A Different Drum - Good people always make my day

A Different Drum is an independent record label and online store based in the US state of Utah which over the years has become a synonym for electro- and synthpop. Since its start in 1996 (before that, A Different Drum was a physical music store - the business itself started in 1991) releasing the compilation "Rise! America's Synthpop Underground" the label has launched hundreds of albums, singles, and compilations staying faithful to the genre. Bands that got wider (US) recognition or that got launched thanks to Todd include Iris, B! Machine, Cosmicity, Daybehavior, The Echoing Green, KieTheVez, Neuroactive, The Nine, Provision, Somegirl, Syrian, Wave in Head and a ton more. Add to that mix the hosting of music festivals, focusing both on established label artists and on upcoming, unsigned bands and you should realise that the man behind this label, Todd Durrant, is a person with plenty to tell. We caught up with Todd via Facebook to talk about his view on the current state of synthpop, the (indie) music industry, digital distribution.

SL: As one of the first labels in the electropop scene to actually have an own e-store on its site, I guess you are the right person to tell us some more on the current state of affairs... how come synthpop is having a much more difficult time to sell?

TD: I wouldn't say that any specific genre is having a more difficult time selling. I would say that all music is having a difficult time selling. The general consumer has always preferred a product for whatever they perceive to be the cheapest price. It's natural to want to pay less for the same product, right? Unfortunately, the cheapest price these days is "free". If you add an economic downturn to a market that is already suffering from lack of control, then you have a disaster where there are only a handful of people left who actually pay for music.

Even for those who do not download unauthorized copies, there are plenty of free streaming sites where you can go to listen to all of your favorite music all day long without paying a price. Some of the largest of these cool websites do pay royalties, but that's usually to the majors. Smaller labels and bands are asked to wave those royalties, or to pay outright for the privilege of being streamed along-side the majors.

OH, and I don't need to tell you how many times I and other labels have had to file complaints with blog hosting sites to remove blogs which give links to free downloads. These bloggers feel it is somehow "helping the scene" to advertise their favorite albums for free download. Strange world.

SL: The weird thing is, webzines get lots more traffic than in the early years, while sales are going down hill... Side-Line actually publishes news, interviews and reviews for mostly illegal downloaders one would almost conclude. How do you think this scene can survive when lots of labels just can't keep the boat afloat?

TD: I think the internet has made it easier than ever for bands to be discovered and win fans. You can reach across the globe in a way never before possible, and people can hear your music with only a few clicks. The need for traditional commercial radio is lessened, and the market becomes more "open" for the small guys. BUT, it is ironic that bands who may have more fans than ever, due to the internet, also have fewer sales than ever, also because of the internet. It is like a trade-off. Somewhere the gods of the music industry said, "you can take the fame, but you can't have the fortune!" Of course, when we're talking about independent bands, the words "fame" and "fortune" don't really apply. But it is the truth that a band with impressive internet popularity can have a hard time selling even 500 CD's across the entire globe. That makes it hard for the independent market to survive, despite the exposure. The sales numbers are not big enough to sustain small labels.

SL: iTunes and related stores are taking over quite some marketshare in the music business, do you see this as well for you or is it all rather marginal?

TD: iTunes and other popular legal download sites of course are better than theft. At least they try to add some kind of respectability to the download market. I know many good, honest fans who prefer downloads over physical product, and that's fine. But those stores have changed the way people buy music. That change has done a lot to damage the small record labels. It's just the reality of the situation. Simple math proves the effect.

I've explained it this way before. In the past, a label would promote a single track by a new artist. If the promotion was successful, then a lot of people would know the song, and they would respond by seeking the band's album (CD). The purchase of the CD would result in a few dollars profit for the label, even if it was purchased wholesale. In today's market, if we take the same approach, a lot of people will hear that song and love it, but their response is different. Instead of seeking out the CD album, they will jump to iTunes and they will buy that one song. After everybody in the distribution chain takes their cut, the band might make 10 cents, and the label might make 10 cents. So you are literally trading a $3 or $4 profit for 10 cents. If you do that thousands of times, then you can see how even a LEGAL download market has changed the industry to make it less profitable, at least for those labels releasing the music.

The case may be different for major labels who have very deep back-catalogs, because they are making money selling the same millions of songs that they've sold over and over in the past. It's just extra for them. But for small guys like us, trying to selling lesser known bands, there is not enough money in this system.

