Cyclone Records is very different from other labels in exactly the kind of ways a label should be different. It's an all encompassing entity that has helped the bands on it's roster achieve more exposure, gain a wider fanbase, and continue to grow as artists. This label is different because in a situation where a band already has an indie record out, Cyclone handles more than basic promotion. Albums are re-released digitally, songs are up on iTunes, a song is used on a label comp disc (which then is sent off to radio), and all the other things that are always on the to-do list but don't always get done are handled by Brad as well. Photography, graphic design, cd replication, DVD creation, even promo gear and band security. Brad explains all this and a little more in an email interview we did in mid-April.
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Brad Trew
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The label itself was created in April of '05 by Brad Trew, and is now run with Nadine Adam and Martin McNeilly. Brad knew Nadine before he started Cyclone so, says Brad, 'it was just natural that her talent be part of the compilations I was working on. We went into Alchemy Recording Studio in Calgary and laid down the track 'Just Break Me' which has to be heard to be fully appreciated.'
'In fact,' he adds, 'I have just remastered her track for inclusion on the yearbook release 'Storm Warning: Vol.1' which is a collection of songs from releases during Cyclone's first year of operation.' The first year was a difficult one, and a lot of lessons were learned the hard way. 'One thing I learned very early on is that I can't do everything myself,' explains Brad, 'Nadine is 22 and has a very good grasp of what's what these days. She has been a huge supporter of mine and a great friend and I couldn't have achieved all I have without her being there to lean on during some of those early struggles.'
Recently added to the Cyclone crew is Calgary's Martin McNeilly, manager of local metal band Halo and promoter for a local metal venue called The Underground. 'With having started operations in Alberta (before relocating to Ontario) and developing a large portion of the roster there, I needed someone to represent local interests there and to keep their ear to the ground. Martin kindly offered his assistance and was a natural choice.' And so rounds out the team of three that work to help support the independent artists.
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Brad on lessons learned
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'One thing I learned very early on is that I can't do everything myself.'
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Each element of Cyclone adds to the overall functionality of the label. Professional photos of the band is usually an undertaking that is put off for fear of being ripped off, or really just out of uneasiness about who to trust to make the band look good. Photography is one of the in-house services Cyclone offers, all done by Brad. It's been a part of his life since high school, 'I am a very visual person. I'm always looking at how things interact and contrast visually wherever I am. Movies are the ultimate eye candy for me. I caught the photography bug when I was in high school and learned all the boring basics like f-stops, ISO and shutter speeds,' begins Brad. 'With digital photography, I've been able to experiment a lot more from the photography side, plus the post production/graphic manipulation side of things. Nearly all photos I take undergo some type of digital manipulation to alter or correct colour, contrast, saturation, add/remove components, etc.' So it's a natural progression for Brad to be snapping shots of the bands he works with, explains Brad, 'I have done photo shoots for Blind Army, Creature Republic and Nadine Adam. Examples are up on the Cyclone website. I also helped Six Pack Jacket with their cover photography, provided images for The Heart of Alberta compilation and the On the Verge compilation.'
We'll deviate a little from the photos taken for Cyclone to add that Brad's shots have been published in two books by the International Library of Photography. He's been all over the place taking photos over the years, (throughout the US, Mexico, and all over Canada), and he submitted some photos to a photography contest on picture.com, explains Brad, 'Two of the photos were selected and were published in the books 'Endless Journeys' and 'Dawn's Frontier' by the International Library of Photography.' Though he adds, 'I am most proud of the photo shoots that I've done for the Cyclone artists though, I think because the subjects are people whereas my personal photography has always been places and things.'
