This week, I interviewed Frenchkiss Records founder Syd Butler for SonicScoop.
It’s fascinating to see how the art and economics of a label can work on their scale. They release about 8 records each year – essentially 2 per season. Based on their budgets, as long as a record sells 5,000 copies, they can consider it a success.
Many of their releases of course sell much, much more, but it means that unlike a major, they have to be deeply invested in every single album they put out.
Through all their successes, Frenchkiss has stayed firmly independent, and now they’re launching their very own label group. (Think Beggars Group/Matador/4AD)
This profile is the first in a series that will run over the next year. I’ve got profiles in the works for about a half-dozen prominent NYC indie labels, and if you have opinions on who else we should reach out to, feel free to let me know.