I've heard people ask me before, "well, can't you make more money from downloads because you don't have the manufacturing costs of CD's?" If you are a new artist, and you are working without a label, then sure, you can save money by putting out your music digitally instead of coming up with a couple thousand dollars for a physical release. Maybe you only sell $100 in downloads during the first year, so of course, that is a profit. Well, it's more than nothing. But that is not the case with the labels, where our investment of a couple thousand dollars used to give us the opportunity to make a small profit even with a new band, because we intended to push the band to a larger audience. Now we don't make enough money on physical OR digital sales to do any real "pushing", so it becomes a sort of business-death-wish to hope to break new bands onto the market.

SL: You have started a blog on which you rant on various subjects. Two of those grabbed my attention, the first being that you actually wrote a book, the second that your income is almost vanished due to sales going really slow. First the book, what is it all about and how did you start wit it? Have you always had it 'in' you to write? Was it easy? How did it get published, did you shop it?

TD: It's funny that you say I use my blog to "rant". I had to admit a couple of times, and apologize to my readers, for ranting too much. I didn't intend to create a blog only for ranting, but it just seems I've had a lot on my mind lately about the music industry and where it is heading, and what effect that has on somebody like me who has managed to make a small living selling music for so many years. It's hard to dedicate nearly two decades to a dream, then have it vanish with very little you can do about it.

Concerning the book...I had spent a couple of years writing a science fiction novel because I always wanted to do it. The process took a very long time because I could only work on it about an hour or two per week. It was a nice, quiet way to end the week-- just to sit down for an hour and vanish into an imaginary world. When it was finished, I took another year to edit the book and decide what I wanted to do with it. At this point in my life, I don't have the patience to "shop it around" and hope for a big publishing deal. I've talked to other authors and I know the kinds of games they had to play to get an agent and win the attention of publishers. So, I looked for a way that I could get it on the market through an independent publisher. It is now on the market, and available for order through most major US book distributors, but it is not automatically stocked on store shelves because it is, as I mentioned, independent. I don't really make much money for book sales-- if you buy it on Amazon.com I think I make something like 89 cents. But it is nice to know that something I wrote is "out there". It is mostly for the feeling of satisfaction to know that I accomplished the goal.

SL: For our readers, the book is called "Trigger" (by Todd Durrant) and you can order it from Amazon.com or directly from Todd if you want an autographed copy at www.todd-durrant.com . What kind of books are you into actually?

TD: I've always enjoyed science fiction as a way to relax. I love the imagination and creativity that goes into writing something "out of this world". I haven't read an entire book for probably three years, simply because I've been using that down-time to write my own book. I think the last book I read was the final Harry Potter book. Yes, I did fall in love with that series, right along with my kids.

SL: Let's tackle the second 'rant', which was about your income being jeopardized by the current economic crisis in the music business. Is there still a way you think to live from music in the indie scene? What solutions do you see? I gathered from your blog post that you are actually not all that keen on getting subsidies from the state?

TD: Haha! Yeah, I don't believe the government owes anybody a "hand out" even in hard times. You have to remember, the government is not some kind of free enterprise with their own money to dish out where they want. They make their money by taxing the citizens, so any "hand out" is just taking money from the people. I think that tax money is necessary to some degree, to offer security, protection, leadership, etc. But it isn't something to be thrown around, so I don't expect a bailout. I'd be using my neighbors' money, unwillfully given, to get out of my own troubles. To me, there is something wrong with that idea.

Anyway, to answer your real question...I don't think we can count on the traditional way to make money in the music market anymore. We can't just say, "I'm going to make money by writing and selling music!" The consumers aren't paying, so how can you survive by selling? You can still sell music through licensing to television, or movies, or video games, etc. But for every track that gets licensed by one of these entities, there are hundreds of thousands of others that don't. It's a shot in the dark to hope you can make a living that way, unless you get hired by a production company that already has an inside connection. Does that have anything to do with a label? No. So, the roll of a label in that regard is lessened. I can't promise the bands on my label that they will show up in a video game (though I've done those deals before), and even if they do, I can't promise that they'll get paid enough to make the whole struggle "worth it" financially.

I don't know the answers, but I think people are trying things that will take some time to see if they work. I know that artists who go out and play live shows can still reap a little income that way. People may be able to download the music for free, but they can't get through the doors of the venue without paying the ticket price. They also can't download the cool concert t-shirt. Once again, that doesn't help the label.

So, I have to think more in terms of my own life, my own income, and what I can do to stabilize my situation. That might mean more outside work that has nothing to do with music. I am trying to offer myself as a teacher for kids who want "pop music lessons" in my own community. Kids may download all their music for free, but they (and their parents) may be interested in learning how to make the music they love-- how to write a song, how to create the music, and how to record it, etc. Maybe I can take care of my bills in the future by helping kids make music and live a little bit of their own dreams, even if they won't ever be able to sell their music on the market.

