Touch & Go Magazine - July 05

Why did you decide to start your own record label?
I guess the reason’s two-fold: we were sick of having to always order records from overseas, and we wanted to help spread the word about great pop music here in Australia. There’s so much amazing pop music being made in bedrooms and garages around the world but only a tiny chunk of it makes it down to Australia.
I was also starting to get sick of hearing myself say, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to have a label so we could put out this album?”. I didn’t want to become one of those people that’s all talk and no action, so last Christmas we just decided to go for it and see what happened.

Was it easy?
It’s easy to say, “I’ve started a record label” and exist in name only, but we really wanted to make sure we did it properly. That meant purchasing a domain name, designing a decent website and sitting down to plan exactly how we wanted Book Club to operate. Sure, we run the label from home in our spare time, but we do try and do things professionally. Yes, we actually have meetings and I even take minutes! We also have expense tables, elaborate stock sheets and a detailed history of every order we’ve filled!
Neither of us have done anything like this before, so we’re still learning as we’re going. In the early days, we talked to as many people as we could who had done similar things so we could get an idea about what traps to avoid. So far, so good!
It is a big commitment if you want to do it properly. You can’t just decide to have a few days off and not answer emails, or get lazy and not keep track of how much you spent on padded bags last week. Those things are important! Honest!

How did you approach the bands that are distributed through your label?
It’s as simple as sending an email and letting the bands know how much we like their music and of our plans to help them have it heard in Australia. Usually there’s not an issue. After all, it’s great exposure for international acts in a country where they’ve previously received no attention. Even if we only sell three of their records, that’s three people in Australia who didn’t own it before. And those three will tell their friends, who’ll tell their friends… you get the idea!
We also deal a lot with other labels. With many of them, we basically get to browse their catalogue and choose which records we’d like to sell via Book Club. That’s always fun!

What are the long term goals of Book Club Records?
I guess I’d love it if Book Club could earn a reputation as a label with exquisite taste.
Some labels put out a new record and I don’t even have to hear a note and I’m reaching for my wallet. I just know it’s going to be good because of their track record. To that end, it’s important for us to be somewhat picky with the music we choose/agree to stock. We don’t want ordering a record from Book Club to be like a lucky dip.
Also, we’re predominantly a mail-order distributor at the moment, which means we make other labels’ music available through our store. Soon, however, we’ll be issuing some of our own releases and that’s really exciting.
Our wildest dreams, however, centre on a place we like to call PopMart. We envisage a record store, board games and pinball parlour, theatrette and a tea and baked goods stall all under the one roof. Know any sugar daddies?

Do you think the indie/pop scene is thriving in Brisbane?
If I was really cynical I’d say, “What scene?”, but we’ve been shown enough support to know there really are people out there who appreciate pop music. It is tough, however, to reach beyond the 50 or so regular gig-goers and convince those people that Steve Albini isn’t the be all and end all of music. There are some wonderful pop bands in Brisbane, but they are sadly few and far between. I often wonder why the city that spawned The Go-Betweens and Custard doesn’t have a healthier pop scene. Give us time though…

What Brisbane bands are involved?
At the moment, we stock records from Delpino and Cunningham, but we issued a compilation in March 2005 (Pop, Scissors, Paper) featuring nine Brisbane bands, including The Golden Circles, The Zebras, Arbuckle, Greg Brady, Special Branch, Sun Hill and Screamfeeder. We thought it would be a good introduction to the Brisbane pop scene and an equally good way to herald the arrival of Book Club.
We’re also working on a series of split EPs featuring songwriters we really like and admire. The idea is to take songwriters who normally play in bands and record them in stripped-back, solo mode. The first release will feature Ross Hope (Iron On) and Ben Thompson (The Rational Academy), while Kate Cooper (Iron On) and Meredith McHugh (The Rational Academy) will be the next pair to take the plunge. We’re going to present these EPs as hand-numbered, limited edition pressings in elaborate packaging.

Why did you call it Book Club Records?
It was Christmas 2004 and Vic and I were sitting around the lounge room throwing all sorts of names around. The longer we tried to think of one, the sillier they became. Then I looked at the book case and just blurted out “Book Club Records”. We thought, “Hey, that’s pretty cool” and it stuck. I know, it’s not a very exciting story… For a while there, it was almost called Eight Legs, Six Legs.

Anything cool coming up? What happens at your board games afternoons?
Every month we host a board games and pop music afternoon down at The Alibi Room in New Farm. We listen to pop music and we play Scrabble, Monopoly, Operation, Cluedo and anything else we can get our hands on. It’s a pretty relaxing way to spend the afternoon and it’s always a lot of fun! It happens on the first Sunday of every month.