Sheppard, who worked in record promotion during the 1960s, noted that smaller labels can stay more in tune with their artists than the majors. "If you surround yourself with good management, guidance and direction are not a problem. Doing it yourself or working with a small label that shares your vision for your music and your craft enables you to be true to yourself and your music."
Robbie Fulks, who records for the innovative Yep Roc label, conceded that independence from major labels comes at the cost of increased involvement in every mundane aspect of the business. "I think you have to maximize the DIY (do-it-yourself) tools and do all the little things that don't necessarily constitute the best or most pleasant use of your time but are nonetheless necessary," Fulks said. "I'm referring to mailing out Web site orders, keeping up with SoundScan, staying on top of auto maintenance, booking decent hotels for your band, disseminating itinerary information, doing all the radio and retail work you can to support your label's efforts, maintaining your sound gear, etc. I actually don't mind most of it. It does prevent me from spending more time practicing guitar and writing songs, though."
Such intimacy with the promotional process has another up side, according to Fulks. "The biggest thing I've learned is to be very proactive about keeping good relationships going with the people that support me one-on-one. I answer my fans' letters. I give them time at shows. If they hire me for private events, I meet their families, and try to remember their names when I see them again a year later. I have a drink with the promoters after the shows and talk trash. I tip the bartenders and merchandise sellers well. I've gotten to be good friends with some of these people, fans and promoters and bartenders. Every once in a while one of them throws something generous my way - a good-paying festival or private party. Those are the things that have really kept me in business for 10 years - not so much club shows or record royalties."
Lofton Creek Records, which has Keith Bryant, Shawn King, Doug Stone and Jeffrey Steele on its roster, has had considerable success, President Mike Borchetta reported, with a theme album. Bryant's Ridin' With the Legend, which is keyed to NASCAR fans, has sold more than 40,000 copies since its mid-July release.
Stone brought more than a decade of Country hits with him when he signed to Lofton Creek and he included a couple of them on In a Different Light, his debut album for the label. The album also features several pop standards, among them "Tell It Like It Is," "Georgia On My Mind" and "Only You," with the aim to offer the consumer something reassuringly familiar besides Stone's melodious voice. Lofton Creek released Stone's album in the spring and boosted it with a 30-minute TV special that aired repeatedly on GAC.
Steve Wilkinson, the patriarch of the family trio The Wilkinsons (with son Tyler and daughter Amanda), has seen the business from both ends. The Wilkinsons made their breakthrough on the now-defunct Giant Records in 1998 with the No. 3 single "26 Cents."
"Rather than try to compete with a major record label, with the large promo budget that's at their disposal, you need to be a little more creative and be willing to think outside the typical record label box," Wilkinson said. "That's why The Wilkinsons in particular pitched the idea of a long-format TV program."
The program is a reality series, tentatively called "Meet The Wilkinsons." It's set to air this fall on CMT Canada for 10 episodes. "We do still have videos and singles that have been released and currently play on the various formats, but with long-format programming we will be enjoying another avenue of exposure," Wilkinson said. The Wilkinsons continue to tour in Canada, their home base, and the United States. Their album, Highway, released earlier this year, is distributed in both countries through RCR/CBUJ Entertainment.
Kevin Sharp made his Country Music bow on Asylum Records in 1996 with the No. 1 hit "Nobody Knows," which helped propel his album, Measure Of A Man, to Gold. A cancer survivor, Sharp had a story that was as compelling as his voice. He kept a low profile after his original record label closed down. But now he's back with Make a Wish, his first album for Cupit Records.
Billy Holland, Cupit's Executive Vice President, noted that the label is giving Sharp the standard promotional and media treatment - radio tours, newspaper and TV interviews, in-store appearances, music videos, e-mail campaigns, fan club promotions, "some print advertising" and "a lot of praying."