I have a lot of qualifications as a business owner. I've run my own business for nearly two decades. I have experience in contract negotiations, public relations, marketing, licensing, international buying and selling, internet commerce, etc. I've set up festivals and have been involved with conventions. I don't feel I lack experience. It is simply the nature of my self-employment that makes it difficult to break into another company. When they see an application from somebody who has worked for themselves for so many years, then they don't have a previous employer or an old boss or manager who they can call for a reference. They have no way to really see if I know what I'm talking about. They only have my word. Any references I can give them are in the music business, and that may not pertain to their own situation. That is not to say that I can't be employed. I'm sure I can walk into a number of low-paying, entry-level positions. I admit that the problem is mine, because I've worked in my dream job for so long, and I've been my own boss for so long, that going into an entry-level position as a secretary or clerk is a bit disheartening.

I probably should say that entrepreneurs suffer from a serious disease that somehow effects their ability to work for other people. The longer you work for yourself, the deeper this disease infects your very soul. Soon enough, you are mentally unable to fit into a normal workplace, where somebody else calls the shots, and where you are given a simple task to repeat over and over again. I suffer from this disease. So, despite the fact that I look for outside employment, my heart automatically looks for another way to make a living "on my own". An outside job is inherently considered "temporary" to avoid a mental breakdown.

Get your CDs at the following eBay sites:
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SL: In the US its less a shame to start up something and fail, here in Belgium, when you fail, for many people you are actually also consider as a failure and punished quite hard by the system, meaning that many people don't even want to start up a company in order not to go through all this. Is the climate still that positive towards startups in the US?

TD: That is an interesting view, which I haven't heard before, since I don't know the situation in Belgium. I know that it has always been considered a part of "living the American dream" to be able to set up your own business and try to build something where there was nothing before. Most businesses do fail within the first 5 years, according to the statistics I've seen. But the majority of people prefer the security of working for those businesses that have succeeded, rather than risking their own financial well-being on a risky venture. I've been very lucky that my wife has had the patience to let me chase my dreams. I survived more than five years (barely) and then things seemed to get better. But now it has changed. So, I have to reinvent the way I work and move forward.

SL: In between all this, you are still releasing cds, how do you see things future wise?

TD: I think there will still be some kind of market for physical product (CD's), even if it is only for collectors. There are still people like me who have never purchased a download because the physical experience of holding the product in their hands is more important than the song itself. I hope to keep A Different Drum around for those people. I have notified the bands on the label of the current financial situation and have told them that I intend to release any single or album that I've promised to release, but it might take more time than hoped. The releases will be slower, but I will finish what I started. Then, after those contracts are over, I'll have to evaluate each move on an individual basis. The label may become something that is completely non-profit that I do "after hours", but maybe able to put out a CD now and then for people who I call my friends, who I've been honored to work with for so many years. I'll probably keep putting out my own music too, just for the satisfaction of doing it. If there is no money at all, then it won't be possible, but hopefully those few collectors will continue to buy a few CD's and that will be enough to keep a minimal pulse going for a few more years.

SL: What new bands have caught your attention lately? And why? What releases do you consider to be absolutely worth purchasing?

TD: I enjoy a variety of sounds, so bands that often sound quite different from one another can still appeal to me. A couple of the upcoming acts that I signed a while ago that should be watched are Blume (from Italy), Endless Shame (from Sweden), and Access Zero (from the USA). Midnight Resistance had a great start with A Different Drum and has sold well despite the challenges of the marketplace. If you haven't listened to them, I think you should.

There have been other fun acts that I've sold through A Different Drum's store that have made a positive splash, like Parralox or Northern Kind (both with excellent female vocals and a catchy sound), plus Jens Bader from Germany is an overlooked highlight. Other personal favorites from the recent past are the albums by Gentle Touch and Intricated, which are both very mellow and atmospheric, but intoxicating.

SL: Did Iris leaving ADD for their own label put your label in a difficult situation?

TD: Iris had the biggest single seller with "Disconnect", their first album. It was a natural situation when they moved to Andrew's label after that. Andrew replaced Matthew Morris as the programmer for the band, and Andrew already had his own label going (Diffusion Records), so it was understandable that he wanted to push Iris on his own label. I never felt the slightest bit upset about that. I wished them well.

