one of the most important differences between *us* and *them* is that we are in touch with and really care about our bands.  we stay in close contact with them, work together with them, etc. whereas a major is pretty much a bunch of guys in suits looking for the next thing to earn them their millions. we release what we like and not necessarily what "sells" or is the next big thing.

What is the most difficult aspect of your job that a typical music fan wouldn't be aware of?

our biggest problem is time management.  we both have day jobs to support clairecords and sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day. people think that just because you havea label you have this mighty entourage.  clairecords is just us, two people and we're doing everything in our spare time. It's all out of love and is our hobby, not something that is making us boodles of money.

How important is it to be in a major market city, for a band and for a label, vs. being in a smaller market?

we live in jacksonville, fl which is not exactly a booming metropolis.  the internet has been integral to our means. with bands, its pretty much the same.  it doesn't really matter where you come from as long as you tour and get your music out there. again, the internet helps here, too with the advent of mp3's and getting the music out to a broader audience. We've turned on people all over the world to the music we release, and carry in our mailorder, all via the internet. Then again, networking is important  and that's always easier done in large cities.

What is your favorite label?

clairecords!  no, just kidding.  we don't have a single favorite label.  we admire many labels...shelflife is great because they are doing a tremendous job of getting the music out there, licensing records in other countries,  etc. and they release consistently good pop music. they also have the same credo as us as far as releasing only what they love and that's what its all about. slumberland was one of the labels that inspired us in the beginning. they were just legendary to us. musically, we love lots of the dead labels...sarah records comes to mind as well as the early/mid-period Creation stuff obviously.

How did you get into the music biz?

on a whim, really.  daniel started it all with solutions and remedies, clairecords first cd.  it was a compilation we put together by contacting some bands we thought were really great, a lot of which had little or no exposure up to that point. there are so many bands that we'd hear and
think "this is great...people need to hear this" so we wanted to do  something about it.

Do you believe that the "record" is going to become obsolete in favor of structures like the subscription system that some labels are toying with, and how do you think this change in music delivery changes the way the public looks at bands.

um?  like a singles club?  i guess that these do more to promote the label than the actual bands involved, but i think the consumer likes to keep with the familiar.  then again, maybe you'd hear something new that you wouldn't normally buy, but you're sort of "forced" to hear it since it's automatically sent to you...maybe we need some clarification on this question?? not sure if we've got what you mean!

Do you believe the labels, both major and indie, had the responsibility to see this coming and should've prepared themselves better?

we think mp3's are a great tool to get music heard.  major labels may have a problem with it, but for the indies exposure is beneficial.  we've sold  lots more records be people hearing mp3's via our artist's pages or the clairecords site. I think when you start releasing music from bands who don't tour much, if at all,  and/or have not got much of a following, people like to hear a bit of the music first. as far as preparing themselves for mp3's, I don't know if the labels -major or indie - really needed to prepare for that or could have. technology is constantly changing and you can't really prepare for anything like that.
 

What do you think is in the future for small labels in relation to Napster?

again, i don't see how small labels can really go wrong.  its like the listening stations at your big record stores, only in the privacy of your own home. For labels like us, it helps. For major labels and bands like Metallica, yeah, we can see their beef. Many people who buy those kinds of records are the driving force behind the major music industry. They're the fools who like that one song they hear on the radio and buy a CD just for that one song. Chances are, that's where those millions of records are being purchased...and sold back to used record shops. If that same kid can get a song for free on mp3, sure, chances are he'll just download that 1 track and play it to death and not have to spend a penny supporting the band. But the indie community tends to have different purchasing patterns. They like the band as a whole. they generally like to have something tangible in their hands with artwork, liner notes, etc. If they can download an entire album, sure, there will be people satisfied with that. But what's so different about the technology of mp3's than tape-swaps? Or borrowing a copy from the library or a friend and dubbing it / burning a CD of it yourself? There's always been ways of sharing music. Maybe not so readily accessible as Napster and/or mp3's, but it's just the next wave in technology. Nothing to be alarmed about as far as we're concerned.
 

TR- Do you believe in the theory that every band has to have a hit single in order to make it?

we laugh sometimes about a band's particular *buzz clip*, but we know that's just silly.  we don't aim for our sound to be particularly "marketable" and we are generally behind every song our bands release.  it really depends on your level of success, you definition of "making it". bands like yo la tengo have, in our opinion, "made it." Yet they are still on a (relatively) indie label and have never had a "hit single". Same goes for Sonic Youth. If you can tour and do music as your living, you've made it, for all intents and purposes, and many many bands do that without a hit single at all. On the other hand, it's obvious that a hit single will propel a band immediately into making it - perfect example is Nirvana, of course. But then again for some bands, selling 1000 records may be all they are striving for.

TR- How often do you listen to unsolicited materials? Do you want to?

most of the demos we get are unsolicited.  we listen to everything we get and of course there is good and bad in the mix, but we've been pleasantly surprised a few times. Often we'll get too many things that we would be interested in releasing but we just can't because there's only so much time/money right now.

