Independent label, Blow The Roof, are something of a rarity at a time where more and more indies are springing up to push one sole genre of music, often trapping themselves in a pigeon hole that can quite rapidly become dated and lose appeal as (insert latest fad) runs its course. This UK-based, straight out of Northampton label, have a different idea. With a brave focus on sourcing high quality music from any given genre and a particular aim of unearthing new, cutting edge sounds from up-and-coming artists and producers, Blow The Roof Records might just have the perfect recipe for longevity and success.
Just as diverse as their musical output are the nationalities of the artists on their ever-expanding roster. Over 100 music makers from 33 different countries, at time of writing, are on the books of BTR. Primarily electronic-orientated, but no stranger to a band or two, BTR cover everything from futuristic Hip Hop and Trap to Electro House and Indie Rock, with a keen ear for more experimental elements.
They’ve been attracting even more attention recently with releases such as Oliver Munch’s ‘Knots EP’, so we thought we’d have a word or two with label boss, Dan.
Hi Dan, thanks for taking time to sit down and chat to us about your exciting label Blow The Roof Records. To get things kicked off, can you tell us about the idea behind starting the label?
Hey! Of course, the idea behind starting the label was mainly down to the way I saw other musicians (my friends & peers), as well as myself, being messed around by other record labels. I just wanted to change that and make sure that all the musicians who were associated with me would get the best possible exposure that I could give them and make sure that the best standard of music was being pushed out to the masses. I have been lucky enough to have a heap of talented musician friends who I’ve been able to push through BTR.
What are you goals/what do you strive to accomplish with the label?
I would like to see our music heard on all the major radio stations and hear our music played regularly alongside music from major labels. Gaining the highest exposure possible for our artists and giving them the best possible career is something I strive to accomplish. We have already had success stories where our artists have gone on to bigger labels and boosted their career, with many coming back to release for BTR based on the way we made them feel part of the family from the start!
From the moment you decided to start a label, how long did it take for the label to be launched?
It took a couple of months for all the distribution platforms to approve the label, to make sure we went through all the legal processes and to make sure we found the best distributor around. We have been lucky enough to be working with our amazing distributor Jamvana LLC since the start in 2014!
For those who don’t know, what is involved in the setting up of a record label?
Initially, make sure you decide a name that not only represents the music you want to release but make sure it is original and not used elsewhere, make a logo that best represents the music and the brand. Making sure you have a reliable distributor is key also (we are lucky to have that in Jamvana). Make sure that all legal sides are covered by registering in Companies House (UK only) or whatever local bodies you need to register with. Social media pages need to be consistent and available; we used ‘namecheckr.com’ to make sure that all social media were consistent across the board. Obviously the most important thing to have is the music and the musicians!
What day-to-day work is involved in running a record label?
So the most obvious answer to that is to look through the huge amount of demos we get on a daily basis. We use submithub.com which is a great new platform which not only brings all the demo’s into one place, but it’s both beneficial for the label and the artist. There are two options; the ‘Premium’ or ‘Standard’ submission. The ‘Premium’ submission requires the artist to pay $1 to submit to the label and makes sure that whether the label wants to sign or not, the artist will receive at least 20 words of constructive feedback on how to improve the track or is granted praise etc. It’s brilliant for both artist and label because the artist receives constructive feedback they might need to perfect their trade but the label also gets to be more personal with the submissions and also receives a percentage of the $1 that gets submitted. ‘Standard’ submissions give us the option to approve or decline without an answer but we always try to give feedback on all submissions. Daily Social Media updates are key to keeping the label current and the customers interested in the brand itself. You also have to be pretty much available 24/7 to answer questions from artists. PR opportunities are also a daily task as well. We are currently lucky enough to have Matt Caldwell PR on board which helps with the majority of our releases, but we do seek other opportunities daily.
How many people work at the label and what are their roles?
We roughly have around 15 staff and 100+ active artists on the label. Job roles are PR, A&Rs, Merchandising, Graphic Design and Promoters.
How would you describe the sound of Blow The Roof and why did you choose this musical direction?
Unique is probably the best word to describe us, I like to pick the most obscure and original music possible and not restrict ourselves on what we release, unlike a lot of labels who seem to just play it safe. We are known, and have a reputation, for not necessarily following trends but have the vision to pick out more up and coming material/genres. As I know many other people have experienced, I have doubters tell me it’s not going to work if you pick a certain type of music. I think if you listen to what people say then you will never know how it is going to work out. I have been lucky enough for it to work out for us so far. One of the first Indie Rock bands I signed after being known as an Electronic Label actually just got into the ‘Bestselling Pre-Orders’ on British iTunes which we are super stoked about. That’s a massive feat for an independent label.
So far you have had artists such as Axii, Avensa, Oscar Jones and Ashley Kingston release on the label, can we expect any of the artists that have previously released on the label make a return?
Yeah in the short term we have got Dutch producer Acortex who previously released with us in 2014 collaborating with Oscar Jones on ‘Dolore’, which got a load of support from the likes of EDMTunes so we are excited about that, as well as American producer RXN who has had many Beatport Electro House and Progressive House top 10 rankings. RXN has also been supported hugely by numerous A-list DJs including one of my idols Armin Van Buuren. He also owns the highly popular Instagram account ‘Cars & Trees’ so we are excited to see him return.
What can we expect in terms of new music from the label in the near future?
Expect music that will make you question traditional ideas, especially from an independent label. Australian producer Oliver Munch releases his ‘Knots EP’, which in itself is mind-blowing, as well an album from a unknown British producer, Sight, who integrates sounds he sampled when he travelled round India. It’s really unique and we hope our fans are impressed. We have Experimental, Hip-Hop, Indie Rock, Pop and a whole host of Electronic genres.
Can we expect to see any new artists join your emerging roster in the near future?
Yeah due to the hook up of SubmitHub we have a whole host of brand new artists! One of the bigger ones of note is American rapper Lil Scrappy who works with Lyriks & A.I.T on a track called ‘Tell Me What It Is’. Other new artists include British Tech House producer Defen, German producer Flux and American Rapper Rob Wellz.
What other plans do you have in mind for the months ahead?
Short term plans are to tighten up our promo channels and get the best exposure as possible and extend our events & booking side of the business.
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