| My first injection of Extreme Metal Music was back in | | | | Most of us doing this tape trading stuff usually spent |
| 1985, i was 13 and a Metallica - "Ride The Lighning" | | | | every last extra penny we had, we begged |
| cassette crossed my paths (Yes back then that was | | | | borrowed and stole just so we could pay for |
| considered Extreme). I remember being at home | | | | postage.But with the advent of the internet and the |
| alone with my crappy old "Ghetto Blaster" (that 'ate | | | | ability to manufacture "CD's" cheap the label was able |
| tapes') and fascinated at the cool "Electric Chair" | | | | to evolve into a full-blown record label, signing and |
| cover art, it was at that moment within the first 30 | | | | releasingbands. |
| seconds of "Fight Fire with fire" that my life would no | | | | Currently we have over 15 of our own titles, and |
| doubt be set down a new path and Extreme Death | | | | what we do is trade our titles with other Extreme |
| Metal Music would be my fate. I remember being | | | | Labels around the world which increases our distro |
| blown-away and scared shitless at the same time. | | | | catalogue. It's a great system, and its probably the |
| The shear aggression and speed of the music was | | | | only form a music in the world (that i know of) that |
| unlike anything i had ever heard (remember this was | | | | operates like this... again reminding me of the bond |
| 1984 and i was 13 and Def Leppard was about the | | | | and devotion to Extreme Music us "Metalheads" have. |
| heaviest i had ever heard) and it was that very song | | | | It's like there is no competition between all |
| that forever changed my life (thanx James) and led | | | | Underground metal labels, we work together to |
| me to investigate this style of music even more. | | | | create an even larger network. Its and even better |
| Bands like Slayer, Venom, Possessed and Death | | | | deal for alot of the bands in the Death Metal, |
| became the metal music that "Got me thru the day" | | | | Extreme Music genre. We have taken bands who |
| Well, the year is now 2008 and even though | | | | would never have been able to get their music on a |
| Metallica's "Ride The Lighning" is still one of my top 20 | | | | cd let alone shipped out and into the hands of |
| favorite albums of all time, Extreme Metal Music is like | | | | metalheads around the world... and that's a great |
| drugs, one is too many and a thousand is not enough. | | | | feeling and what fuels us to keep going. |
| The need for faster, heavier, more brutal and intense | | | | Although, we first do this for the love of Death |
| music dosages becomes the addiction. In today's | | | | Metal music, we definitely work very hard at trying |
| world of Extreme Metal Music - Metallica would | | | | to get "Death Metal Music" to pay the bills. How much |
| probably be considered choir boys. | | | | better could it get? promoting the music you love |
| I guess it's time to talk about what this article is | | | | and making a living do it... |
| actually about... running an underground Death Metal | | | | Tips for staring your own Death Metal Record label: |
| Record Label. First off, running an underground death | | | | 1. Find a band that you really like and has already |
| metal label like this usually meansrunning it from your | | | | recorded their own full-length cd (This saves you |
| parents basement, or if your a grown man who just | | | | money) |
| can't seem to grow up, your running it from your | | | | 2. Sign the band to a simple distribution deal, you |
| own basement and are constantly having to remind | | | | press 1000 copies and give the band a few hundred |
| your wife,"would you rather me be here at home | | | | copies (most death metal bands will jump at the |
| with you wasting all our money, or at the strip clubs | | | | chance for this) |
| wasting all our money). Truth be told probably 90% | | | | 3. Get yourself a simple web site and the ability to |
| of Death Metal Record Labels that exist do it for the | | | | sell your product online. |
| pure love of the music and do it on top of working | | | | 4. Spend countless hours surfing the internet looking |
| 40 - 50 hours a week doing something that actually | | | | for other small Extreme Death Metal labels... create a |
| makes money, and to those who continue to do it | | | | long list |
| while investing their own money and risking their | | | | 5. Contact all the labels you found online and ask if |
| marriages and relationships i raise my Corona and | | | | they do "Trades", usually trades are based on a point |
| "Cheers You!"... But that's just what Extreme Metal | | | | system you'll figure that out quick. |
| does to people, there is a devotion to it, there is just | | | | 6. Most labels will trade 3-5 copies to start, trade with |
| this undeniable force that encapsulates you... it's like | | | | 100 labels you now have 300-500 titles to add to |
| being in a gang... a really large gang! | | | | your web sites online catalogue |
| I work for a small record label CDN Records, a | | | | 7. Don not take more than 10 copies of any one |
| basement run 2 person operation managing over | | | | title... 3-5 at most |
| 2000 Extreme titles in the genres of Death Metal, | | | | 8. Promote online, Promote Online, Promote online... |
| Brutal Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Grindcore, | | | | forums, blogs, myspace etc etc. |
| Goregrind, Black Metal, Thrash Metal and more. The | | | | 9. Repeat steps 1 thru 7 once you have no more of |
| other person involved again and actually the one who | | | | the original 1000 cd's you pressed, of the cd traded |
| started the label, a grown man like myself in his late | | | | well press the same release, if you struggledto get |
| 30's obsessed with metal music in it's most extreme | | | | other labels to take it on trade, search for a new |
| form and probably the biggest "Death" (the band) | | | | band and try again. |
| fan you will ever meet. He started the label over 15 | | | | 10. You will be very lucky to sell more than a few |
| years ago, originally called "Civilian Death Network", | | | | thousand copies of any 1 Extreme Death metal cd, |
| but after 9-11 it was apparent that we needed to | | | | Grindcore cd or Black Metal CD (unless you happy to |
| change the name, hence (CDN Records). The label | | | | get lucky enough to sign the next Cannibal Corpse or |
| started out mostly as a "Tape Trading" network | | | | Cradle of Filth) release so don't get frustrated, the |
| trading various Death metal bands demos with other | | | | key is tobuild your online catalogue with 1000's of |
| Death Metal music fans around the world, and back | | | | titles to chose from and enjoy the fact that you are |
| then without the internet and low-cost's of producing | | | | now promoting and selling 100's of Extreme Metal |
| cd's the cost involved could bankrupt most people. | | | | bands. |