KFM Records is one of Edinburgh finest labels. It's eclectic catalog, covering indie, hip-hop, electronica and post rock, has been wooing fans and the industry, for the last 8 years. The label was founded and is run by by Scott MacDonald, musician, property developer and former world BMX Champion. We caught up with Scott for a wee chat about music, The Simpson and the death of the record label.
Question: How did you start KFM Records, and why?
Answer: Having been involved with the music scene in Edinburgh, and from playing in bands, I noticed, in around 2000, that the industry was changing - labels were cutting back on their signings and the big players were become more cautious - partly as a backlash against the excess of the Britpop years and partly because the internet was changing the industry. I was surrounded by lots of band that were making great music and no one was releasing it so I decided to start a label.
It's easy to start a label - you just have to say “I'm a record label”! The hardest part is getting distribution to get your records in the shops. We managed to get distribution using Toaster, a band who had just been dropped by Creation after they'd spent 10's of thousands of pounds recording their album. I said I'd put it out and had that album to shop around the distributors. The label took off when we signed David Jack - we funded his record with the sale of a rare Boards of Canada 12” which I sold for $1500. We pressed the record, John peel loved it and played it loads (David Jack was his most played artist that year) and KFM was established as a label.
Q: And the name?
That came from an episode of The Simpsons where Burns has a troop of Knife Fighting monkeys on his boat.
Q: What would you do differently if you were setting up KFM records today?
I wouldn't do anything differently because the label's not in any debt, so even though the industry is in a bad way, CD sales are down and digital sales are non existent, we're still going because I've always been careful with costs, and always made sure I've always got value for money.
Q: You're a musician as well as running a record label - how do you think that has affected the way you run KFM?
I think it gives me empathy with the musicians on the label and I can see things from their point of view. A lot of labels view musicians as a commodity, where as we are very musician orientated and leave the creative side to the musicians. As a musician myself I can appreciate that that is important.
Q: How do you decide which bands to work with?
They have to make music that I genuinely think is great and that I think people will want to hear.
Q: You've recently signed a licensing deal with Mush in the States. How did that come about?
I first met a chap called Matt Alsberg when he was playing bass for Boom Bip, we got on really well and I put out his solo project (Antimc) in the UK. He also works for Mush records and passed on our catalogue to the guys in the office, who loved The Magnificents.
Q: Some of the bands on KFM have signed publishing deals with Nettwerk. Would you advise bands to try and get a publishing deal, or is a record deal more important?
In this day and age a record deal is almost completely unimportant because a band can do it all themselves. Less and less people are buying CDs, and labels get very little, if any, money from downloads. Labels are less likely to splash out money on new bands, when they see their possible returns diminish. But there's more ways of making money from publishing, there's more media wanting to use music - TV shows, internet sites, radio stations etc.. A publishing company can do everything that a record label can do in terms of promotion and since the publishing company potentially has more steams of income they're more likely to invest in a bands career.
Q: Do you think there is a future for independent record labels?
I think the definition of what a record label is and does is changing. Music is becoming cheaper and cheaper so everyone is having to move to a different business model. Record labels will become more of a management company, with music being available free or very cheap and the 'label' getting a cut of the other money made by the band - merchandise, touring, publishing income etc
Q: What advice would you give someone starting their own label?
Start a publishing company! And remember putting out records is good for the soul not for the pocket.
Q: What's next for KFM?
The début album from Iglomat, the new project from David Jack, is out worldwide in June (this album was co-written by and features Scott, being modest something he didn't want it mentioned, but I thought we should...). KFM are also working on the début album by Victoria Berg and the Blindfolded Man - Victoria Berg, an amazing vocalist, has been recording with Stephen from The Magnificents. Our new website, KFM Records.com, is now up and running.
