which is a division of Atlantic Records, the home to such artists as O.A.R. and Kid Rock.
"We can't do what a major label does," Baskerville said. "If they like one artist than other labels will gain interest."
Baskerville said he was shocked to read an article in The Daily Collegian last week that said local artist Dawn Kinnard had to sell her motorcycle to get enough money to record her CD. "That shouldn't happen," Baskerville said. "If we just start building connections, other record labels will come to State College and no one will have to sell personal items to make a CD."
