Interview with Brian Thompson
Sep2901:38 PM
Filed in: Opinion
This is a special interview with Brian Thompson of Thorny Bleeder Records, brought to you by Todd Sanft, guitarist for Quartered.
MP3: Quartered - Brother
We had conversed over the phone as well as by email and I wanted to share this great stuff with all of you. Stay tuned as this will be an ongoing series with various artists and companies that make up Vancouver and the world. Again thank you for the support and pass it along if you think anyone you know would like to read it.
Todd: How did you get into the music industry? What made you pick this particular industry?
Brian: In my mind, I've been in the music industry my whole life. But professionally speaking, it all started in 1992 when I started working at a record store in the warehouse and stocking shelves. At the same time I was also doing some freelance writing for a couple of local entertainment papers, doing album and concert reviews and artist interviews.
I ended up staying with that same record chain for 14 years, working my way up the corporate ladder and bouncing around from location to location, eventually ending up at the head office where I became the head music buyer for the chain, in addition to looking after all of our marketing and advertising campaigns.
T: Why Music?
B: I honestly don't think I had any other choice, if I wanted to lead a happy and fulfilling life. Music is and always will be my life. It's my number one passion and being a part of it is extremely important to me.
T: What made you guys start Thorny Bleeder as a label?
B: Thorny Bleeder Records was started by my two partners who are in the band Art Of Dying, Jonny and Greg. I came on board about a month or two after they incorporated the company, which was initially created to just make the business aspect of their band easier to deal with. But when I entered the picture, we quickly decided that we wanted to work with other bands and artists as well, we wanted to help start a new scene which we felt was really lacking.
There's so much incredible independent music out there and if a band doesn't get the support, advice, mentorship and guidance from people in the business, they usually fade away. We want to help bands however we can so they can hopefully realize the vision they have for their art.
T: What sorts of differences have you seen or experienced in the industry today as opposed to when the label started?
B: Wow. That's a big question. I've experienced many, many changes in the industry throughout my years working in it. Remember, I started selling CDs AND cassettes in 1992! I've witnessed a lot of insane growth in the industry, and I've also witnessed the complete crash of it as well. Case in point, the record store chain I worked for that had 22 locations and was around for over 45 years...went bankrupt. And even with our label, which has been around for 3.5 years now, things have changed dramatically and they continue to do so at a very frequent pace.
I think the biggest change that's taken place in the last two years is the impact and importance of social media and how an artist needs to share things with their fans. I'm not just talking about sharing music; I'm also talking about sharing your life experiences, your thoughts, feelings, photos, memories, and opinions. Music fans today want and need to connect with an artist in a very different way than when in years before when reading liner notes and reading an article in a magazine was sufficient.
T: What are your dreams for the next 10 years?
B: Ten years from now Thorny Bleed Records will be an all-encompassing music company. We'll have expanded our records division and our artist services division, and we'll be considered as experts and leaders in the social shift of the new music economy.
T: Do you think Vancouver has the potential to become the next L.A. in terms of music and celebs?
B: To some degree, I think Vancouver has already become a place to be. But to be clear, nothing will ever replicate the 80's rock scene in LA, or the 90's grunge scene in Seattle. Vancouver is a very, very special place musically, with an outstanding number of incredibly creative bands. But what Vancouver lacks is a tight-knit scene. There are so many different styles and vibes going on here at any given time that I don't think it'll ever be able to be defined as THE place for any one genre. We've got the best of everything up here: garage rock, metal, punk, post-hardcore, melodic radio rock, indie hipster, 80's retro synth, alternative, singer-songwriters...you name it.
T: Would you rather be doing what you do now or be in a band? I.e. the other side of the glass?
B: This is what I love. While I am a musician myself, I came to the realization many years ago that the business side of music is where I belong...not on stage. I bring a lot of experience, knowledge, passion, and innovative ideas to the table that the music needs. Unfortunately a great album doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to be heard, so I really feel that my mission in life is to help bring the best in new music to people to discover and have an emotional connection with.
T: Any closing remarks?
B: Support independent music however you can. If that means paying for an album download, do it. If that means going to a concert and buying a t-shirt, do it. And if money's tight for you, then download a free copy of an album and share it with your friends. That helps too. We need to spread the music out there as much as possible. Internet is the new radio. If you connect with an artist and their songs, support them...it keeps the music coming. Writing, producing, and recording songs, manufacturing albums and t-shirts, booking tours, buying tour vans and gas and hotel rooms...it doesn't come cheap.
Oh yeah, and make sure you check out Thorny Bleeder Records online. We're everywhere, so join our RSS feeds, our email lists, our Facebook Fan Page, our Twitter and MySpace. Head over to our Downloads page and grab yourself a free copy of our Get Thorny compilation while you're at it!
http://www.thornybleeder.com
Stay Thorny!
Thanks so much to Brian Thompson for taking the time to explain what it is that makes HIM tick in this biz. Stay tuned for next month where we'll be talking to another local company striving in this endless industry we are in. So stay tuned!
--Todd Sanft
Quartered
