As you'll know by now, some of my favourite bands are signed
to'25 records', so I thought I'd introduce you to the God of indie
music; the man behind '25 Records', Mr Mark Rigler....
'25 Records' is a Poole based label, which specialise in getting
the finest unsigned indie bands heard.
Run
by Mark Rigler,'25 Records' began after Mark had been working in
studios recording songs for several years, and got fed up of no
one hearing them. He was frustrated at the fact that many of the
bands he worked with were awful at promoting themselves. So, as
a favour to a mate, he released a single as a one-off project. little
did he know what was to come!He's now put tracks out by over 100
bands, and is still scouring the country for even more top new bands
to sign to '25 records'...here's an insight into the mind of indie
supremo, Mark Rigler...
So who works at '25 Records'?
*Well, I,m supposed to run it, but I get to do all the nice jobs
like kitchen, being nice to the bank manager and answering the phone.
And I've got my little team of helpers! There's Angie, who's back
in the USA, but is still on the case via the Internet, Anna and
Big (Gay) Al do things such as listen to demos, and Maggi does some
word processing on her ancient 386!
How does '25 Records' work?
Well, unfortunately, it isn't a big money enterprise... I wish!
We only just about break even,so we all have other jobs to pay the
bills, which is why the office phone never seems to be answered;
we are all at work! They say are reward will be in heaven! We get
loads of demos sent to us by bands, and if we see a band we like,
we'll contact them, tell them about ourselves, they tell us what
they want, and 9 times out of 10, things go ahead from there.
What was the first release on '25 Records'?
Red Ash and the Love Commandos single.
What kind of music do you like yourself?
I am into so many different types of music; a lot more pop than
you'd think! My mates would say 'hes into chick-rock'.
What's your fave ever indie label?
Stiff fingers were cool.
What do you think of bigger major labels?
I respect the people that I know who work for them, but unfortunately,
their hands are often tied by their own internal systems.
How do you regard the music press, such as NME, Melody Maker
and Select?
One mans meat is another's poison;often they hype the wrong bands,
and they only publicise those who can afford to advertise
So
you like fanzines then?
Yeah, fanzines are fantastic! They can break an unsigned band,
and are all part of the indie culture. What's your favourite record
of all time? Teenage kicks' by Undertones.
They say that the best bands are still unsigned, do you agree?
Maybe; I dunno. There are a lot of great bands out there who
are unsigned, and will never make it, which is a shame. But I've
got some bands signed to my label; some of my favourite bands only
sell a handful of copies...
Have you ever rejected a band who later made it big? Sort
of; Bis were offered a place on a single ages ago but they turned
it down...
Three men had a very late night drinking Guiness. They left
in the early morning hours and went home separately. They
met the next day for an early pint, and compared notes about
who was drunker.
The first guy claims that he was the drunkest, saying, "I
drove straight home, walked into the house, and as soon as
I got through the door, I blew chunks."
To which the second guy replied, "You think that was drunk?
I got in my car, drove out of the parking lot, and wrapped
my car around the first tree I saw. I don't even have insurance!"
And the third proclaimed, "I was by far the most drunk.
I got home, got in a big fight with my wife, knocked a candle
over and burned the whole house down!"
There was silence for a moment and then the first guy exclaimed,
"Listen, guys, I don't think you understand... Chunks is my
dog."
Run
by Mark Rigler,'25 Records' began after Mark had been working in
studios recording songs for several years, and got fed up of no
one hearing them. He was frustrated at the fact that many of the
bands he worked with were awful at promoting themselves. So, as
a favour to a mate, he released a single as a one-off project. little
did he know what was to come!He's now put tracks out by over 100
bands, and is still scouring the country for even more top new bands
to sign to '25 records'...here's an insight into the mind of indie
supremo, Mark Rigler...
Well, unfortunately, it isn't a big money enterprise... I wish!
We only just about break even,so we all have other jobs to pay the
bills, which is why the office phone never seems to be answered;
we are all at work! They say are reward will be in heaven! We get
loads of demos sent to us by bands, and if we see a band we like,
we'll contact them, tell them about ourselves, they tell us what
they want, and 9 times out of 10, things go ahead from there. 
So
you like fanzines then?