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Shifting focus back to Cyclone and another related part of the services involved, graphic design is one of those things that can be done in-house, or a band can choose to go with outside help. 'Some bands will submit work from a graphic designer of their choice. Beyond that, I do the graphic design work myself. It was borne out of my creative nature and I've always done some type of graphic design work wherever I've worked, even if it meant doing awareness posters or a company newsletter,' says Brad. And with this passion and knack for creating visuals, it's not exactly a leap for Brad to apply this passion and knowledge to Cyclone. Explains Brad, 'It was only natural that I would use my interest in graphic design when working on Cyclone projects since a large part of releasing CDs is the visual aspect or promoting the material. Having these abilities allows me to have a more hands-on approach for all the projects we work on so that I know that the finished project will be as good as it can be. I also designed my website from scratch after many painstaking hours of learning HTML code first.' This is a running theme you'll notice, Brad being hands on and independent about everything he does.
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So being as hands on as he is about everything, he is actively seeking out new bands to work with all the time, and a great deal of that seeking out has involved the internet in one way or another. I asked Brad how he felt the internet has changed the way projects like Cyclone do business. He replied, 'the internet breaks down borders on both the selection process, the promotion and the distribution process. I can now work with bands from places other than my own backyard. Twenty years ago, the possibility or logistics of sourcing out bands from other cities, countries or continents was impossible. The internet has become a conduit into other communities so I can now research and find bands, venues, media outlets, anything I need and even get feedback from within those communities before making decisions.'
'The internet allows bands to promote themselves through sites like MySpace, NewMusicCanada, PureVolume, theSoundRadio, on and on, and have creative control as to how they are presented. This can be good or bad depending on a bands marketing skills because as more and more bands jump on the band wagon, some will stand out more than others. The savvy bands with a good business sense can make their careers by using the internet as a resource. A great example of this is Inner Surge who work diligently on promoting themselves daily to dozens of websites around the world.'
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Brad on the internet as a promo tool...
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'The internet breaks down borders on both the selection process, the promotion and the distribution process. I can now work with bands from places other than my own backyard.'
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Knowing a good thing when he sees it, Brad has made sure to be not just involved in the world of marketing music online, I think jumping in with both feet is a better description. He's set up something of a digital distro branch to the label, in that Cyclone Records tunes are available for download at 12 + different online tunes shops (like emusic, iTunes, Ruckus, musicnet, etc). Brad on why he set this up, 'I have always strived to stay on the leading edge of technology. With the inevitable explosion of download purchases over the next couple of years (i.e. iTunes next billionth download), I wanted to position the label to be able to take advantage of the opportunities this will give bands and be firmly established before the big rush. I signed the distro deal in August 2005.' And this isn't about bandwagon jumping, all the moves Brad makes are calculated, he explains, 'it was a very conscious effort to choose digital distro over the long standing 'bricks and mortar' type distro. The reasons for this were simple: cost and scope. Like I've mentioned before, the internet has broken the borders and created the global village. With physical distribution, you first have the additional costs to press a huge number of CDs to stock shelves in chain stores across whatever geography you want to support, then you need to promote in each of those markets to bring people in to buy the CDs, plus you have the time and costs of monitoring sales, replenishing inventories and physically moving the CDs to those locations. None of these efforts guarantee that the disc will sell. With digital distro, the scope is worldwide with no additional costs. If you develop a fan base in Germany, such as Inner Surge has done, you can support the needs of those fans as easily as you can in your own hometown. And bands earn revenue with each and every download.'
So while it's clear that there are huge benefits to this, I still had to ask why a band that already has their songs available for free download or listening, on a site like MySpace or PureVolume, should release their tracks on an online tunes shop. Not only did Brad respond, he explained it in such a way that I've not seen it explained before - behold, 'A band having their music on a site like iTunes legitimizes it. It says, 'look at me, I'm here beside the best of the best there is, have a listen.' It also addresses the trend of fans moving away from full album releases and cherry picking only the songs they like. Some labels have been resistant to this trend and I disagree with them. They feel that not having the songs available for download encourages hard copy sales. If someone wants a particular song, they'll get it. Canada suffers from the highest occurrence of illegal downloads on the planet. Making downloadable music available legally gives fans a better option.' And then there's always the issue of the blowout indie band that sees a tremendous fan base and though accolades are nice, Brad explains that these bands often get the short end of the stick, 'One artist on my roster had a song available for free download and, in a year, saw 20,000 downloads. That's a lot of lost revenue. I'm not completely adverse to free downloads as it gives people an opportunity to check out your music but places like iTunes or Napster are my preference because you can hear a sample of the song and, if you like it, you can buy it. Sites like MySpace.com or PureVolume.com, while being great for exposure, I think actually decrease sales because the music is readily available for an unlimited number of listens without ever taking the fan to the next level and committing their support of the music through a download or CD purchase.'
