Van Richter Records was founded by longtime industrial music fans in 1993. How
well established was the industrial music scene/subculture in San Diego,
California then?
The scene in California as a whole was pretty small but
there was a buzz and loyal scene across the USA which
fueled our interest in starting a label. Also there were many German bands out
of a huge scene there that were not getting representation across the pond which gave us a point of entry.
Van Richter
artists encompass a wide range of the industrial spectrum, including the aggro,
electro, darkwave, noise and ambient subgenres to name a handful. Do you make a
conscious effort to appeal to fans of each subgenre?
Even though we only have seven bands on the label we do have
the objective to appeal to fans of the subgenres, but more importantly to have
leading bands in these genres or the potential to be. Our latest addition was
Underwater Pilots who we believe has the potential to rival or surpass the
leading bands in Synth and Future pop. It is nice to have a diversified roster
but more importantly they are the best talent we can support in the industrial
genre of music.
For what
reasons was Van Richter dedicated to industrial music as opposed to black or
death metal, two genres that were the focus of many independent labels in 1993?
Our back ground and more importantly our passion was in
industrial music. Back in 1993 it was the height of the grunge movement which certainly was not our cup of tea. As you can
read from our online mission statement we were fans of the genre first and
wanted to be part of something we believed in not just push crap for some major
label.
Why do you
believe grunge lasted for such a brief period aboveground while industrial
managed to keep an underground listenership for much longer?
Grunge received immediate commercial main
stream success whereas industrial has only had one real breakthrough artist,
Nine Inch Nails. There is also a good argument that industrial never had a
chance of mainstream success because other than NIN all the bands used treated
vocals. Mainstream fads come and go. Also most underground purists believe
grunge destroyed all the progress that punk and new wave had achieved up to
that point in time. Industrial will always be underground and have a small
following because of these historical facts.
Was Van Richter
among the first industrial labels from San Diego? How many industrial labels
existed in the States at this time?
There were two others in San Diego when we started. One
owned by Cargo that was shuttered in 1999 and the other that was more
experimental that was owned by a plumber who is no longer active as far as we
know. There were three other labels in L.A. as well as about the same up in the
San Francisco area. There certainly were substantially more dedicated labels to
the genre when we started then the few today. Many seminal labels folded or
were sold off including Zoth Ommog, KK, Machinery, WaxTrax and TVT among
others.
Van Richter
Records has always placed quality over quantity when it comes to its releases,
besides the support of music over money. How has this mode of thought helped
you remain active for almost two decades?
At first it kind of worked against us from the point of a
regular revenue stream as our competitors saturated the market with numerous
substandard artists. Also, being an artist development label is a tough road as
we are committed to the artist over the long term. However in recent years our
business model has been successful as we have built a
brand name that fans trust. Having a quality catalog over the long haul has
paid off in the long run.
Name the staff
of Van Richter, and indicate their respective responsibilities to the label?
Paul Abramson, Label Manager. Daniel S. Alderman, Esq.,
Counsel. Gabriella Turek, Webmaster. Alex Tsang, New Media. Sales
Representatives: Shaun Hamilton, Leigh Ackerman, Joseph
R. Romero. Street Team Reps: Callum McGowan, Christian Dragos, Sarah Berg,
Rodger Turley, William Wilson.
Which of the staff
founded Van Richter? How did you undertake hiring representatives and street
team members?
Paul Abramson founded Van Richter in November 1993. We get
applications through our employment page of vanrichter.net and we interview
everyone that applies. We look for people that understand the job is long hard
hours of work and not a glamor job of partying and hanging out with bands.
Those who are delusional wash out pretty fast or do not make it through the
vetting process. Most important we look for people that have a passion for the
music and willing to do whatever it takes in order to make the label and bands
successful.
As early as
1993, were there local publications dedicated to industrial that helped to
spread word about Van Richter, or did the label get around mostly through word
of mouth?
Back in the day there were many fanzines dedicated to the
genre that helped spread the word including Industrial Nation, Permission,
B-side, Interface, New Industrial Sounds, Arts Industria among others. Even AP
believe it or not used to cover the genre. The net was not very widespread so
it was all about media support and word of mouth.
How did Van
RichterÕs selectiveness related to signing artists develop since the label was
founded?
Our business model was to create a brand of a quality roster
with long term artist development. We tried to learn
from the mistakes of our mentor label Wax Trax which expanded too much and
became so debt laden that they had to file bankruptcy then bailed out and TVT
who eventually shuttered as well. We have used very strict A&R standards
when considering signings, which has not changed in eighteen years because our
personnel has remained the same. Unfortunately due to the decline of the music
industry there is a lot less talent even to consider these days, so the
development per se was keeping a staff in place that has a passion for the
industrial genre first and foremost.
How many
substandard artists were saturating the media through your competitors in the
beginning? What were the first steps you took to keep Van Richter afloat, and
how was the label established as one fans could trust?