Do you have a day job or do you live off the label?

daniel is a civil engineer by day, heather is a librarian.  she is also going through graduate school part time, so again, time is tight.  we are working toward maybe one of us doing the label/mailorder fulltime, but we've got too many debts to pay off just yet. It's our goal to work our crap jobs for now and get out of debt, and then save up a substantial amount of money to be able to do the label, mailorder and possibly a store full time.

What type of suggestions do you make to the bands on your label?

we've just recently gotten a bit more aggessive in stating our opinions about certain things, but really we think the bands should have total control.  we aren't about telling them what they should sound like or how the artwork needs to look.  we've been trying to get them all to tour more, though. Also we've  been giving some input on recording techniques, artwork, types of format of the records we want to release etc. but we have yet to outright refuse something and probably never will.

How many bands do you have on your label?

we don't have a set number of bands on the label. In the past we have generally put out whatever we heard that sounded good to us, but we are going to take a more focused direction in the near future and keep more of a "label roster" with somewhere between 5-10 bands. Some of those bands will be Mahogany, Isobella, Con Dolore, Maybe Drowning Soon, Fourhead, and some others as well. We don't have contracts yet though, and we don't "forbid" our bands to do records with other labels. We are also going to have a reissues side of the label, hopefully with more coming in thefuture. So far we have reissued The Ecstasy of St. Theresa's first album, and we are working on some other stuff for the future too.

What different types and levels of support do you offer them?

since we have been so small in the past, we have just offered 10-15% of the pressings to the bands so they could sell them at shows or to local shops. We don't have advances or again no contracts, so that stuff is beyond us at this point. We also have done more of a "grass roots" kind of promoting in the past where we send out copies ourselves to radio and press. However, we are going to start doing a lot more promoting in the near future, as well as doing what we can to help pay for recording costs, help with touring, more profit sharing, etc.

Do musicians in general loose credibility with the mass popular audience as their music became free as traded mp3s on the internet?

no, we don't see what that has to do with credibility at all!

What bands do you feel aren't getting the attention they deserve?

We feel all of our artists should be household names! Really, we believe in our bands more than anything and it boggles our minds why some/all of them aren't gracing every magazine cover out there. We're working to change that soon though! As far as other bands, there are just far too many to list.

Should we be looking to indie bands to be taking a stronger stand against, or for, Napster. Or even for political causes. Why do their voices seem so quiet?

probably because they aren't in the spotlight to begin with.  the bands that we deal with and talk to all seem to think that napster is ok and good for exposure, etc. Personally, I have used Napster a little bit if I am interested in hearing what a band sounds like and can't find any mp3's by them. I've bought plenty of records after hearing tracks on Napster that I liked. 
Also, if a band has releases/songs that are rare or out of print, they should fully support things like Napster because then the music is still getting out there and people are still hearing those songs.

Why aren't more indie bands actively involved in political discussions?

well, we can't speak for them of course! I think there are plenty of political bands out there though...

Why have politics become so "uncool"? Could this be a reason why so many fans out there download mp3 files without thinking twice?

whats the beef with mp3's?? ;) I think many people do listen to the issues. We've heard
so much debate on the whole Napster thing, but despite all the ranting and raving against the site that has been bandied about, we still think it's a nice tool to have. As far as politics becoming uncool, I believe politics have always been uncool, as far as government, etc. Take this current election for instance - how uncool is the whole thing? First, you have your choice of voting for 1 of 2 seriously fucked-up crooks (or casting your vote for a 3rd party who does not have the power to get their views out there). Then look at what's happened with this whole mess. It's nauseating really! Anyhow, we don't care to get too much into it...!

Why does it seem the bands we look to for inspiration, the so-called revolutionary underground, have become eerily silent?

Again, we think there are plenty of bands who take a stance in political issues. It's not everyone's preogative to get knee-deep into politics with their music or otherwise. Not sure what bands exactly you are referring to, but in our opinion, plenty of them seem to be expressing their views as always...

Are indie bands even the underground anymore? And if not them, who is?

The real underground is cultural music. Like African tribal music. When is  that stuff ever gonna sell out shows? Seriously though, "indie" is such a strange term anyhow. Where do you draw the line? Is Matador an indie anymore? What about  Creation in it's latter years? The "Big 6" are not the only "major labels", imo. Once you start pulling in huge salaries for a board of executives, or selling millions - or even hundreds of thousands - of albums, how indie is that? Such a silly word, really. Very vague...

Do you believe politics should be left out of music, or is music inherently political, and if it is then does the lack of political aggression within today's music scene point to a real lethargy within the youth culture? What are the long term implications of this?

If a band wants to be politically active, then that's great. If they don't want to be, then
that's just fine as well. Who's to tell a band what they should or shouldn't sing about? or
take a stance on? It's all a matter of personal issues. As far as political music and it's degree of aggression, yes, there are certainly bands who attempt to be political but then don't follow through on  what they are "preaching." Which is pretty pathetic. And yes, I believe there is a major apathetic attitude in youth culture today. It's becoming more and more evident. It's bound to only get worse in the future, most likely.

