As you know, I have been thinking about creating a series about my two labels, Star-Track and Z Tapes. I started with the first post to explain why cassettes, and it got a lot of traffic. I was very surprised, but also somewhat expected this. I decided to follow my original intention and, in each subsequent post, answer questions that arise from comments or discussion. From the first post alone, I have at least twelve ideas I want to write about, so I will start with the next one. An audience member asked how I choose or discover bands to release on cassettes. I will touch on a few topics and explain all the sources I draw inspiration from when deciding which bands or artists to release on cassette.
Bandcamp
When I started our blog, I mostly dove into Bandcamp, searched through genre tags and new releases I found interesting, and shared them on the blog. Naturally, I had a steady stream of new music, which was my first inspiration for deciding which bands to release. For example, I decided to release a band called Euphoria Again, which is now on a bigger label and has gained recognition. Still, at the time, I discovered a small artist on Bandcamp and really enjoyed them. I thought it would be a great start for the label, so I reached out to the artist. I told them I was starting a new label and wanted to release tapes for them, and that was it—pretty simple. Without the blog, it would have been much harder.
Music blog
Naturally, the next source of music besides Bandcamp was the music blog. Whatever I covered on our blog that really captured my attention, I would instantly consider whether I wanted to release something like it. The blog was the main reason I was able to find so much great music to release. It worked both ways: the music I wanted to release was also the music I wanted to share on the blog. But as the label grew and we got busier, the blog became less important than it was at the beginning.
Genre tags
I want to focus more on genre tags in this piece because, at the beginning of my music discovery journey, they were a really important source of new music, especially within specific genres. For example, I have always been into bedroom pop, and even labeled Z Tapes as a bedroom pop label. I deliberately looked for new music released in that genre on Bandcamp. Sometimes I would choose dream pop, folk, indie folk, shoegaze, or other genres I found interesting. I was definitely into anything lo-fi, so I naturally searched for a certain genre or sound. Bandcamp Discover was a great scouting tool for me.
Submithub
When the blog joined SubmitHub a few years ago, it actually became my main source of new music and the primary source of new releases for our new label as well. For example, many past releases on Z Tapes and Star Track were discovered through SubmitHub, including those by artists such as Swiss Portrait, Beach Vacation, Ford Chastain, and Lunar Isles. After writing about them on the blog, I decided to reach out to them for a release. I used SubmitHub as the label for a while, but eventually it stopped being useful because I had it set up only for new compilation submissions. Now, I use SubmitHub for the blog, but it is still a valid source for discovering new artists I might want to release on cassettes.
Email submissions
Most of the approaches I mentioned involved me reaching out to artists after finding something I liked. However, for example, Fuvk’s cassette was released after she reached out to me by email, saying she would like to release a cassette with us. She became one of the best-selling artists on both our labels. It was amazing that even from email submissions, I was able to find something so special. Even after all these years, that memory is dear to me. I’ve always kept in mind the option to accept email submissions, which I still receive and listen to occasionally. At the moment, though, I’m not actively scouting for new music, as the label is a bit on hold due to issues with sales, shipping, and other obstacles that have come up in the past few months.
Friends recommending
Sometimes I also selected music based on friends’ recommendations. They would reach out and say, “Hey, there’s this artist who would like to work with you. Would you be interested in their music?” Because I trust my friends, their recommendations have often been really good. I was always open to exploring music from sources outside my usual methods of discovery. However, this was probably the least frequent source of new releases for both of our labels.
Stable roster
You might wonder how I find new music right now. I have been rejecting all submissions and haven’t been looking for new music, as we have a stable roster that is always releasing. My priority is to support them. I would love to give new artists a voice and release more music, but there is no point in making more tapes than people will actually buy. That is the main reason why I am not expanding our roster at the moment, and I’m sticking to artists I’ve built relationships with over time, either through the tapes or through the Star Track label.
How to Run a Cassette Label Series
This is what I wanted to share about how I find new music. Now is the time to let me know what topics you’d like to read about next—what you’re not sure about, how things work, or maybe something you never thought of. Let me know below, and I’ll try to address it in future parts of my series, “How to Run a Cassette Label.” I already have a lot of ideas to write about, so there will be more behind-the-scenes posts in the coming weeks or months.
If you enjoyed reading this, consider buying a cassette from us to experience the music we selected and also support my mission.
Written by Filip Zemcik – mastermind behind labels Z Tapes and Start-track.com
