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Here at Get Sad Y'all, we thought it would be a great idea to interview numerous people in various aspects of the music industry to serve as guides for those that might want to pursue a career. Those interviews can be found here.
If there's anyone you'd like us to interview, give us a shout.
Below, we chatted with Nick Moore (InVogue Records) about owning and operating a record label.
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Who are you and what do you do?
NM: My name is Nick Moore and I am the founder/owner of InVogue Records.
How long have you been running InVogue?
NM: It'll be 10 years this month.
Who are some of the artists currently on your label?
NM: Our current roster* is Boys Of Fall, Castle No Kings, Chase Huglin, Clover The Girl, Discrepancies, FFN, Dreamhouse, Hotel Books, In Her Own Words, Ky Rodgers, Makari, Patternist, Secret Eyes, and The Parallel.
What's your day-to-day look like?
NM: A lot of phone calls & emails. This job is a lot of communication with artists, managers, booking agents, and publicists. The only way to make things happen is to constantly follow up with people and try to create new opportunities.
How did you get on the path to running a record label? What made you want to start one?
NM: Way back in the early 2000s, I was super into Drive-Thru Records and how they kind of built a culture in the music scene. I had a friend who released the first Hit The Lights album and I thought that was so awesome. So I started a label and released a band from near my hometown that I loved. I sold my first record label, which was Standby Records, then my band ended up getting signed to Rise Records. Then in 2009, I had just had my son Cohen and knew I needed to start prepping for the future, so I started InVogue less than 2 months after his birth.
What is something you've learned about running a record label over time that you wish you had known from the start?
NM: That it's all luck at the end of the day. Sometimes the stars don't align even when you think you have the perfect artist. Sometimes it just doesn't work.
Where should someone looking to start a record label begin their career path?
NM: I would intern at a label to see how things work. That is a great way to get started in the industry.
What are three key things that someone looking to start a record label should know?
NM:
- It's REALLY expensive.
- Artists can be incredibly difficult to work with.
- The industry is small & highly reliant on relationships you have.
Anything else to add?
NM: Thanks for reaching out and hopefully whoever is reading this checks out our incredible roster!_________________
Be sure to throw InVogue Records a follow and check out all of their artists below!
InVogue Records
Website: InVogue Records
Liked this interview? We've got a whole bunch more with music industry gurus for your reading pleasure!
* as of July 23, 2019