Do you think the greater presence of booking agents, distributors, andpublicity crews have made indie-rock in the mirror image of the type of musical organizations indie labels were trying to remove/distance themselves from?

It's really funny the way some people will go to extremes on stuff like this. Like if they enjoy a band's music and now all of a sudden a million people are listening to it, they don't like it anymore. That's just absurd. Or to avoid a band because they are too popular or hyped is ridiculous as well. But yes, many indie bands/labels do try to emulate the larger, more popular music organziations. And many do not realise it or they will still scoff at "popularity" or "majors" or what have you. But really, I believe most bands *want* to sell more records. They *want* to be able to quit their shitty day job and make a living doing what they love. They want to turn more people onto their artform. And what the hell is wrong with that?

Do labels become obsolete in the future? A future where a band can inexpensively afford to record two songs and post it on the Internet, and possibly eventually stream their live shows through high speed cable wires?

that happens now all the time and if the band can do it themselves then that's great. we don't think the appeal of tangible music product such as CDs, records, etc. will ever go away though. Also, labels are there to help, as far as getting the music out there, promote the bands, help with touring, etc.

Do booking agents become the real force in the industry since they have the power of who gets to play with the bands that draw the crowds?

that's just one aspect of the "industry" and i suppose there is a certain amount of power in that, but the real power lies in the music.  people will seek out what they love. of course it helps to be more readily accessible, but i don' think that the booking agents have the final say. long live house shows!

Should labels be joining forces to buy their own venues to make sure their artists get playing time?

i suppose that would be ideal but pretty unnecessary. There are tons of venues in every city or little town even. It's not impossible to get a show anywhere. All it takes is hard work and persistence.

Do you feel the growing number of label owned online radio stations (k records has one, you do too)  means a dividing of the "scene" into competing elements? Do you feel the labels are afraid of going out of business and everyone has become every man for themselves?

no, because even on our show we have bands from lots of different labels. we try to help out the bands/labels that are not getting exposure or attention they deserve.  there is no real feeling of competition, at least in our opinion.

Does the Internet help or hurt indie labels?

just from personal experience, the internet has helped clairecords tremendously, both as a label and as a mailorder.  it provides easier access for fans to find information and we are able to reach a worldwide audience that we may have missed...

Does the Internet help or hurt unsigned bands?

again, the internet is good. An effective and easy way for mass exposure. mp3.com is a great tool for this. Any band can create a site and get exposure to their music to hundreds or thousands of people worldwide.

Does the Internet help or hurt music as an art form?

the internet is not really relevant to music as art.  live music is always going to be the most tactile and tangible. you can't get the experience you get at a live show from the internet. tangible recordings will never disappear either.

Does the Internet help or hurt contemporary culture?

sometimes the internet seems to impede on life a bit too much, but as long as you aren't staring at a computer screen 24 hours a day, i don't think it hurts.  i suppose there has been a rash of people who never leave their homes, which is pretty sad.

Do you feel the merger of AOL and Time Warner will really mess things up, or make cross entertainment (MSNBC/NBCi, CBS-VIACOM, ABC-DISNEY) the new standard for the future?

most likely things will get uglier with this. Before we know it, every CD on Sire/Warner/etc.
will include a 2nd "bonus disc" of one of those crappy free "sign up for AOL!" CD-ROM's.
case in point: Disney World is now blanketed with ABC ads for TV shows. As if Disney wasn't preposterous enough.

How afraid are you as a part of an indie label/indie band in voicing a strong opinion knowing you might ostracize some of your audience?

well, daniel's in the brittle stars and i doubt they could ever step on anyones toes.  clairecords doesn't have any strong political statements to voice, we are very straightforward in doing what we love.  we are pretty firm in what we believe, and if it offends someone, then we can apologize for that, but not back down. But plenty of artists/labels out there tend to say things we don't agree with, but their political views aren't going to sway my support of their music or label. Unless they are out rallying for killing bunnies or something.

And do you think this is why we the indie-world seems like a deer caught in the headlights when it comes to copyrights, MP3s, and Napster?

the Napster debate has been on the tip of everyone's tongue for nearly a year now. we don't feel that anyone is really being a "deer in the headlights" about these issues. everyone seems to be voicing their opinions loud and clear. but again, the indie world doesn't feels this crux as much as the majors. We only see it (mp3s and napster) as beneficial for the truly small independents. as far as copyright infringements, it's just a more visible and media-circus'ed form of making a mix tape for a friend, dubbing some albums from someone else, etc. Are used CDs also a copyright infringement? Most bands should be happy their music is getting out there. The indie community should be glad people are turned on to their records by what they hear on the internet. And the majors will still be making their millions.
 
 

Learn more about Daniel and Heather, and the music on their label at http://www.clairecords.com