Really? Shocking!

[Jason Tate]

Punknews Records (http://www.punknewsrecords.com) has announced their first signing: St. Paul, MN's Somerset (http://www.somersetrock.com). The band's debut full-length, recorded by Chris Fudurich (Rx Bandits, Nada Surf) last November, is expected to be released in the Summer.

Submitted by InaGreendase.

[Cocky Caucasion]

punknews records? haha are you kidding me? Who the fuck names their record label after their online website?

[adelphi_rocks]

i can see Absolutepunk Records coming soon ;)

[Jason Tate]

i have no where near enough money to give bands what they deserve on a record label ...

[Ryan Mills]

I think this is cool; there is no reason to hate.

[In Dolorosa]

haha weak label name. i mean, it doesn't necessarily mean the label will suck, but an interesting name definitely doesn't hurt. wasn't somerset on Tinted Amber? Or was that another band?

[Cocky Caucasion]

I think this is cool; there is no reason to hate.

there was no hate in my comment even though it seemed like it. I just think it's a lame thing to name your record label after your website.
I'm sorry to say that the band did nothing for me. I'm not saying other people won't like them but so far (to me) they dont have the band to back it up. haha but then again it's only one band.

[blaubs21]

i have no where near enough money to give bands what they deserve on a record label ...

that means nothing Tate....label name recognition alone could be all the band's really need.

[riotmute]

good band - bad label name

[Booyah Achieved]

pn.o - 1

ap.net - 0

[YourLatestVicti]

that means nothing Tate....label name recognition alone could be all the band's really need.
I would think Tate would like to be able to give bands everything they need to make it. Not just have them be associtated with this website.

[Rufio21]

YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[KarmaWorks]

what a shame for that band... especially when they could have a better label with a little effort

[Frank Giaramita]

pn.o - 1

ap.net - 0

For all you know, Punknews Records could end up forcing their bands to eat human shit and setting their houses on fire... so for you to mark this situation as them 1 and us 0 at this point in time would be like me saying a movie is good or bad before I saw it.

[FatJordan]

I saw these guys with Motion City last month. They were alright, nothing special. One of those bands you wouldn't mind listening to, but you wouldn't go out of your way to hear.

[swindlington]

For all you know, Punknews Records could end up forcing their bands to eat human shit and setting their houses on fire... so for you to mark this situation as them 1 and us 0 at this point in time would be like me saying a movie is good or bad before I saw it.
I think he means they have a more credible, tangible achievement than having every fourth news post be about new merch a band has, hence the "PN.O- 1, AP.net- 0."

And besides, every knows what the band sounds like (ie. talented), so your analogy is moot.

Also, you don't need money to start a lable. As long as you have dedication, it will become successful, but I don't think "AbsolutePunk.net Records" will hold much clout if the the CD sporting it sounds like another Starting Line rip-off or Taking Back Sunday rip-off. Its just not going to happen.

[MidniteVulture]

punknews records? haha are you kidding me? Who the fuck names their record label after their online website?Why would you not? Not only would it definitely allude to what sort of music to expect if someone whose never heard of the label/website looks at the album, but for a great use of cross promotion, you'd definitely want the names of the two products to be the same.

[RedScare]

I think he means they have a more credible, tangible achievement than having every fourth news post be about new merch a band has, hence the "PN.O- 1, AP.net- 0.".
Ha. Wow.

Also, you don't need money to start a lable. As long as you have dedication
True!

[sealed]

I would think Tate would like to be able to give bands everything they need to make it. Not just have them be associtated with this website.

you are pretty stupid

[Frank Giaramita]

I think he means they have a more credible, tangible achievement than having every fourth news post be about new merch a band has, hence the "PN.O- 1, AP.net- 0."

And besides, every knows what the band sounds like (ie. talented), so your analogy is moot.

Also, you don't need money to start a lable. As long as you have dedication, it will become successful, but I don't think "AbsolutePunk.net Records" will hold much clout if the the CD sporting it sounds like another Starting Line rip-off or Taking Back Sunday rip-off. Its just not going to happen.

