Issue 13: Garry Saunders of Austerity Records
Welcome to The Band Bible! I’m truly glad to have you here. If you’re a new reader, purpose of this newsletter is to address, break down, and shine a light on the business of being in a band. Each issue, we do this by interviewing (and celebrating!) someone who is making waves through their incredible work with or for independent artists. Learning the business of being in a band is something that is often inaccessible or shrouded in mystery, and it shouldn’t be, so I hope The Band Bible is able to play even a small role in helping to change that.
For the 13th issue of The Band Bible, we are delighted to be featuring Garry Saunders of Austerity Records. Austerity Records is an absolutely brilliant independent label that nurtures fantastic new talent. In the interview, Garry speaks on what he looks for when taking on new talent, the label’s beginnings, what he feels is the greatest hurdle facing emerging talent today, and more.
How did you get your start in the music industry?
Jim (co-founder of austerity) approached me one afternoon having just formed a new band to gauge my thoughts on starting our own label. We had been around the scene for many years and knew the score with independent labels and decided that, as opposed to sending demos to numerous labels, we would grab the bull by the horns and do it ourselves. We signed Jim's band Winter Gardens and within six months released their first single on 7".
Which aspect(s) of Austerity Records are you most proud of?
Being not for profit. Seeing the money we invest in a given artist / release and the revenue generated from physical sales or live shows and knowing that money will immediately be used to make someone else’s dream a reality.
What are some of the criteria you look for when deciding whether to sign a new artist?
Primarily the music has to excite. Secondly the artist must have passion and a sense of direction. Having a sense of direction and knowing what they want is so very important, we can only advise and steer so much, as an artist you have to know what you want out of it for it to become a successful partnership.
If you could only pick one, what would you say is the greatest hurdle facing independent artists today?
Saturation. So many artists are making music independently today, if the lockdowns taught us one thing, it was making music alone and getting it out there is possible. As such the industry is now flooded with new releases, getting the ear of a PR or management company is now so much more difficult due to the volume of new music being released.
Lastly, which "commandment" would you like to leave behind in The Band Bible?
Don’t think throwing vast amounts of money at a PR campaign is going to guarantee success. Once you have chosen a PR company, do your homework and look into ‘their’ success rate and don’t be afraid to ask questions. A high budget campaign is no guarantee of success and can be very demoralising (as well as financially debilitating). Believe in yourselves and your art and don’t be afraid to say no if a deal doesn’t suit you.
A huge thank you to Garry for taking the time to share such fantastic, thoughtful answers. To keep up with Austerity Records, click here to follow them on Twitter, here to follow them on Instagram, and here to follow them on Facebook.
In terms of things going on on our end, tickets for our Amersham Arms gigs on 8th February (featuring The Flitz, Slender Pins, SULK, and Caution Elderly People) and 1st March (featuring Cross Wires, Where’s the Lighter, They Explode, and The Pyke Circuit) can be found here.
With happiness and hedonism,
Lindsay Teske