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And anyway, adds Brad, 'downloading songs through places like iTunes is a perfect compliment for the podcast phenomenon as well. For those that haven't explored the podcast realm, I suggest you do. This year has been called the year of the podcast. What it is essentially is a radio broadcast that can be downloaded and played either by your computer or iPod/Mp3 player. Its the next generation of radio with the exception that all the music played is independent, you are notified via email whenever your track is played and you never have to miss a show. In less than 8 weeks, songs from the Cyclone catalogue have been played over 100 times on podcasts around the world. A great example of this in action is Creature Republic. They were immediately picked up by a podcast called The Little Show with radio veteran Scott St. John. Scott liked their music so much that he bought their entire CD through iTunes and has had them in regular rotation ever since. They have also been honoured with providing the show opener (along with Cyclone artist Pitch Union) through an edited version of a currently unreleased song and voice-overs by lead singer Alicia Hoogveld. We have also seen a spike in purchases through iTunes US store and Napster since first being broadcast through podcasts.' Virus loves the concept and execution of podcasting, so I wholeheartedly agree. Between sending me his responses and me writing this article, Brad has been approached by a popular podcast to use a Gunthar track as a show opener, this is the perfect example of the kind of exposure you can gain through podcasts, this one in particular that wants to use the Gunthar tune has about 50,000 listeners every week!
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Brad on the bands supplying their own recording for the comps...
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'...bands supply their own recording for a number of reasons. Firstly, my decision to work with a particular band is based on how they come across on record since that is the final product. Secondly, and more importantly, it leaves creative control in the hands of the bands themselves, they are free to make the statement they set out to make through their choice of studio, engineer and producer.'
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Keeping in the theme of gaining exposure and not having to suffer or go broke in the process, we'’ll turn our attention to the Cyclone compilation CDs. Cyclone really stands out for that, other labels do comps, there's no doubt about that, but Cyclone starts a band out with a spot on a label comp to get the name and sound out while also getting the name and sound out of the other 10 + acts on the disc. The previously recorded track is used, allowing the bands to get on the compilation without having to shell out any more cash for another recording. Brad on why it's done this way, 'bands supply their own recording for a number of reasons. Firstly, my decision to work with a particular band is based on how they come across on record since that is the final product. Secondly, and more importantly, it leaves creative control in the hands of the bands themselves, they are free to make the statement they set out to make through their choice of studio, engineer and producer.'
'Once all the bands are selected, the disc undergoes a final mastering to create a polished, consistent presentation. I do some of the mastering myself or for the latest compilation, 'The Greatest Underground Show on Earth', we outsourced to The Lacquer Channel in Toronto. If bands don't have a recorded track or want to record something new for a compilation, I will negotiate a discounted rate with a local studio and pass the discount onto the bands so that cost is not an obstacle to them being heard.'
Choosing bands, songs and song placement for each comp is the cornerstone of the whole process, if the music's not right, the comp's not right. The process of selecting bands for the comp has only changed slightly over time, in that at the beginning Brad sought out the bands, and now the bands come to him. Brad on the process, 'in the beginning I placed a few ads in papers but the response really wasn't that great. I instead went to the internet and sites like MySpace.com and NewMusicCanada.com where I could listen and read up on bands that fit the genre I was researching and were geographically suitable. My selections were based on my personal taste first, then recording quality, originality and talent. Song placement is done to ensure the disc has a strong opener, good songs mixed throughout and it has a good flow.'