Yeah, and my point is, how can this be seen as a "credible achievement" when, for all we know, their band might flop, get dropped, etc.... it's not an achievement until something beneficial or positive is done with it, and until something is, nobody is at liberty to say something is good or bad, not just with PN, but with any label/band situation.

I think he means they have a more credible, tangible achievement than having every fourth news post be about new merch a band has, hence the "PN.O- 1, AP.net- 0."

And besides, every knows what the band sounds like (ie. talented), so your analogy is moot.

Also, you don't need money to start a lable. As long as you have dedication

Yes, I see that all of the time...

"Hey, you can advertise with our magazine, don't worry about paying us money, we just need to see some dedication"--- Alternative Press

"Yoo, don't worry about paying me thousands of $$ in production fees, as long as you show me you have some dedication, it's all on me"-- Brian Mcternan

..... right.... how about that.... :headshake

How the hell can a band get a solid record, solid promotion and marketing, solid distribution if the label behind them doesn't have MONEY... don't get me wrong, I'm not saying dedication isn't a part of it... but money is an absolute necessity.

[blinkrules]

Of course Frank is right, look at how many cool scene points he has.

[Billy]

Of course Frank is right, look at how many cool scene points he has.
hahaha

[djUbilla]

Yeah, and my point is, how can this be seen as a "credible achievement" when, for all we know, their band might flop, get dropped, etc.... it's not an achievement until something beneficial or positive is done with it, and until something is, nobody is at liberty to say something is good or bad, not just with PN, but with any label/band situation.



Yes, I see that all of the time...

"Hey, you can advertise with our magazine, don't worry about paying us money, we just need to see some dedication"--- Alternative Press

"Yoo, don't worry about paying me thousands of $$ in production fees, as long as you show me you have some dedication, it's all on me"-- Brian Mcternan

..... right.... how about that.... :headshake

How the hell can a band get a solid record, solid promotion and marketing, solid distribution if the label behind them doesn't have MONEY... don't get me wrong, I'm not saying dedication isn't a part of it... but money is an absolute necessity.

So cynical man...sure you do need money, but I don't think starting out a record label you need to do as much as get an ad in Alternative Press or get McTernan to produce it. Where's your DIY man?

Hundreds of labels are out there run by kids who call community centers to book shows, record albums on an old 4-track, and make t-shirts in their garages. You have to start somewhere. Even record labels.

[tragedyco]

i agree.... no money=no label. there's no way a label can be successful without the capital, give me a break.

ps. somerset (CA) is better.

[FourStarters]

Unfortunately, I'm with the non-AP guys on this one. DIY is the basis of the whole scene.

I do merch/website/jack of all trades for my little brother's band. We've recorded a six song EP and released it out of our own pockets. We've played shows anywhere and everywhere, and loved every minute of it. We've been extremely lucky that the scene here has been welcoming to us, or we'd get nowhere.

If you're interested in hearing a few kids from the suburbs do their thing as best they can, The Fuct @ MySpace (www.myspace.com/thefuct) .

[swindlington]

Yeah, and my point is, how can this be seen as a "credible achievement" when, for all we know, their band might flop, get dropped, etc.... it's not an achievement until something beneficial or positive is done with it, and until something is, nobody is at liberty to say something is good or bad, not just with PN, but with any label/band situation.



Yes, I see that all of the time...

"Hey, you can advertise with our magazine, don't worry about paying us money, we just need to see some dedication"--- Alternative Press

"Yoo, don't worry about paying me thousands of $$ in production fees, as long as you show me you have some dedication, it's all on me"-- Brian Mcternan

..... right.... how about that.... :headshake

How the hell can a band get a solid record, solid promotion and marketing, solid distribution if the label behind them doesn't have MONEY... don't get me wrong, I'm not saying dedication isn't a part of it... but money is an absolute necessity.

