{"id":16666,"date":"2019-06-10T05:30:10","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T09:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=16666"},"modified":"2019-04-22T15:42:52","modified_gmt":"2019-04-22T19:42:52","slug":"at-the-heart-of-the-vinyl-revival-org-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2019\/06\/10\/at-the-heart-of-the-vinyl-revival-org-music\/","title":{"rendered":"At the Heart of the Vinyl Revival: ORG Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Founded in 2010, ORG Music was launched in response to renewed interest in vinyl records. Kicking off with reissues of Nirvana\u2019s classic Nevermind<\/i>, the label quickly established itself as an intelligent outfit with a thoughtful approach to bringing releases to market. In addition to wide-appeal releases (early offerings included titles from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Teenage Fanclub and Failure), ORG Music explored the back catalog of important, groundbreaking jazz artists.<\/p>\n

That eclectic approach continues today; current or upcoming releases include long-deleted titles from Cecil Taylor (Silent Tongues: Live at Montreux \u201874<\/i>), The Art Ensemble of Chicago (Tutankhamun<\/i>) and Earl Hines (My Tribute to Louis<\/i>). I spoke with Andrew J. Rossiter, who manages the label, about the company, its approach to bringing titles to market and the vinyl revival in general.<\/p>\n

Most reissue labels stake out a particular character that they express through their selection of material to release. ORG Music is \u2013 and I mean this in a good way \u2013 all over the map, reissuing everything from punk to doo-wop to obscure jazz titles. How would you describe ORG Music\u2019s character?<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cAll over the map\u201d is a fair way to describe our releases, and I take that as a compliment. The variety in our label\u2019s catalog mirrors that of our personal record collections. We\u2019re not particularly concerned with genres or categories, as long as the music is good. I would guess that\u2019s probably true for most people. There are also many through-lines and synchronicities from genre to genre; punk rock and obscure jazz have a lot more in common than one might think, for instance.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to imagine that both the variety and the quality of our releases speak to our label\u2019s overall character.<\/p>\n

I know that at least some reissue labels do a cost\/benefit analysis when evaluating the prospect of reissuing a particular title. What criteria does ORG Music use to evaluate projects, and what\u2019s the ultimate determining factor?<\/b><\/p>\n

Like any business, we need to keep the lights on, so the cost\/benefit consideration is certainly there, but it\u2019s rarely a determining factor.<\/p>\n

When it comes to reissues, there\u2019s no specific set of criteria that must be met, but we\u2019re always considering a range of factors. Has the record been released on vinyl? If so, how long has it been out of print? What was the quality of the original pressing? If there are plenty of good, clean copies available, a reissue probably isn\u2019t called for.<\/p>\n

We reissue some records because of their historical significance, and others because we want to highlight great music that never found its audience. Sometimes we\u2019re aiming to create an essential edition of an album from an audiophile perspective (e.g. our 2xLP 45RPM jazz series). I personally love the experience of uncovering \u201chidden gems,\u201d and bringing recordings out of relative obscurity. Every title is different.<\/p>\n

A common theme, if there is one, is that we like the music.<\/p>\n

Does the label ever take on \u201clabor of love\u201d projects that they know won\u2019t turn a profit, with the idea that other higher-profile releases will offset those on the balance sheet?<\/b><\/p>\n

Absolutely. This happens from time to time. I\u2019d rather not identify those specific releases. Whether or not a release turns a profit, I see them all as labors of love.<\/p>\n

How difficult is it obtaining the masters for your reissue projects?<\/b><\/p>\n

The process for obtaining masters is very much case-by-case. We have relationships with various labels, catalog groups, and artists, which we\u2019re always building on.<\/p>\n

\"\"If you\u2019re referring to master rights, that process really depends what type of entity controls the masters. We prefer to deal directly with artists and independently owned labels, for a variety of reasons. In some cases, we\u2019ve spent multiple years trying to acquire rights to a particular title. In other cases, we have access to a large catalog of material that we\u2019re essentially curating and selecting from over time.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the master audio source, we have to work with what\u2019s available. Analog tape is always preferred, but sometimes it\u2019s simply not an option, and we\u2019ll master from high resolution digital transfers. We\u2019ve also released recent recordings which were never on tape to begin with.<\/p>\n

The quality of the audio source occasionally requires us to reevaluate whether or not to reissue a release. If we can\u2019t do the album justice with our reissue, then we won\u2019t press it.<\/p>\n

