Little Labels: Dreaming of musical gold

• Share

(2 of 2)

The small firms scrimp every way possible. For example, they avoid long, self-indulgent recording sessions. Says Folk Singer John Stewart: "Before I step into the studio, I know every note I'm going to play." Husker Du, a trio on California's SST label, recorded a two-disk punk masterpiece in just 45 hours. Artists on small labels also go without such freebies as drinks and buffets, which have become staples at some music firms. Refreshments at Twin/ Tone Records in Minneapolis, for example, are limited to an occasional twelve- pack of beer.

Since the little diskeries usually cannot afford to buy proven talent, they often recruit unknowns and has-beens. When Don Tolle of Atlanta started his Noble Vision country-music label in 1979, he had no artists. He tracked down Jim Glaser, a once successful singer who had grown fat and unhappy playing in motel bars. After finding a financial backer, Hal Oven, they recorded an old song of Glaser's and turned it into a hit by making phone calls to 1,100 radio stations. That led to an album, The Man in the Mirror, which has stayed on the country charts for 67 weeks, a smash by any measure.