You don't think its a credible achievement to start a lable and sign a band? Wow, don't take this the wrong way, but you're a cockass. I'm glad your world rotates around the all mighty dollar. Sure you need money, but that's a very small part when starting up. djUbilla is right, many lables started out by raising money with local shows, making their own shirts to keep costs down, etc., etc. How do you think Asian Man came about? All he wanted to do was release records by bands he liked. As long as you enjoy what you're doing and love what's coming out of it, that's a major achievement right there, and money thoughts will come later. And of course you can't advertise in AP or get a big name producer right off the bat, but if you put enough word of mouth around, get it reviewed in smaller magazines, and advertise what you can afford, things will take off. Its all about dedication.

P.S. I hardly doubt that they will drop the band. They like the band, why drop them, especially since its their first signing.

[yeknom]

You don't think its a credible achievement to start a lable and sign a band? Wow, don't take this the wrong way, but you're a cockass. .

im lost as to how he would take it the wrong way. i also can't imagine what a cockass would look like.

[bnrocks]

"how can this be seen as a "credible achievement" when, for all we know, their band might flop, get dropped, etc.... it's not an achievement until something beneficial or positive is done with it"

oh yea frank? my definition of positive achievement would be a group of hard working friends getting together and releasing an album (and promoting and help tour) a hard working band. your definition sounds like it wouldn't be beneficial unless they make lots of money off it ("might flop, get dropped").

[elvisdechico]

i wish i could give more details, other than to say that the label doesn't necessarily have money, but they do have support from certain people who have not just money but faith in punknews... and that's what's most important... those people saw what punknews was doing with their site, respected their taste in music, and offered them a deal that was hard to pass up...

as for my band, we knew of punknews.org and i personally knew scott from my old band playing with his, a long time ago, but when he gave our first ep a great review, it definitely came as a surprise... it's really a bittersweet thing to have such a glowing review, because it puts a lot of pressure to live up to whatever hype it may have created...

at that point, we started staying with scott when we were in his town, started meeting people through the punknews.org website, etc... it was an incredible opportunity given to us that gave us lots of new friends and places to crash while on tour, and that definitely helped create the amount of "buzz" required for any label to even begin looking at you... so, we were very thankful to them when we found ourselves being taken to lunch by nice label people out in california...

but, label negotiations all fell through... mostly our fault, for not moving fast enough, and for falling in love with someone who would turn out to forget about us as time went on...

and so, when punknews told us that they were getting help in starting a label and wanted us to be their first band, it was pretty clear that we couldn't go wrong with them... they like our music, we're great friends with scott, and even when labels lost interest in us, they didn't...

no signing bonus, no new gear, no free ads in alternative press, nothing like that... a little bit of money (compared to other projects we've come to know about) to record, great distribution and their name... that's what was offered to us, so we took it...

sorry if this was more info than you cared to know about, but i just wanted to make it straight over here that we, as a band, have no beef with any label, site, or people... and we also don't like assumptions and just plain garbage being thrown around...

i think starting a label is a really admirable thing that strengthens the music scene, even if it only has a small impact... if punknews and/or our band flops, at least we tried... and if things go well, then maybe it will inspire others to do the same...

at this point, i think anybody who bashes punknews for starting a label is really just being ignorant... at the same time, anyone who thinks that absolutepunk couldn't start a successful label is kidding themselves... they have more than the necessary name recognition and band contacts... even if you can't provide bands with a ton of money, that's not all that matters... what matters is finding solid bands and having faith that they will work their asses off for you...

again, i wish i could tell you the big secret right now, but i don't feel like it's at my discretion, so i'll let punknews announce it if/when they want...

take care!
- claudio
somersetrock.com
aim: elvisdechico

[toko2000]

The big secret is, there is no label. It was all just an elaborate hoax to earn the band's trust, thus allowing us to sleep with their mothers/sisters and steal their stereos. Take that, bitches!

[The Marc]

The big secret is, there is no label. It was all just an elaborate hoax to earn the band's trust, thus allowing us to sleep with their mothers/sisters and steal their stereos. Take that, bitches!

Someone just broke his New Year's Resolution...

