Punkerton Records has announced the addition of publicist Lance Waste to their team. The Columbus, Ohio indie record label announced that Waste, the founder and lead publicist at Heart Riot Agency, will be assuming the role of Vice President of A&R, while also heading the PR department as Punkerton’s first Director of Public Relations. “I’m excited about the company as it is today,” explains Waste, whose new job titles come with a large ownership stake in the company. “Punkerton has had some great releases in their first year. But I’m even more excited about the future of the company, as we bring in fresh talent and look at new ways to get that talent to the masses!”
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Lance Waste’s start in the business side of music came at an early age. “When I was 19 years old, I started a band, and wanted to be part of the local scene,” says Waste. “So I started a record label and paid for a bunch of local bands to record their albums. Then I rented out a storefront and started a small DIY concert venue. I invited all of the touring bands to come play our spot, and had all our label bands open for them each night. It wasn’t long until we were touring with the larger bands and growing quickly!”
Waste moved to Brooklyn, NY before the industry would take him to Brighton, England. “I sold my label and began working as a studio manager and artist manager for the label that bought us out, out of England. It was a great experience and the friends and connections I made over there still come into play daily.” After his time in England, Waste launched an artist management company that was quickly bought out by a competing company, before launching Heart Riot Agency in 2014.
Punkerton Records began as an idea from founder and CEO Brandon Lewis. “I started Punkerton when I was 16 years old as an avenue for local artists in Northeast Texas to showcase and promote their music locally,” explains Lewis. “I didn’t do much with it until I had a couple of friends last year who were releasing albums, and I wanted to help.” The label has quickly grown from Lewis helping out his friends’ bands to releasing albums for several artists in the first year. “Once we started, the demand was obvious. We had artists reaching out daily, asking how they could submit music. It has grown pretty fast and organically.”
Punkerton has also found success in releasing compilation albums, which raise money for charities. The current compilation series, Hell Is Ohio, is currently set to release its third volume, with a planned Hell Is Ohio Fest taking place in Fairfield, OH on June 17-18 at Swine City Brewing.
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