Somebody's Song started as an idea in the summer of 2003, that idea being to create a DIY punk-rock
label that would release records solely on vinyl. The music would have to be genuine, creative and
awe-inspiring, as would the physical records that the label put out. After all, there's no point
bothering to put all your time, savings and energy into something if you're going to be half-hearted
right? By August of that year, I was ready to release Somebody's Song 001 on the unsuspecting world.
However, the band I was working with decided that they wanted to take a break for a while and so the
record got put on hold. At some point in the future I will put out that first record because it provided
the inspiration for this label in so many ways.
This is not a label motivated by genre, trends, sales, generating a back catalogue, or any of those other
foundations that other labels seem happy to base themselves upon. This is a label that prides itself on
music. This is a label that acknowledges that it is the artists that are the talent and deserve to have
their music put out in a way that foregrounds them rather than the label. This probably means
that Somebody's Song will plod along behind all that "XXX RECORDS SUMMER TOUR!!!" rubbish. It will never
be the most prolific label in the world but I will continue putting out music in the best way I know. No
extreme hype here, no press releases or promo photos, no street teams, no contracts, no rock-star egos.
A record label is a vehicle for the artists so I'm more than happy to let their music speak for them
rather than concocting a lot of marketing tripe in order to sell records. Somebody's Song is an
attempt to cut through the dead wood and contrivance which make up a large number of other punk-rock
record labels and leave you with a finished product which is raw quality.
The way that I help artists is by doing my utmost to ensure that they get a finished record that
they are 100% happy with and that does them justice. Then I help them get that record out there in
a respectable and genuine way so that people actually hear it. Sadly that means no news releases to
nasty websites or random spamming of message boards. It does mean that you will be able to find the
records in independent punk-rock shops, in distros at gigs and from this website though. I remember
hearing one quote from a damn good UK label about how they weren't planning any more releases in the
near future because in order to get the music out there you have to spend all day on message boards
selling it to people. I'd like to believe this wasn't true and that people are willing to make a slight
effort to listen to new releases without having them rammed down their throats in a way that mimics the
consumerist culture that DIY labels are supposed to be fighting against. Only time will tell...
By now, this must seem a massively self-indulgent venture. I get to put out music that I love on a
format that I love and in the way that I think is right. What reaffirms my faith in the whole thing
not being entirely self-indulgent is that throughout the years I have met countless numbers of people
that have felt exactly the same as I do about music, record labels and all sorts of other things that
go way beyond music. This record label is for those people. Thanks for reading.