For those of you who don’t know yet, RCRD LBL is this friggin’ amazing site where you can go and download tunes from labels like Dim Mak, for free. I pitched a story on them to URB and they bit so then I went to RCRD LBL to see if I could get an interview to supplement my piece. One of the owners actually TURNED ME DOWN because they said they had enough press regarding the business model and wanted to focus on the artists. I was left frustrated, since I know the URB reader base would be the ideal person to frequent the RCRD LBL site and I had planned to include talk regarding the type of music they featured. Not only that, but their business model is so innovative that frankly, I don’t see a way to write about their company without addressing it.
In any case, after I went back to them to argue my case, they are now giving my request a second thought. I really hope they say yes… So while I wait, below is the pitch I sent to URB regarding RCRD LBL and it should give you a taste of what they’re about. Download goodies included below.
————————————————-
RCRD LBL is the online record label founded by Peter Rojas (Gizmodo and Engadget) and Josh Deutsch (Downtown Records). What makes this label different from other digital ventures is that every song offered by RCRD LBL can be downloaded…for free.
Gone are the days of worrying if the RIAA will handcuff rogue downloaders of Modest Mouse and Justice. Instead of other labels who scorned the budding blog phenomenon, RCRD LBL recognized their impact and adopted the format to fit their needs.
Chock full of indie artists like Spank Rock and New Young Pony Club, RCRD LBL is a hipster’s wet dream. The songs are available for download in a DRM-free, 192 Kbps MP3 format, and there are numerous widgets that allow users to track playlists, photos and their favorite artist’s tour dates.
Of course, the underlying question remains. How does RCRD LBL manage to do all this for the user without asking for a penny in return? Simple. Big-budget advertisers like Virgin offset the costs of running the site and paying the artists anywhere between $500- $5,000 per release. Sure, it might take a couple clicks through a Nikon ad to get to your download, but what a sweet, guilt-free trip it is.
Exclusive RCRD LBL Downloads:
(Sorry, no streams. RCRD LBL requests that their songs not be reposted anywhere).
