Below we have compiled our guiding thoughts for the label as they stand today (they are always in flux as we live and learn) and our approach to some key topics in the label process. This is to ensure that both ASIP and Artists have a mutual understanding when moving forward with a label relationship.

10 guiding thoughts for the label:

  1. We are music fans and listeners first. The music comes before any other agenda.

  2. We aim to explore the many facets of ambient and electronic music we enjoy, to complete an imaginary, endless library of music that changes course often and can rarely be pinpointed by style, and only in sound. Our only descriptor so far to help guide is “ambient adjacent”.

  3. We believe in Curation and trust in a greater whole. We aim to be a collective - not individuals or trends.

  4. Success is to be referenced as releasing consistent, defining, iconic music, not numbers, press coverage or our own careers.

  5. We work with artists who want to succeed through a relationship, not a transaction. When money isn’t the driver, both our valued time and effort is the primary concern.

  6. We are not a set of label tools to be used as a promotional stepping stone. We are in it for the long haul and enable artists to stand shoulder to shoulder with like-minded artists old and new.

  7. Physical artifacts will always drive our ambition - a tangible expression and experience to convey concepts and ideas where possible.

  8. We encourage album concepts, explorations into new territories, and unexpected partnerships.

  9. Our visual aesthetic has boundaries so that creativity is challenged one step further.

  10. Time and quantity are irrelevant when quality is what we are remembered by.

Updated January 2022

Approach to key topics / FAQs:

Contracts
We have established a standard contract that aims to make everything clear for both parties. Sure, there’s some legal language but we are extremely flexible on any specific terms and aim to put a contract in place to make you feel like we are keeping our side of the bargain. This must be signed prior to pre-masters being sent for mastering.

Mastering approach
We work with a couple of choice mastering engineers who we will always default to, after years of establishing expectations and good working relationships. Who is used, depends on the style of music and the cut difficulty as some mastering engineers also cut the lacquer (needed for difficult/ tricky cuts). Some mastering engineers provide the files direct for the plant to cut the lacquer. Both have implications, pros, and cons so if you have a preference for mastering engineers, this conversation should happen upfront, as once this ball starts rolling it’s hard to go back. We will recommend an engineer based on your sound and ambition but are open to new suggestions or personal preferences.

Artwork approach
We have a pool of artists who we have worked with in the past, who offer very specific styles, but we are also open to new artists as long as they can work within the ASIP aesthetic. Art is just as important to us as music, and we wish to push boundaries and expectations each time. So whilst we stick to a clear design template (white framing as a priority and then a colored framing if suiting the concept) we try push how it is used every time. If you have specific ideas or concepts for the art, please communicate this in as much detail as possible, so we can then recommend a designer/artist, or collaborate on something new.

Press and PR approach
After years of trying different ways to approach the press game, we are set on doing our own press. We do not pay for press campaigns, as we simply have not seen the return in any way. Maybe, we ned to be bigger, or pump a lot of money into it, but those options do not yet exist. We, therefore, do our own press, using contacts we have established over the years where mutual trust is established and the music comes first, not the $. This means we cannot guarantee you coverage or premieres or reviews, but in our opinion, these should not be the goal of a release with us (see above guiding thoughts). We have worked hard to build a community directly with the label which can often make up for the need for press outreach.

We do, however, offer our sister platform 9128.live where we host album premieres and live shows, which can be very rewarding for our community of artists.

Release timings
We tend not to offer a release date until test presses are approved. Lots can go wrong before this stage, and delays can happen, which impacts us as a label in many ways. Therefore, we do not promise release dates until this stage.

Our typical release cycle is short. We will often announce an album on Bandcamp with preorder options (and preorder available at our distributors, Juno and One Eye Witness), and then follow with full release 2 weeks later (which includes streaming platforms). Sometimes we will extend this window to 3-4 weeks. This gives us a shorter period than what some are used to, to send out the press/PR for the release, but we believe good music will be covered at some point, irrespective of time, and click bait news items copying the press release are usually of no help (from our experience).

Test pressings
I will approve test pressings unless you specifically ask upfront to be a part of this process. If you do, then further time and cost will need to be considered with potential delays. I like to think our track record for quality has been upheld over the years, so I hope you entrust me to make this important decision.

Pricing
Our digital albums are priced at $10 and EP’s / mini-albums can be lower depending on the length - in general, we tend to ask for $1 per track to work this out, unless tracks are extended, etc. Our vinyl album pricing is always being considered as we are always working with different stages of suppliers and sudden price hikes. Right now, we try and set 2LPs at $30 and 12”s at $20, but this may soon unfortunately increase. CDs are often priced at $10-15 depending on the type of packaging.

Our label Bandcamp setup
We have our Bandcamp set up as an “artist”, not a “label”. This means, your release will only live under the ASIP Bandcamp, and will not show on your own Bandcamp artist page, should you have one. This is not a specific decision we have made, but more an effect of establishing the label on Bandcamp over 10 years ago this way and it becoming a very big thing to “undo”. We can theoretically change it to a label account, and we are always considering the impacts of it, and may still do this one day. But for now, there are implications to this decision that affect the back-end of the account more than the web experience you see. For example, collaboration albums would not appear on an artist page (of which we have many).

Releasing your ASIP album on your own Bandcamp page
99% of our artists are happy with our setup as above, but some will ask to upload their release to their own Bandcamp page. Overall, we think that having one instance of an album online is the best experience, for pointing traffic, focusing comments and feedback etc. (It doesnt look great when an album has no supporters which often happens with one instance when you split them into two). However, if you feel strongly you wish to release the album on your own Bandcamp page then we are happy to have this discussion. At the very least, however, this cannot happen until all costs are recouped by the label and a significant period has passed.

Royalties and payments
The details for how we propose royalties and payments are included in the contract, however in general we work on a 50/50 split after costs have been recouped. We can offer advances depending on each situation.

We complete our accounting every January and July, which means we will be in contact soon after each of those months with your latest statement and payment.