[toko2000]

Someone just broke his New Year's Resolution...

I'm not breaking, just bending. I figure reading about shit I'm involved in is the exception to the rule. Besides, I didn't have to sort through all the crap on the main page for this thread, someone sent the link to me.

[The Marc]

I'm not breaking, just bending. I figure reading about shit I'm involved in is the exception to the rule. Besides, I didn't have to sort through all the crap on the main page for this thread, someone sent the link to me.

I know man, I'm just messing with ya. I hope this goes really well for you guys, and if you need any help in the central Illinois area, you know I'm there.

[bikescene]

Who the fuck names their record label after their online website?

as opposed to their offline website, of course...

[Jim Morgan]

but, label negotiations all fell through... mostly our fault, for not moving fast enough, and for falling in love with someone who would turn out to forget about us as time went on...


Don;t worry, i dont think that label would have pushed you as well as this one will. You probably would have got lost in the shuffle of new releases they have, and tour they have, which they arent even promoting that well.

I love you guys. Whit showed me your songs, and if you dont come to NJ soon, im gonna have to drive far to see you.

[Frank Giaramita]

You don't think its a credible achievement to start a lable and sign a band? Wow, don't take this the wrong way, but you're a cockass. I'm glad your world rotates around the all mighty dollar. Sure you need money, but that's a very small part when starting up. djUbilla is right, many lables started out by raising money with local shows, making their own shirts to keep costs down, etc., etc. How do you think Asian Man came about? All he wanted to do was release records by bands he liked. As long as you enjoy what you're doing and love what's coming out of it, that's a major achievement right there, and money thoughts will come later. And of course you can't advertise in AP or get a big name producer right off the bat, but if you put enough word of mouth around, get it reviewed in smaller magazines, and advertise what you can afford, things will take off. Its all about dedication.

P.S. I hardly doubt that they will drop the band. They like the band, why drop them, especially since its their first signing.

It's not called a "label" if you don't have the funds to help bands achieve their dreams. A label is in essence an investor... how is an investor an investor if they have nothing to invest? If a label isn't helping their artists get closer and closer to their dreams of success (which requires MONEY), it's not a label. Period. You can't just throw a name on something and say.."hey (random band) want to sign with me!"... that's not how it works... at all. And when you say "Where's your DIY pride?"... are you telling me DIY's don't have money to work with?!... Who the fuck are you kidding!?... bc if they don't have money, you have never heard about them. End of story. I personally know DIY Label Owners who have sold their cars, baseball cards, clothes, EVERYTHING to help support and further their artists. Although determination and hard are some aspects of it... you NEED money to help further those artists careers. An artist isn't going to pay $10k for their recording, $10k for promotion etc. by themselves, and if they are, whats the point of having that "label" behind them?.. there is none. There is absolutely no point in a band being on a label if the label can't help them with the #1 problem that lurks over 99% of bands' heads... lack of cash.

[EmoTorture]

It's not called a "label" if you don't have the funds to help bands achieve their dreams. A label is in essence an investor... how is an investor an investor if they have nothing to invest? If a label isn't helping their artists get closer and closer to their dreams of success (which requires MONEY), it's not a label. Period. You can't just throw a name on something and say.."hey (random band) want to sign with me!"... that's not how it works... at all. And when you say "Where's your DIY pride?"... are you telling me DIY's don't have money to work with?!... Who the fuck are you kidding!?... bc if they don't have money, you have never heard about them. End of story. I personally know DIY Label Owners who have sold their cars, baseball cards, clothes, EVERYTHING to help support and further their artists. Although determination and hard are some aspects of it... you NEED money to help further those artists careers. An artist isn't going to pay $10k for their recording, $10k for promotion etc. by themselves, and if they are, whats the point of having that "label" behind them?.. there is none. There is absolutely no point in a band being on a label if the label can't help them with the #1 problem that lurks over 99% of bands' heads... lack of cash.

It's called starting with a small amount of money and building from there. You are a fucking douchebag idiot.