It could be noted that that one album sold steadily for many years, and that is why it was the best seller. It did not happen all at once, but the sales kept going even after they'd released a couple of other albums on their Diffusion Records label.

But over all, in terms of TOTAL units, The Echoing Green is A Different Drum's best selling band. Maybe no single album quite matched with "Disconnect", but every album The Echoing Green puts out is a strong seller with a very loyal fan base.

SL: You are currently working on a new project where people can buy themselves into the songwriting, how is that going along?

TD: That is a fun experiment with the band Rename, of which I am a part lately, working together with Marcus Fellechner. We thought it would be a very interesting new approach to invite people to become "song sponsors" for the album. Basically a person can purchase one of the songs and thereby decide what the song will be about-- whether about themselves, or a special person in their life, etc. The album becomes a very personal collection of "Real Songs for Real People", which is the name of the project. I don't recall ever seeing a band offer to write personal songs for people.

Another part of the project that I think is cool is that anybody can choose to be a "follower" and essentially pre-buy the album, along with MP3 updates for an entire year, so they will get demos, scratch vocals, song outlines, etc. as the album is created.

So far we have half of the song sponsor spots taken. We're still pushing to fill the last spots so the project can begin.

SL: Do you have more of such tests coming up ?

TD: There are always other ideas and things in the works. Those things will move more slowly now because of the lack of funds, but it's still fun to try new things with music.

SL: I have the feeling that although things are pretty harsh for labels and bands that it will cause a shake out where only the versatile ones will stay afloat. What's your take on this?

TD: I do believe that the creative and determined bands will stick around. How that plays out for labels will be interesting to see as well. I think that the labels who have created their own niche and their unique focus through the years have a better chance of surviving, just because they have a well recognized brand and a good reputation that can still help bands to progress. But many labels will fail as bands find that they can do what they want without a label. Labels must find a way to solidify their positions through what they truly have to offer. Yet what we can offer lately has been so much less because of the lack of cash flow.

SL: Now, some politics as well, how are things under Obama?

TD: I'm not one of those people who has been completely mesmerized by Obama or considered him some kind of political savior. I'm hopeful that he will do a great job, but still consider him a politician like so many others. Like other presidents, he has good intentions to do what he thinks is best for the country. I'll probably agree with some of those ideas, and not with others. For example, I think he does a much better job with international relations and has a good way of interacting with other leaders and winning good opinion. On the other hand, I get very worried about anybody who uses government programs or hand-outs to buy loyalty or to apparently solve all problems when there is always a price (money doesn't come from the air-- it comes from taxing the people). I get concerned because I start to wonder what the price will be, and whether or not it will outweigh the originally intended benefit. I feel that a free country should function on a foundation of personal responsibility-- the more a government creates dependency within the citizens, seemingly removing that personal responsibility ("oh, they'll take care of my problems...") then it is a step in the wrong direction.

That's not so much a statement about Obama, but about government in general. I hope that I don't have to see much more of the trend to bail out corporate enterprises that ask for money, or to create new noble programs that depend on increased taxation of the people. Government should regulate to make sure there are no abuses of the system, but not create a dependency upon itself.

SL: Social media is hyped a lot among mainstream companies who often do not even check if there is a ROI from it. What's your take on all these social media platforms? Facebook for instance seems to shift people from their e-mail box to the web, finally getting a visual from the people they mail with. I guess Google's Wave is integrating both. But does it mean a new, bigger public, or just more of the same?

TD: It's funny that you ask this question, having passed along the interview through Facebook messaging instead of regular email. I think that the social networking sites are wonderful. I believe there is a degree of what you say - just the same people getting together in a new place. But the convenience and ease with which Facebook or Twitter can be used is far better than the old forums and networks. I can use a simple browser application to be constantly aware of what is happening with my network, and they can know what I'm doing as well. It's a handy tool. Whether or not it will "build" a larger scene, I can't say. But it sure keeps the current one better connected.

SL: And to finish, what makes your days happy?

TD: Well, it's the same thing as usual - whenever I run across the many good people I've been able to meet and work with through the years. Good people always make my day, through the nice things they say, the positive words of encouragement, and their little acts of kindness. I live around a lot of good people. I have a beautiful family that sticks by me even when things are very hard. I have a lot of great friends that have been customers for many years. I have many great friends in bands who find joy making music even when we have a hard time seeing any kind of financial future in the endeavor. Even if business gets bad or the business completely vanishes, the people will still be here and will remain a part of my life.

Label: www.adifferentdrum.com
Personal page: www.todd-durrant.com