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And now that he's been at this for a while, he's being approached a lot more, 'Now that I have a few compilations and full-length releases under my belt, I receive submissions on a regular basis from bands from all over the world... places like Italy, Nigeria, the UK and the US (which again is a testament to the power of the internet),' he explains 'I also receive a large response from the Alberta market based on word of mouth on the previous compilations which is a huge compliment. I am also ramping up a Toronto/Ontario compilation and have some spots filled already. If bands are interested, get in touch soon as spots will be awarded on a first-come, first-served selection basis.'
And though he can't add every band he comes across to the Cyclone roster, he can offer them help in other areas. CD replication, DVD authoring and the creation of promo gear are all services through Cyclone that are open to all bands. So why does Brad offer CD replication to bands whose CDs aren't being released by Cyclone? 'One conscious decision going into Cyclone was that I would secure the best pricing for any of the services I offer. One of these services was replication which I have done through Sony in Toronto. I offer significantly better pricing than other major players out there,' says Brad. 'It was strictly a business decision to generate additional income through doing non-roster replication. It also creates a dialogue between myself and other artists and maybe we'll find a common goal that will lead to being signed by Cyclone.' Good point. The DVD authoring and promo gear fit in to much the same situation, though bands on the roster get a deal on all the services Cyclone offers.
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Brad on Cyclone's services...
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'One conscious decision going into Cyclone was that I would secure the best pricing for any of the services I offer.'
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All of this in some fashion is thanks to Brad's thinking outside the box, and really, it all ties in to Brad's genuine care of the artists he works with. Since he's had his hand in so many different things, it's fairly clear that he'll look at things a little differently and set up services he recognizes there is a need for. Like the band security services he offers. Seriously. Brad explained it to me this way, 'Cyclone Records actually began in 1986 as a side project (but that's a whole other story). Between then and now, my career has been in the field of surveillance, interrogations and investigation [who else just thought of Jack Bauer?]. One aspect of that field that has always interested me is personal protection. Bands begin their development by focusing on their music, their name and logo but don't think about future risks. Things that people do today help us find them in the future. Bands should consider doing things now such as unlisting their phone numbers, setting up a PO box for mailings, limiting what personal information they share through interviews, etc, because if they hit it big unexpectedly then all that information is there to find. A great example of this is Alanis Morissette whose success of Jagged Little Pill tour saw her starting out by playing small clubs and ending up 10 months later selling out stadium shows. I have found people that don't want to be found with one just phone call with the right question asked of the right person, usually a family member.' It's yet another thing that bands have a need for and Cyclone provides, maybe even opening the eyes of the band to some risks that are out there that haven't really been thought about before. 'Bands need consultation so they understand how things can go wrong,' says Brad. 'with bands traveling to strange cities they are at risk of theft, fraud and violence. I offer services such as mail redirection, risk analysis of fan mail, phone call screening, Cyclone specific email accounts, personal security and executive protection.'
Asking Brad to sum up what being a part of Cyclone can do for a band, the focus is on Cyclone's overall focus of each band, and not looking at them as 'another band', they're all looked at as individuals with their own needs and goals in mind. Brad with more detail, 'There have been tons of benefits for the bands in the roster, some planned and others a complete surprise to me. Firstly, the success of Cyclone relies on a band's success so everything I do centres on that singular goal. We promote the music we represent in every way shape or form possible through radio play, internet sites, podcasts, media outlets. Having a label name behind a band gives them greater clout. It elevates a band from the rank and file when its a label representing their interests instead of bands sending out emails or booking shows on their own behalf saying 'look at me, I'm great.' A label affiliation shows that there is someone that believes as strongly in the music as the band does- We also distribute a monthly eNewsletter to a fan mailing list (if anyone is interested, send me an email to mailinglist@cyclonerecords.ca) and a monthly internal newsletter to the artists on the label called Cyclone Insider News about successes, plans and other things affecting bands on the roster.'