There were too many artists to mention. One competitor label
was literally releasing one record a day. Record stores complained because
shelf space was limited. One label general manager advised us to just release
every demo we received in the office to increase cash flow. Thankfully we never
followed that advice as the same supposed consultant sunk Fifth Column Records,
caused Machinery to pull out of the states and turned Cleopatra Records into a
shell of its former self. The first steps we took to stay alive was to cut
operating costs and run lean and mean instead of throwing crap against the wall
and see what sticks unlike many competitors. We followed the original
Wax Trax model when they focused on a small artist development roster. Back in
the day when you bought a WT release you expected the best in industrial music.
Our mission statement is to follow that ideal without sacrificing integrity.
How did Wax
Trax become Van RichterÕs mentor label, and how did their expansion result in
becoming debt laden to the extent of folding?
Working as a sales representative and doing some A&R
work for them gave us experience on the indie side of running a label as
opposed to prior experience at a major. Word of mouth and creating a cool underground
culture was what it was all about as well as innovation of music most people
have never heard with sampling, machine noises and treated vocals. Wax Trax
made some bad business decisions including doing blanket licensing deals with
Play It Again Sam which financially was a money loser even though they had some
great bands like The Young Gods, Click Click and Borghesia. Also at the end
they expanded into other genres which caused the label
to erode their fan base. Eventually not managing the increasing costs caused
Wax Trax to shutter.
How long was
Wax Trax active before meeting Van Richter? Were there any bands signed to them
worth mentioning?
By the time Van Richter was founded Wax Trax was owned and
operated by TVT Records. We were still friendly with their staff and have had a
working relationship with their retail indie record store of the same name, Back in the day Wax Trax had the leading bands in the genre
including Ministry, Front 242, KMFDM, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult and
Coil among others.
When Wax Trax
handled Ministry, KMFDM, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult and the other
industrial bands you cited, how established were they aboveground? Are these
bands able to remain established since Wax Trax folded?
Ministry had success on several major labels and even went
gold with Psalm 69 which was their metal cross over
break through record. Ministry was always a well established
band before and after Wax Trax. Wax Trax was also a good outlet for Al's other
side project
bands such as Revolting Cocks, 1000 Homo DJ's, Pailhead, PTP,
Acid Horse. KMFDM was originally discovered as a license from Cash Beat Records
Germany, the same label that first had Sielwolf. KMFDM after Wax Trax went on
to have their best sales when Wax Trax was taken over by TVT thereafter the
lead singer left the group and even though the name carries on it was never the
same band again.. TKK never had more success then
their glory days on Wax Trax.
One of the
first major industrial bands to crossover with underground metal and other
genres was Godflesh. How much do you think they spearheaded the industrial
movement with full lengths like Streetcleaner and Pure?
Justin Broderick is a pioneer in the metal industrial noise
genre. Those releases you mention are seminal timeless classics. Ironically
there was much more support of Godflesh with metal than industrial fans. I
would not consider them a major band but more of a cult band of a breed of
industrial noise metal bands at the time from England that included one time
label mates Pitchshifter. Many critics have compared Sielwolf's Metastasen
release to Streetcleaner.
As an
independent label that remained established for close to two decades, what do
you believe caused the current decline of the music industry? What are some of
the A&R standards you have adhered to since the beginning?
Oversaturation of poor releases in the market place by
greedy labels, peer to peer and other pirate illegal stealing of music, stores
and media that illegally sell label promos, parallel importing and the general
publicÕs wrong perception that music should be free. The 10% of the public that
buys music perceives it as a diminution of value. Despite these challenges we
try to keep a tight roster of the highest quality artists whose music has a
timeless quality within the genre.
Where do you
stand on the issue that illegal downloading causes
artists to lose money?
This consumer behavior started with the first illegal peer to peer services over a decade ago which has
conditioned multi generations that music should be public domain (which is
free). The 10% that buy music whether it is physical goods or digital will not
allow most music as a business to survive. Illegal downloading causes not only
artists to loose money but creates a domino chain of support to loose money
including the labels, stores, pressing plants, marketing and media companies
etc....
When you began
discovering bands from the German industrial scene, how well established did
you find it to be compared to the industrial scene in the U.S.? Do you know of
an active club scene and independent magazine network there?
The German scene at that time was probably the most prolific
in the world. The subculture was and is more developed than the states. In Europe
radio and TV is not as important as the U.S.A. Bands are developed more in the
clubs and festivals circuit. Dorian Gray in Frankfurt was legendary for
breaking new bands as well as Zwishebfall in Bochum. There were a few magazines
like Orkus that helped drive the scene. Also the DAC was an important dedicated
DJ chart for mostly Gothic and Industrial artists
Who are the
first artists to be signed by Van Richter? How did you hear of and establish
contact with them?
