SCOTT THOMAS OF JAKE RECORDS (February 2011) | Interview By: Rud

..........................................................................................

Interview was done in February 2011

Questions Asked By: Rud

.............................................................................................
Dubcnn Exclusive – Jake Records Founder & CEO Scott Thomas


.............................................................................................

Dubcnn: With Jake Records entering its fourth year, its probably best to take it back first to the beginning. How was Jake Records born?

My background prior to this was mainly in the radio business. I'd been an on-air personality, producer, and a radio station program director. Later on I co-founded a national radio network. In radio you have a lot of exposure to the music business and dealing with record labels. I'd dabbled in helping some artists promote, and sort of kicked off an experiment in 2005 called Indie Disc to test the waters. That was so successful that it really got me thinking. A lot of people found success off the back of that one project. Finally in 2008, the circumstances seemed right to kick off a new and modern record label. The first artist on the label, Jiggy, was someone I'd worked with on the Indie Disc project and it all kind of snowballed from there.


Dubcnn: You also released a Digital Underground album in 2008. How did that happen, and what did it mean for the label?

I've been a d.u. fan since I was a kid (sorry mom) and have had some dealings with Shock G way back in the day. He was putting the final studio touches on the d.u. album right about the same time the label was really establishing itself and getting organized. It made sense to both of us, I had a label, he had an album. I knew the history of the d.u. discography and how the last few releases fell apart as labels bankrupted right as they were happening, so I wanted to give it the full push and make sure that the album not only got out to the masses, but that it stayed out there. As far as what it meant to the label, it was a huge break. It showed people that were weren't some scrappy group of guys who would sign anyone and release a ton of music just to say we did or that we could, but instead a legit label that was ready to take on projects from established acts as well.


Dubcnn: There are some artists no longer with the label, is there some bad blood out there?

I don't think there's bad blood so much as a natural churning of relationships. Some relationships didn't work out or meet expectations, probably on both sides of the fence. For our part, we bit off a lot in the early days and I think there were some lessons for us to learn in that. We came in with a boom, but it meant a fractured focus. We needed to be a little more together to handle as many projects at once as we were attempting. While we had some parts of the puzzle in place and we considered ourselves ready for that huge workload, the truth is that we had a few parts still missing, too. I'm proud of the artists that we've worked with who are no longer with us, and wish them nothing but love and success. I would hope they feel the same way. Some of it was about clashing personalities too, when you get a lot of "A" types in a room together, there are bound to be some mishaps and disagreements. Those kinds of bumps in the road are what help a business to mature and develop into something more mature and viable, and I think that's where we're at now.


Dubcnn: What has been the greatest lesson learned along the way, so far, then?

I think above all else its establishing a clear vision and goal and staying at it until you get there, then establishing a new goal, and keep moving forward. If the people working for, or with, the label don't have a clear enough picture of what you're trying to do, its too easy to get down the wrong path. The more time you spend on the wrong path, the longer it will take to meet your goals... so we've laid out a real clear vision on what this label is trying to be and what our goals are along the way. Now, we're operating a much smoother machine, and everyone involved knows what we're trying to accomplish.


Dubcnn: What has been your favorite release in those first three years?

Ooh, its kind of like asking a mom which kid is her favorite... ha ha. But really, I think it would be the December 2008 compilation album "Westside Bugg Presents... The Best Of The West" which featured an all-star left-coast cast with artists like Kurupt, Bishop Lamont, Numskull and Digital Underground, but also new comers like No One, Westside Bugg, Minks, and Macklemore. And then to really mix it up, we brought back some names that you hadn't heard from in a long time like The Conscious Daughters, DTTX (from Lighter Shade of Brown), and Saafir. The album was born from a real pure place, we wanted to help establish Westside Bugg's profile and help get his name out as he was in the lab working on his new album. He'd been in the background for a few years at that point, and so we rallied the troops to support him. It wound up being a huge promotional piece for Jake Records and once again kind of showed people what we're capable of. Even though its two years old now, I just listened to it top to bottom a few nights ago and marveled at how it slaps like a 2011 piece in many ways. Love that!


Dubcnn: Okay, so that's the past. What about the future? Where is Jake Records going from here?

Well like I said earlier, we're more focused now. We have fewer projects, but way more focus and drive to make them work. BINC just dropped his debut album in January and that's been doing pretty good. As a new artist we think he's in a good position to keep moving up from where he was to where he is now. We have a new special series debuting soon called Unsigned Grind, where we're working with unsigned artists from all over the country to help them get some exposure and start, or build on, their journey through the business. Its almost a rehash of the Indie Disc project from 2005, but strictly with an Urban focus. We plan to release 2-3 volumes in that series a year. And the final touches on the Westside Bugg album are happening right now. The release date for that hasn't been set yet, but Summer 2011 is a safe range to be looking for it. It has taken years to come together, but that's because Bugg is the ultimate perfectionist. He went all Detox on us and kept making changes, and improvements, but the album continually got better and better as time passed, so we all went with it. When it finally hits, it will be an instant West Coast classic. Can't wait for that.


Dubcnn: Where do you see the label a few more years down the road?

I think if we can have an amazing fourth year, then we'll have teed ourselves up to have an even more incredible fifth year. All along we've been growing and building this business, and I think as long as we keep focused on doing that we'll evolve into a more and more serious contender. I think you'll slowly see the roster grow. And there are some international ambitions at play that I can't really speak on just yet, but I think you'll see Jake Records start to bubble and pop up in places that we're not bubbling yet, to put it lightly.


Dubcnn: Are you going to stay fully independent, or do you see a major label deal in the cards?

I get asked this a lot actually. The truth is that we've already turned down one major label offer and will continue to turn them down as long as those offers come with weird strings attached. If we're going to partner up with a larger label its because they fully believe in what we're doing and can elevate that. Offers that allow for cherry-picking which projects to back only sets us up for failure. So some of our artists will get this major label shine and push, and the others are left to fend for themselves? I can't run a company like that, and I'm shocked they'd even offer such an arrangement, you know? So really, independent feels good to us. We're nimble, can make changes and course-corrections on-the-fly and are free to grow our business as we see fit. Once you sign one of those deals you have to be all-in. But, so that it has been said out loud... if the right offer did come along, we'd be all ears.


Dubcnn: Are there any other big name projects on the horizon for Jake Records?

We're talking to some heavyweights on a regular basis, working out ideas and waiting for the right time to make something happen. When the right project is in front of us at the right time, and everyone is on the same page, we'll pull the trigger and wow everyone with something special and unique. There are many ongoing conversations. We want anything like that to be seen on its own merits, almost as an event, because to us, it really is special when you get to create with some of the best-known people in the business. So I'm clear, we're open to talk with anyone who's out there looking for an outlet... get at us. We're down to talk, listen, and stew on whatever is shakin' and see what may be a fit for our situation. Great music has a way of rising to the top here at Jake Records.


Dubcnn: Anything you want to add to all this?

First, thanks for the opportunity to sit back and reflect a little. We're so busy pushing forward that we don't often look back, at least not often enough. More than anything I just want to tell everyone to keep grinding and pushing. This industry is so full of haters, naysayers, assholes, and do-nothings... its easy to get caught up in a negative cycle. If you believe in yourself and what you're doing, nobody else matters. Say that out loud with me one time, its empowering: NOBODY ELSE MATTERS! One day, when the clouds line up and all else is good in the world, you are going to get your shot. It may be with Jake Records, it may be something or somewhere else entirely, but never stop. Music is life. If you've been given the gift of music in your life, never take it for granted. Do you!

Advertisement

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................