Breathing Records is an innovative new record label, musical creative powerhouse and artist support system. The collective thrives in the boundary-pushing genres of the avant-garde, underground, industrial, and dark electronic. The label just launched their first compilation album entitled Inhale Vol. I . The thrilling and diverse album features artists God Is War, King Yosef, Maelstrom & Louisahhh, Matte Blvck, Moon 17, Pictureplane, SO MUCH BLOOD, Street Fever, VCRHEADCLEANER and William Bleak.
We chatted with Gus Marsden with Breathing Records all about their unique approach, emerging artist support, organizing community and the future of music. The result is an empowering and important read.
Breathing Records describes itself as “made by artists, for artists.” Can you share how this idea first came together?
The idea of “by artists, for artists” is not new. Artists have been helping artists for a long time as a reaction against oppressive systems and there are a number of artist-run labels in existence today. Breathing Records is a new application of this idea in the dark electronic and experimental area of the industry, uniquely strengthened by our team’s lived experience within it.
Before the label was officially formed, the structure to support artists was tested on an individual basis. After seeing the success of working with Matte Blvck and Street Fever individually, it became clear that the path towards helping more artists would begin by bringing them together under one roof. Being at the forefront of the label’s creation and decision making, Matte Blvck and Street Fever offer consultation from their perspectives as active, full-time artists. The other members of our team are also artists, DJs, and longtime fans.
What gap in the music industry were you trying to fill when you started Breathing Records?
Many of the labels out there don’t provide enough support for emerging artists – so they will sign the artist but not provide any real money for promotion or advertising. Or some labels will only sign an artist who has already built a large audience. Both are problematic for small artists. Breathing fills that gap by helping small artists get on the map with real support in the form of strategy, industry expertise, reducing the workload and providing financial funding.
The name “Breathing” suggests life, rhythm, and connection, what does it symbolize for you and the community?
“Breathing” indeed symbolizes all the aspects of life you mentioned. Beyond that, it symbolizes relief, simplicity, and remaining present.
Unlike traditional labels, Breathing artists stay independent and keep full ownership. Why was that structure important to you?
That structure is born out of concern for what lies beyond the hyper-commodified and ultra-convenient present. Artists are not products, and should not be treated as such.
You’ve built shared systems for distribution, merch, sync, and touring, how do these work in practice, and how do they empower artists?
“When we are supported, we may focus on what we do best”
Independent artists are spread too thin with the myriad of responsibilities forced upon them. We’re interested in seeing how artists thrive when they no longer have to worry about merch manufacturing, distribution, finding sync contacts, and so on, and instead focus on what they do best: being creative. We have connections and systems for such things that will scale with the number of artists involved with the label, meaning that as we collectively grow and empower more artists, the systems themselves become more powerful. The label scales in ways that a single artist cannot.
How do you support an artist’s creative vision while also helping them navigate the business side of things?
Both aspects require a unique set of skills and considerations. Breathing Records, being a team of artists and fans, believes that the artist knows what is best for their creative vision and that our place is to support it as best we can. We can offer insights and suggestions, but ultimately creative decisions must be made by the artist. We continuously collect and reflect upon business data to drive best practices and share such knowledge with all label artists to achieve their growth goals.
You mention that fans “discover artists who might not have reached them otherwise.” How do you connect listeners with new music in such a saturated landscape?
“Discovery” for fans in the age of algorithmic recommendations can often feel soulless and devoid of story. Breathing Records connects artists to fans through collaborative projects such as the “Inhale” compilation series & live events, cross-pollinating fanbases. The curation of the label itself creates opportunity for authentic discovery, as Breathing Records offers a through-line for all involved artists. Through curation, we can collectively break down genre barriers & pursue a brutally human future for the industry. Staying grounded in such virtues while keeping a pulse on modern-day outreach & listener behavior tools is our way of navigating through the saturated landscape.
How do you see the relationship between artists and fans evolving in this new model?
It will be interesting to watch the evolution of this relationship as the industry changes. We hope to see an increase in active, intentional listeners. These are people who appreciate the craft of music making and want to support independent artists beyond putting their work on in the background. Passive listeners are important and will likely always exist, but we’re interested in seeing how the arts in general become less of a product and more of a movement.
Additionally, we’re interested in how cross-pollination across fanbases promotes an open-minded & genre-less attitude toward music.
“Shared knowledge” seems to be a big part of Breathing Records, can you tell us more about how that works among artists?
Breathing Records is a tapestry of collective experience. Our team and artists weave their unique experience into this tapestry, which defines and refines our systems to offer the best support we can. Our job as a label is to facilitate the connection between those involved and defend it from malicious forces. The slowest way to improve results is personal trial and error – it is much faster to learn from others and have collective shared knowledge.
Touring, venue connections, and collaboration are often kept secret in the industry, why did you choose transparency instead?
It's cooler to share.
How do you see this kind of artist-to-artist mentorship shaping the future of independent music?
One of our greatest survival instincts is to organize community. Tough times are historically overcome by community efforts, and artists have a long history of being at the forefront. Rave culture, for example, originated as a response to violence & marginalization against Black and LGBTQ+ people. Underground art is, at its purest essence, a collective DIY effort by all participating members and it will continue to shape the future of independent art because it is forced to. As long as there is struggle there will be a response in pursuit of relief.
Connect with Breathing Records: INSTAGRAM
