Eclectic Company: Omnivore Recordings: The Audio Files, Part 2

I was listening to “Dirty Rice” on KRVS-FM, driving to New Orleans to catch my flight to Phoenix, when I was startled by a cheeky comment made by Bill Boelens, the show’s host: He said, as he back-announced a spin of ”Hear My Train A Comin’” by Jimi Hendrix, “that’s from People, Hell and Angels, just released. Can you believe it? Guy’s been dead since 1970 and he’s still releasing records.” After I L’d MFAO, I thought a little harder about the technology of recording, and realized it isn’t strange that Jimi Hendrix’s music has time-traveled to us from the vault where it’s been stored for 43+ years. What’s strange is that after all these years, there’s still stuff Jimi recorded that long ago that we haven’t heard yet, and that’s worth releasing.

It’s always been possible to put out a new record by a deceased artist, and many a quip or jibe has been leveled at record companies for rushing new works into print to take advantage of the publicity value of a star’s death. But the fact is, as technology has changed, the shelf life of old recordings and the ability audio engineers have to clean up the sound quality of those recordings has increased exponentially. And as it has, the buying public has made it clear that it’s up for one or more last peeks into its favorite artists’ trunks and closets. Which is why some new independent record labels are catching our ears with old tapes on new vinyl.

The late, great Townes Van Zandt’s new double CD release (Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions & Demos 1971 – 1972) out as of February 5th on Omnivore Recordings, is a fine example of this phenomenon. Cheryl Pawelski – the label’s three-time GRAMMY-nominated producer and founding A&R Director – told me that her company’s new records of old but never-before-released recordings, and reissues of long out-of-print works by popular and esoteric artists are selling very well, especially well, she noted, in vinyl records, which outsell CDs and other formats. And though no one Omnivore record is likely to compete in sales with multi-million chart-toppers by Lady Gaga or Muse, the Omnivore business model, relying on quality products sold to niche markets, can make up in predictably–selling quantities among many projects what one risky platinum-seller can earn, and that strategy can certainly ensure the label’s survival through the up- and downturns of the market for tangible music sales.

As well as her A&R nous, Pawelski’s marketplace savvy is a major factor in the label’s success: In our discussion that roamed from Omnivore’s stellar startup, through Pawelski’s illustrious career in A&R for catalog projects, and on to the history and vagaries of the music business, she drew on two-plus decades of experience creating hundreds of highly successful boxed sets, reissues and recording projects for EMI/Capitol Records’ catalog division, and for Concord Music Group, iTunes, Rhino Entertainment, and others, of such artists as Aretha Franklin, Warren Zevon, Miles Davis, Bette Midler, Chicago, The Beach Boys, Rod Stewart, The Band, Judy Henske and Fred Neil, just to name a tiny sample. And each project, no matter how obviously its subject deserved to be highlighted, received the meticulous attention to details that’s a hallmark of Pawelski’s work.

Pawelski’s taste is even more eclectic than mine, so you won’t be surprised to learn that in addition to Townes Van Zandt, we both love guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson, or that she’s produced a few RT records for various labels including Omnivore, which re-released Strict Tempo, Thompson’s all instrumental album, on its 30th anniversary, and reissued Richard Thompson’s and his ex-wife Linda Thompson’s projects, some of which were originally engineered and produced by WNYC-FM concert recordings engineer Edward Haber, about which, more in another column. Most recently, Omnivore released funk, country, jazz and folk records from material in the vaults, on CD and HD, and, importantly, many only on vinyl LPs, including some special short run collectors’ editions on colored vinyl.

Describing the label’s gestalt, Pawelski credits all the partners with making decisions about what Omnivore will release. “We want to produce projects that are meaningful, that are close to our hearts. When we decide to put out a record, our barometer is the tone of the label; we’re building an iconic brand – one that makes music buyers take a chance on a record because it’s on Omnivore – so the music we love is going to be our first priority. The label’s name and motto [“create, devour, repeat”] say it all: We want hungry musical adventurers. Just like us.”

So how does a small label compete in the marketplace with the few remaining major labels and the big indies? If Omnivore is any indication, it’s by creating and selling smart specialty projects that can find an audience sufficient to cover their moderate production, manufacturing and marketing costs, and make a reasonable profit. That means Pawelski and company work efficiently to develop multiple income streams, including licensing music for films and TV, and taking advantage of all appropriate opportunities, to ensure that the quality of a particular recording will never be sacrificed for lack of funds. Developing the Omnivore brand has meant selecting high quality mixing, mastering and pressing vendors, designing brand-recognition through chic and clever packaging, and developing a loyal following through well-placed distribution and marketing. “We want to be that catalog brand” Pawelski said, which usually means re-issuing previously released but now out of print records, but she told me that most of Omnivore’s releases, with few exceptions, are records “that never existed in nature” before they were born at her label.

Pawelski’s insights are too interesting to spell out in shorthand here, so I’m planning on one more look, at the part of our conversation about audio quality. But here’s a teaser, a comment that took us off into an intense discussion. Speaking of why she left Rhino Entertainment: “I realized they were more intent on shutting it down as a physical product label, because they’d drunk the KoolAid of digital” to become a licensing and digital label. More provocative statements to come. Check this space.

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