Supply and Demand Music is a new record label based in Providence, RI, started by Tom Inhaler.

Why call it Supply and Demand? Well, I don’t know if it’s okay to call yourself tongue-in-cheek, but suddenly it’s harder than ever to differentiate between “mainstream” and “independent” music – indie label artists are soundtracking sneaker and fast food commercials, bands on indie labels are snatched up quickly by majors, and a majority of indie labels are distributed by companies with ties to the majors. I make no judgments on these examples, but I do think it’s important to question ourselves and our intent constantly, both in the music we create and the business decisions we make. Calling my label Supply and Demand is my send up and rejection of a music-by-spreadsheet mentality. Let’s not be afraid to sell a lot of records, for sure. Let’s also not be afraid to maintain what it is that excited us all about independent music in the first place: new, challenging sounds that are removed from (and occasionally influence) the popular culture that surrounds us. Let’s not let “indie” become the new status quo.

The first two artists I’ve signed are Minneapolis’s Dark Dark Dark, and Providence, RI’s Between the Pine. Dark Dark Dark have a beautiful, haunting sound, heavily influenced by Eastern European music, and instantly caught my attention when they first performed in Providence back in 2007. Between the Pine is a local artist, a fantastic songwriter with ear-catching arrangements, and I’m happy to be one of the first to share his music with the world.

Dark Dark Dark’s “The Snow Magic” will be the first full length release from Supply and Demand Music, debuting on October 28th, 2008. It will be followed by Between the Pine’s “Friends, Foe, Kith and Kin” in December 2008. There are a few other releases in the works, and the details of which will be announced soon. Until then, you can check out Between the Pine’s self-released debut album, which was criminally slept on when it was released in 2005.

More to come soon.. Check out the site, and check back often for news on new releases, tour dates, MP3’s and videos!

-Tom Inhaler
July 21st, 2008

Tags: between the pine, dark dark dark, indie, music business, supply and demand

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