I was recently shown a website that not only acted as a store but as a record label itself. With curiosity getting the best of me, I e-mailed the owner Mike Riddick to ask more about what he did for bands and about the music industry itself.
How did Metalhit.com get started?
Metalhit.com was born from an idea inspired by my wife, Beth, while I was operating my other, traditional (CD/Vinyl) label, The Fossil Dungeon. The Fossil Dungeon specializes in gothic/ethereal music. We’ve published many wonderful artists over the years but my affinity for music began with origins in metal. Metalhit allows me to reconnect with the extreme metal I grew up on and it also allows me to provide a service where I saw a need in the underground metal community.
What do you look for in artist, any particular sub-genres that you are more open to than others?
I look for artists that are serious about what they’re doing and want to take things to the next level. I work with both new talent, emerging and established bands. I also look for artists that carry some degree of originality or are simply good at what they do. As for sub-genres, I’d say most of my affinity rests with black, thrash and death metal…particularly with early 90’s influences. Though I’m open to work with all categories of metal and have the resources to support it.
What kinds of services do you provide other than selling digital music?
In addition to the Mp3 store we operate, we also manage the digital music catalogs of about 80 different metal labels. We deliver their digital content to more than 200 digital music vendors and ringtone outlets worldwide. We have recently launched our Music Services. Our Music Services provide the support and infrastructure of a traditional label but do not confine bands to the contracts typically offered by labels. The service is for bands who want to do things independently but also don’t have the resources one would need to launch a successful album. We have those resources, so we can offer this to bands. The end result is that the bands can make more money doing things themselves, through our services, than they could either doing it completely by themselves or through a label. Our services include everything from manufacturing, inventory management, and merchandising to worldwide physical and digital distribution and promotion.
Why do you think there aren’t more exclusively digital record labels around and what makes Metalhit.com the ideal label?
I don’t think there are many completely digital labels around simply because the revenues from digital sales aren’t strong enough to support most label operations. I believe a lot of metalheads also still prefer physical products and it will take some time for the value of a digital release to sit well with consumers as a viable product. We will be expanding our portfolio of releases to include physical products to meet this demand but we believe, in the long-term, everything will be digital and we will be in a good position to operate this way exclusively. What makes us an ideal label is that we aren’t really a label. We’re more of a distribution and promotional resource which are really the only two assets that make a traditional label valuable. As bands begin to realize that doing things independently is better than signing away their rights and music to labels, they will see what we offer is a better solution, and a more fiscally sound approach. We believe labels aren’t really needed quite as much as their resources are. So we opted to become the resource without all of the overhead and expense that most labels have to deal with. It allows us to provide a better option for bands overall.
Who was the first band you signed and how did you find them?
The first band we brought onto the Metalhit roster was HOD from Texas. I knew Carl, the guitarist, when he played in THORNSPAWN, as they took me under their wing when I lived in Texas for a brief while. Carl told me about his new band, and I thought I could help push their new band by making their demo an exclusively digital production while also helping to market their work. Sometime thereafter they signed to Ibex Moon Records, the label operated by John of INCANTATION. It was a great reward to work with HOD and observe their growth and signing with John’s label. I’m still able to work with, and support HOD indirectly, as I manage the digital catalog of Ibex Moon Records in the European digital market.
How would you say the internet and social networking such as Myspace and Facebook has done to the music industry?
It has undoubtedly had an affect. MySpace now provides the majority of artist websites online and has become the common conduit for bands and fans to interact. Facebook has accomplished the same, though has less of a musical slant. Collectively, both have leveled the playing field as far as music accessibility. Major and underground bands alike are now using the same platforms to reach fans and this has both propped up independent music as well as brought major label and band activity to a new level that forces it to compete in a more unique way.
As the owner of a record label, what would you say about the current state of Metal? Such as the crossing of genres where metal bands place techno music over blast beats or Vo-coders going over high pitched singing etc.
I think it’s great that bands continue to experiment. Sometimes it sticks, other times it fails. Either way, it’s always important to keep things fresh so the genre can grow. However, there’s also something to be said about traditional forms of metal. Sometimes a style is timeless or can last decades. Both are beneficial for a strong appeal.
What do you think will be the next “Craze” in metal? Example’s being deathcore became popular over the years and is slowly winding down.
I really don’t know. It seems thrash has been picking up lately but I don’t have any foresight on future trends. I mainly stick to the stuff I like and haven’t gotten into any of the recent trends.
Which bands do you think will be the next major leader in Metal?
That’s difficult to say as well. It really depends on who has the most talent, creativity and the proper marketing force behind them.
What’s next for the label, any new bands being signed any kind of expansion?
We hope to announce working with some new bands as we begin promoting our Music Services. This is a big expansion for us because we’ll be increasing our promotional power as well as adding physical distribution services to our portfolio. For the most part we’ve acted only a digital distributor, digital store and digital label. Time will tell what’s next. Thanks, Dan, for the opportunity to participate with Into the Pit!!! All my best to you…
www.metalhit.com
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