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And though this in general could be said other other labels, the family vibe of Cyclone is not often repeated. 'The most surprising yet satisfying benefit is the music community built amongst the bands on the roster. When bands are planning a show, they will contact other bands on the roster first to see if they are interested in participating. They also share equipment and musicians at times as well,' adds Brad. 'I've built up alliances with certain vendors such as Alchemy Recording Studio and SilverEdge Sound in Calgary and they benefit through referrals and repeat business. The bands benefit from this too as vendors that I have alliances with have been prescreened and provide quality services at Cyclone-specific cost structures that are significantly less than their published rates.'
'Another huge benefit,' continues Brad, 'is greater exposure. The compilations are great for radio airplay and promoting bands to clubs because they're like a greatest hits CD of indie artists. For instance, Creature Republic is called upon regularly for shows through the promotion they've received. Nadine too is recognized quite frequently when traveling and it still catches me off guard. She is also contacted regularly to sing on other bands' projects.' And of course, notes Brad, 'on the flipside of all that, the benefit to Cyclone is that it gives us the opportunity to work closely with bands to learn what they are all about before committing to larger projects. The four things I look for when selecting new bands are Accessibility, Business Sense, Creativity, Dedication. For us to establish a long-term relationship with a band/artist, they need to be aggressive in their own development and not rely on others. They need a great product with original, quality music. They also need to have great communication.... this is a biggie for me. The music business is a fast paced one and if bands are slow in responding to emails, phone calls or opportunities, they'll be left behind.'
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Brad on podcasting...
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'As I mentioned earlier, I am a huge supporter of the podcast phenomenon. Our goal during 2006 is to fully develop the potential of podcasts through building alliances with podcasters in each genre to encourage more and more plays. Already some key podcasts such as The Little Show, CanCon Radio, Views from the Cave, Headbangers Lab have had shows dedicated to the music of Cyclone Records (including band interviews) and others are in the works.'
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What could possibly be next for this label? Well, new releases, a few comps, and more involvement in podcasting are on the horizon, says Brad 'in the short term, we are mega-busy. We are currently working on a bunch of new releases: 2 by Allen Christie (a re-pressing of his first CD and the release of his next CD), 1 by a US artist that I can't mention just yet but is going to be huge, the beginnings of 3 more compilations and we are just hammering out the details on a deal to release a Cyclone artist's next album. In the longer term, we are moving into band management and are already working in that direction with Nadine Adam and Pitch Union. We are looking at booking several tours with various artists this year including some high profile festivals in Ontario and Alberta.'
'As I mentioned earlier, I am a huge supporter of the podcast phenomenon. Our goal during 2006 is to fully develop the potential of podcasts through building alliances with podcasters in each genre to encourage more and more plays. Already some key podcasts such as The Little Show, CanCon Radio, Views from the Cave, Headbangers Lab have had shows dedicated to the music of Cyclone Records (including band interviews) and others are in the works.'
'And lastly, if they ever figure out how to implant a chip into our heads and be able to download songs via satellite just by thinking about it, I'm sure I'll be among the first to be signing up.'
As you've read through this article, I think so much of what I want to say about Cyclone has already been said and all the positive vibes and inspiration coming from this article are genuine. What struck me the most when I first got back Brad's responses to my interview questions were that he tied in the bands he works with to so many of his responses. He lives and breathes this my friends, this Brad Trew is the sort of guy that should be running a label, though he does note that because of how different his approach is, there are bound to be people with something to say, 'my ideas are somewhat controversial/leading edge so I know not everyone will agree with me or will maybe just need a little more clarification,' says Brad. If you want to get in touch, email him.
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The Playlist
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Brad's Playlist
1. Lacuna Coil-Swamped
2. Dinah Washington/Brook Benton - A Rockin' Good Way
3. Lady Saw - No Matta Me
4. Rush - Spirit of Radio
5. Disturbed-Stricken
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