Testify was the first band we signed and the most successful
to date. We discovered them when they showcased at the Pop Komm festival in
Germany. Working for Wax Trax helped us in scouting and making contacts with
prospective bands. Also back in the day before the internet
there were many overseas labels looking for U.S. licensing partners, so there
were not only more opportunities but a greater talent pool available for
signing.
What
information can you offer about the Pop Komm festivals in Germany? Is this a
yearly event? Was Van Richter present at the festival by invite or did you
attend it as concertgoers?
Pop Komm is the largest music festival/conference in the
world, now being held every summer in Berlin. They showcase over 500 bands of
various genres. When we were there it was as attendees and by chance we checked
out Testify at the advice of a friend who used to work for Rough Trade Germany.
How many times
have you attended the Pop Komm festival altogether? Have you been introduced to
bands there you would consider helping through Van Richter Records?
We attended the Pop Komm the summer before launching the
label. Once we ramped the label up and the word was out we had no shortage of
bands looking to get signed. We have not received too many good prospects
recently which again is the reflection of the state of the industry as talent
tends to dry up when the prospects of their success is diminish. Most of what
we receive as demos these days in not even in our genre but we have set up a
digital distribution division to handle the artists we pass on. This at least
gives them the opportunity to get their music out on Itunes through our vendor
account and a additional source of revenue without
adversely affecting the Van Richter moniker.
How did your
recording contract with Testify come about? How much of their material has Van
Richter released and how has the general press response been to them?
We first licensed Testify from another German label. When
their agreement was over we signed them directly to a worldwide agreement. It
was the good working relationship with the band during the early days that help
establish a long term relationship. At that time we gave
Testify more support than their first label. We also set the guys up with Adam
Grossman the legendary founder of Skrew and guitar player for Ministry to
produce their sophomore release Mmmyaoooo which is probably
the most seminal Aggro Industrial release in the history of the genre. The
press was more receptive with the metal writers than the pure industrial media.
All of Testify's album reviews and interviews are archived at
vanrichter.net/testify. We have released all six of their albums to date.
Fans of each
band Van Richter handles can find extensive information on your official site. Each
band has a page with bios, interview links, full discographies, press reviews
and lyrics. How much research went into compiling these pages?
These pages were originally compiled with the help of the
bands such as the bios, lyrics and pictures. As interviews and reviews came in
as a result of our efforts they were added over time. Every band page has a
complete archive of each interview and review done as a member of the Van
Richter roster. Album information was added upon release. Very little
information was culled from outside sources. Deep content for each artist has
been a priority as we have created virtual press kits for each band.
An internet radio outlet is offered on Van RichterÕs site. Does
it help get word around about your bands, particularly in Germany and other
countries where there are audiences for industrial music?
Internet radio helped get the word out more in the U.S.A. We
have a station called Van Richter Radio dedicated exclusively to our bands that
plays on live 365 and Itunes which also helps drive digital sales. Even though
per percentage of the population industrial is smaller than Europe when you
crunch the numbers the U.S. is still by far the largest market for music of all
genres. Van Richter Radio is a valuable outlet foe doth awareness and sales.
Your band The
Fair Sex, released a two-CD retrospective The Dark Ages following a long absence.
Describe the response The Dark Ages has gotten from fans who
have their previous recordings?
The Fair Sex fan interest peaked around the Machine Bites
and Labyrinth albums. The Dark Ages was released at the request of the lead
singer Myk Jung and includes an unreleased cover version of Children of the
Revolution as well as best of out of print material from the band's earlier
days on Last Chance Records. Unfortunately other than the T Rex cover the rest
of the material though remastered was not their strongest and really only
appealed to the collectors of the bands previous releases. Ironically The Dark
Ages had the best art work of any The Fair Sex album.
Sielwolf, who as
you said has drawn press comparisons to Godflesh as well as Einsturzende
Neubauten, have a new full length Nachtstom which Van Richter is handling. Are
there any other recent releases from this band you want to reveal to the
readers?
We have released several other Sielwolf records since
Nachtstrom including their first same title release and IX and X both produced
by Mick Harris of Scorn. The later two albums are very much more experimental
ambient noise and less on the Godflesh metal side. The band has a very loyal
cult following even today. Their song VerstŠrker Zerstšrt was featured music on
a Dutch Amstel beer commercial which is also posted on
their web page.
As Van
RichterÕs listenership continues to expand, do you hope to organize your own
industrial festivals and sign additional bands to your roster? Name a handful
of the bands you would be most interested in signing in the near future.
A festival would be nice but a huge financial risk which because of depleted sales we are unwilling to
undertake. However if a concert promoter wanted to do it we would be more than
willing to help organize a Van Richter festival. We are always looking to add
new talent to the roster unfortunately as stated before the pool of artists out
there has really dried up due to the collapse of industry wide music sales.
However we will be here until the end and welcome as before all unsolicited
demo packages as stated on our website submission page.
http://www.vanrichter.net
PHOTOS:
Testify, Sielwolf
-Dave Wolff
