Red Dragon Records Interview

This time on Road Trip we are interviewing a indie label we met on Twitter who seemed to be doing great things and was gaining ground fast. We have since then joined forces to help the ever so deserving independent musicians out there.

How did you come to be Red Dragon Records?

Red Dragon Records Logo

I spend a lot of time socialising in and around the south coast of the UK and constantly came across what i believe to be exceptional talent. These talented people were unlikely to ever get much further than a few gigs, not through any fault of there own but just down to the odds of being picked by a label (and that is assuming of course that the label does anything with them!). Whilst there are some artists out there who know how to self promote many don't or won't, these are the people we are here for. The artist that actually tipped the scales for me was Boudicca, an excellent and very passionate singer who I believe in immensely. She has always wanted to be recognized for her voice and I believed with my background in establishing business's that I could build a record label and showcase her talent. So I did, and the label rapidly grew from there gaining more acts and more contacts and will hopefully continue for a long time yet!

What were your business ventures prior to Red Dragon?

Prior to Red Dragon my ventures were predominantly in bringing new technologies to market. For example, coming up with a solution to a problem, patenting it, building a business around it and then selling it on. The vast majority of my technology is used within the on-license industry although I have ventured as far as the oil and gas industry and had a brief foray into magnetic gearing systems a few years previously

What are your main services for the independent acts on your label?

Typically when we find the artists we want they have had little or no exposure. We start by establishing their genre and whether they can song write or not. If they can't we bring in one of our songwriters and get the two to work together. Whilst this is going on we use what media we do have or can produce to establish a social media presence, create an EPK a website and establish a following for them. Once they have been recorded, mixed and mastered we arrange a release date and a significant amount of PR to cover the release. Once the release figures are in both parties have an option whether to continue or not.

Why the name Red Dragon Records?

Why the name? Good question! I've always liked the allure and mystery around dragons plus type it into Google and there's not a lot of competition!

What would you say has been the most successful social media tool you've used in terms of fan base growth?

Easy question, without a doubt Twitter! I've said previously that I'm not convinced of the value of Facebook for business's and artists. Simply speaking without twitter there would be no Red Dragon Records. Whilst we do have a Facebook page it is not the centre of our business.

Do you have your own recording studio?

We don't as yet. However we have agreements in place with various studios that give us preferential rates. In time it's certainly something we will be obtaining!

Are you still looking to add talent to your roster and if so which genres are you interested in?

We are always looking for talented artists of almost any genre (we don't currently support metal). If an artist wishes to contact us there are full details on our website www.reddragonrecord.com

How long have you been working in the music industry?

I myself have only been working in the music industry for 6 months. However there are always similarities in any business, typically, find a product, establish a market, sell the product. Instead of technology in this case it's music

What would you say has changed the most in the industry since Red Dragon Record's started business?

We have been in business for such a short time that not much has had a chance to change. However i've always loved music and have watched the internet slowly remove the power of the big labels and place it firmly in the hands of the artists and given the opportunity for labels such as ourselves to exist.

Which of your artists have been the most successful?

Let's Go Safari at the moment are our most successful. However, as we are new we are just building our portfolio up and expect to see all our bands grow as we do.

What do you think is the most valuable talent to have in this industry?

Most business's, but particularly the music industry is all about networking. If you are convinced you can do everything yourself and ignore the plethora of talented people you come across during your venture you are doomed to failure. We work with a very large number of very talented people to let others know that we exist. Which is after all, all the music business is about; letting people know you exist! There are always methods and services that can be swapped between parties for mutual benefit thus resulting in a successful working partnership and potentially more exposure for you.

Links
www.facebook.com/reddragonrecordsltd
www.RedDragonRecords.com