You are reading an interview with James - Eyesore Records
conducted by Dan Claydon on 11 December 2003
This interview took place about early-November time over MSN (hence the layout.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
*assumes interview voice/tone, you ready?*
James - Eyesore Records says:
Ha ha sure go for it
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Heh, well first off sorry if this questions are poorly structured or crap, I'm making them up on the spot (so to speak). So who are you, and what do you do?
James - Eyesore Records says:
My name is James Davison and I run a little British independent record label called Eyesore Records with my business partner Paul Bousfield.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
*these - first mistake!
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
What made you decide to start a record company? After all it’s a lot of work for not much reward.
James - Eyesore Records says:
You're very right there Dan, I stay up till about 1am every day answering e-mails (as I'm 1 of the few who responds to every band/label e-mail I ever get even if it's a no). I started it because I can't play an instrument but have a HUGE passion for music so I felt it was the way into the industry.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Till 1 just answering emails? Mad! Has that got you a reputation as a 'friendly' label?
James - Eyesore Records says:
I'm up till 1 answering e-mails, talking to people on MSN to make contacts, packaging parcels for our lovely customers, and generally doing business things. Actually you hit the nail on the head there many reviewers of our compilations do put us as "the nicest new label around" which I find very satisfying and I just wish there were more like us out there and we weren't such a one off!
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Haha, certain labels are associated with certain types of music, what do you hope/think that the type of music Eyesore is associated is? Now and the future.
James - Eyesore Records says:
Hmmmmm at the moment people pigeon hole us as "pop-punk" which really isn't the case. I'd say we're open to anything, well to a certain extent. Our compilations have pretty much all catchy songs, but have ska, post-hardcore, punk, rock, pop-punk and screamo etc on them. Where as the few UK bands we're looking into are quite emo/post-hardcore/rock bands.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
You’re looking into releasing a UK full release of e.p? And which bands are you looking into, unless it’s a secret.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
*UK full release OR e.p?
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Sorry, I'm a bad typist!
James - Eyesore Records says:
Ha ha, well yes we are looking into UK bands. Not just for an EP, although the plan is to release a 6 track EP in March 2004. We have a load of cool bands sending us demos at the moment so we're just chatting at the moment and seeing them live/meeting for dinner etc! Some cool ones you should check out are, Darlison, The Attika State, The October Skyline and Shuriken.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Ah Shuriken, I heard them on the YAWA records sampler I think, they're really good.
James - Eyesore Records says:
The singer's very like Saves the Day's Chris, but the music isn't and yeah they're pretty good.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Cool. erm, not sure if this is an invasion of privacy but could you say how much it cost you to start the label and put out the first release? And say how much you got back from the 'profits' of the release?
James - Eyesore Records says:
Na I'm very open, it's all good. For the first release we had start up costs such as the website and trade marking the name Eyesore Records, so it costs us about £2000 in all at a guess.
James - Eyesore Records says:
And in "profit" we have nothing as we just put any money we made back off that release into the new CD What's Across The Pond? Volume 2!
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
How do you go about licensing it with the MCPS and getting a barcode?
James - Eyesore Records says:
MCPS well they got in contact with me about 1 week before we released our first CD, there's no school of record labelness so you just play it by ear as it were! And the said do this, I was like OK sorry! So we did that, and it was all free as they're USA bands on smaller labels so don't have their own royalty system over here. Getting a barcode we did for the second CD and you join this company for like £200 and you get 1000 of your own numbers, and your own 9 digit prefix!
James - Eyesore Records says:
It's all very complicated really!
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Can't you get barcodes done by the pressing company though? I mean what's the difference between a barcode from a pressing company and one that you own yourself?
James - Eyesore Records says:
No the pressing plant actually creates the barcode HOWEVER you need to have the number yourself and tell them the number, which in turn you get off this company.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Do you deal with publishing rights or anything like that? And can you explain them?
James - Eyesore Records says:
It all gets complicated right here and I'm just getting into it myself so I'll leave this one to Mr. Ask Jeeves himself!
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
haha ok fair enough. Well what do you see as the future for Eyesore?
James - Eyesore Records says:
To take over the world! No seriously I'd very much like to get enough bands that we can have constant touring/releases and make it my full time job so I can give up boring day to day jobs! And for everyone to go "What label's that on", "Eyesore", "oh Eyesore that's a cool label I like their music"
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
How do you see the future of recorded music, what with MP3s and the like?
James - Eyesore Records says:
Hmmmmm good question. Well I personally only download off official sites like band webpages/record label webpages and www.mp3.com but I understand people download whole albums, but as long as they then like it and buy it I'm not bothered. I think that labels just need to drop prices, THAT'S why sales have slumped, plus they put out the same old crap and people get tired of it.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Is that sort of where independent labels have the advantage of majors do you think? They KNOW (to an extent) what the people want and try their best to give it to them at an affordable price etc?
James - Eyesore Records says:
I think so. I have nothing against major labels such as Island. They seem to constantly keep up with the next thing you know, but not just more of the same, something different like Thursday, or something better than the rest like Fall Out Boy.
James - Eyesore Records says:
And keeping prices low is the name of the game I think.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Your first compilation had no distro, does the second? And how would a new label go about securing a distro deal?
James - Eyesore Records says:
This is probably the most difficult bit about the industry getting people to trust you. This one has BETTER distribution but not as good as we want. You can now order our new CD through all HMVs after a lot of work and get it at more nice online places.
James - Eyesore Records says:
For new labels I suggest hard work, seem professional even if you aren't and make a plan!
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Did you go through a distribution company (eg plastichead) or do it yourself?
James - Eyesore Records says:
Ourselves, we have tried Plastichead, Shellshock, and Cargo etc twice now but to no avail.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
Why wouldn’t they?
James - Eyesore Records says:
It all harks back to the not replying. I have tried talking to Bill at Plastichead and Neil at Shellshock but at the moment nothing's happening. 1 day I'm sure they will though. But I see where they're coming from. We need to have a few more releases and show consistency.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
I can’t think of anything else to say so... would you like to say anything?
James - Eyesore Records says:
No cause I'm off to watch Stargate now! Ha ha. Just say thanks to everyone for supporting us, and Dan at Gamefoe for letting me do this interview, it's been fun.
{gamefoe.co.uk} says:
ha ha great, cheers. I got to go!
James - Eyesore Records says:
Speak soon man.
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