In cases where you\u2019re duplicating the original sleeve art, do you gain access to the original materials, or do you have to sometimes recreate the art? <\/b><\/p>\n

While the artwork process is also case-by-case, it\u2019s rare that we\u2019re given access to the original materials. For albums that were made before the digital era, which includes most of our reissues, most artwork assets are nearly impossible to come by.<\/p>\n

More often than not, we\u2019ll track down a clean copy of an original pressing to scan art elements from. If there are photos in the packaging, we\u2019ll find the rights holder(s) and request high resolution scans. If we can identify the original fonts, we\u2019ll re-set all of the type. We work with an extremely talented graphic designer who has years of experience re-building package artwork in this way.<\/p>\n

You can look at most of our reissues from the Sun Records catalog (e.g. Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis) or the CTI catalog (e.g. Freddie Hubbard, Antonio Carlos Jobim) as examples of releases which required us to re-create original artwork. Our series of Black Lion jazz reissues is a good example of a catalog that we took more liberties with; we essentially re-branded the packaging for more consistency across the entire catalog.<\/p>\n

Do you have a particular favorite recent reissue?<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s impossible to pick favorites.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been really happy with all of the reissues we\u2019re working on from the Freedom Records catalog (i.e. Cecil Taylor, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Albert Ayler).<\/p>\n

While not a straight reissue, our recent retrospective 2xLP release from W\u00dcRM (Chuck Dukowski\u2019s pre-Black Flag group) was a really exciting project for me. The release includes a reissue of the band\u2019s only full length album, Feast,<\/i> along with a ton of unreleased or otherwise impossible-to-find recordings, photos, etc.<\/p>\n

When deciding which current artists to work with on the release of music, is there a guiding principle at work?<\/b><\/p>\n

This side of our business \u2013 working with new or current\/active artists \u2013 has been very organic. We typically don\u2019t seek out new artists to sign. When a new project presents itself, it\u2019s pretty clear whether or not it\u2019s a good fit. We\u2019ve been fortunate enough to work closely with some of our musical heroes and favorite artists over the years. Many of the new projects that we take on are a result of, or somehow connected to, those associations.<\/p>\n

In recent years, ORG Music has become a home for a lot of unique collaborations, studio projects, and one-off recordings from artists that we admire. In some ways, the approach to these releases can be similar to our reissues. When you\u2019re working with an artist or group that has no intention of touring or promoting themselves through normal channels, the focus is entirely on the music, the packaging, etc. \u2013 much like our reissues.<\/p>\n

What, in general, do you think lies at the heart of the current renewed interest in vinyl? <\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard a lot of explanations for the vinyl revival<\/i>, as people call it. It\u2019s important to remember that a lot of folks have been there all along. Punk bands never stopped selling records. Vinyl was massively important to dance music culture throughout vinyl\u2019s \u201cdown\u201d period. Many audiophiles never stopped buying and listening to records.<\/p>\n

I think vinyl\u2019s growth in recent years can be, at least partially, attributed to a backlash against the experience of music in the digital era. Having millions of albums at your fingertips is convenient, but it leaves something to be desired.<\/p>\n

\"\"Many people seek out vinyl for the sound quality, which is a huge contrast to the compressed audio on streaming platforms. People like reading liner notes, seeing artwork on a physical canvas, and displaying their collections. Some people enjoy the nuances they discover in various pressings of the same album. Some are attracted to the feeling of community they get from their local record store.<\/p>\n

Some just miss rolling a joint on their favorite gatefold jacket. These are all valid reasons.<\/p>\n

Do you think the \u201cvinyl revival\u201d is sustainable, or do you expect it to ebb in the future?<\/b><\/p>\n

I have to believe that it\u2019s sustainable, as long as the industry at large produces quality records. The superior experience<\/i> of vinyl is crucial to its relevance. If that experience is diluted, people will look elsewhere.<\/p>\n

We have a ton of great releases lined up for 2019 and beyond, which we can\u2019t wait to share with the world.<\/p>\n

Building on the previous question, I can\u2019t stress enough how important it is to support your local indie record stores. These stores are vital to the sustainability of vinyl, and we wouldn\u2019t be in business without them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Founded in 2010, ORG Music was launched in response to renewed interest in vinyl records. Kicking off with reissues of Nirvana\u2019s classic Nevermind, the label quickly established itself as an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16667,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,3668],"tags":[3580],"class_list":["post-16666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","category-music-business","tag-org-music","cat-41-id","cat-3668-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16666"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16670,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16666\/revisions\/16670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}