It’s the end of the year – the days are steadily getting colder, and ‘Fairytale of New York’ once again graces the radio waves as Oxford Street’s Christmas lights shine in through various coffee shops’ windows, illuminating their newly stocked mince pies. But Christmas isn’t just a time to sit in a high street chain, gorging yourself on seasonal treats; more importantly, it’s a time to reflect upon the year that’s passed – its triumphs and successes – and to pat yourself, and others, firmly on the back.
Which is exactly what various websites and magazines have been doing. This in itself is not surprising as end of year lists are a firm tradition in the world of the music press. What is surprising, however, is the number of artists on these lists that are on independent labels. 2011 has seen a definite increase in independent label output and success, with artists such as Adele (XL Recordings) showing us that you do not have to be on a major label to win the hearts of millions: as of November 2011, the singer’s second album 21 has sold over 3.3 million copies in the UK and 4.75 million in the United States, and is currently ranking number seven in the Billboard 200 chart.
Symbolic of this new surge in success for independent artists was the first ever AIM Independent Music Awards, which were held by the Association of Independent Music. Outstanding independent bands such as SBTRKT, Adele and Frank Turner picked up the main accolades, which made us all very proud as they happen to be clients of Key Production and our partners Think Tank Media – we manufactured Turner’s England Keep my Bones, Adele: Live At The Royal Albert Hall, and many of the other winners’ products!
Last week, Rough Trade released their incredibly influential ‘Albums Of The Year’ list, which was completely dominated by independent artists (and some of our clients), the coveted number one spot being awarded to the melancholy, bearded Texan, Josh T. Pearson (Mute Records). Q Magazine also released their list of best albums, and – surprise surprise – independent artists Adele, Bon Iver and WU LYF (all of whom we have manufactured CDs and DVDs, and pressed vinyl for) were all in the top ten.
And the fervour isn’t yet over – December 10th sees the Independent Label Market take to Spitalfields, in what will be the first Saturday market held at the famous venue in more than one hundred years. We’re hugely excited about the Independent Label Christmas Market, as loads of labels we manufacture for will be attending, such as Chemikal Underground, Fabric, Memphis Industries, Ninja Tune and Sonic Cathedral. (Follow @keyproduction on Twitter for live updates on the day.)
So, if you’re a musician who thinks the only route to success is to secure a major record deal, the year of 2011 would suggest that you’re wrong – just give us a call, we’ll manufacture some vinyl, CDs and merchandise for you, and before you know it your album will be number seven on the Billboard chart. Huzzah!