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| Company aims to give local bands
edge in music business |
Kevin
Delury
Entertainment Beat |
Courtesy of | www.tribunalrecords.com
Matt Rudzinski, founder of Tribunal
Records has yet to make a profit from his label's releases.
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Regardless of where a band is
in its career, musicians dream of one day being able to make their
living by playing music.
Unfortunately, the reality of “making it”
to a major label involves a long road that can end at any given
moment. For most bands, that road starts at independent labels
such as North Carolina-based Tribunal Records.
Created and managed by Matt Rudzinski, Tribunal
has become a major player in independent music. With 13 signed
bands and over 30 releases since its conception in the summer
of 1998, Tribunal has been the stomping ground of such acts as
Atreyu, which went on to be signed by Victory Records.
“It feels really cool,” Rudzinski
said of Atreyu’s success, “because I see these guys
on MTV2 and I see them in videos.”
Other Tribunal acts that have gone on to bigger
labels include Daylight Dies, which recently signed to Relapse
Records, and From Autumn to Ashes, which is being courted by labels
such as Dreamworks.
Rudzinski, 30, had the idea of starting his
own record label for quite some time.
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“The inspiration
came about a long time ago when I was in high school in Delaware.
Friends of mine had started labels on their own and I was looking
to do it myself, but I didn’t have the financial means.”
One of Rudzinski’s friends was Darren Walters,
whose label became Jade Tree Records, home of such acts as Jets
to Brazil and Girls Against Boys.
After moving to North Carolina in 1990 to attend Guilford College,
Rudzinski graduated in 1994 with a degree in business management
and became manager and buyer for B.B.’s New and Used CDs in
Greensboro. He also played in local bands, where he first met local
act Prayer for Cleansing.
“I saw Prayer for Cleansing, and I was literally floored at
how good they were,” Rudzinski said. “I said ‘That’s
it, I want to start a record label, and I want them to be my first
band.’”
After releasing an album by Prayer for Cleansing, the album became
a staple in underground music and gained Tribunal the attention
needed to expand. Since then, bands such as Aria, Scarlet, Facedown
and countless others have released albums under Tribunal.
Although Tribunal originally started as a label consisting of metal
acts, Rudzinski has expanded the types of acts released under the
label. Most notably is the Greensboro female-fronted pop-punk act
Everafter. Rudzinski also has plans to release more mainstream rock
on his label.
“I’m doing everything that any other label has done,”
Rudzinski said of his attempts to branch out. “Hopefully this
will let the label grow and become more of a household name as far
as underground music goes.”
When it comes to reaching audiences outside of North Carolina, Tribunal
is off to an impressive start. Besides being distributed across
the United States, Tribunal releases can be found as far as Europe
and Japan.
Another victory for Rudzinski’s label came last weekend, as
the first Tribunal records showcase was held at Ziggy’s Tavern
in Winston-Salem. Over two days, audiences were treated to an array
of bands including Swift, Brand New Disaster and the farewell performance
from Heartscarved.
Amidst the performances, Rudzinski mingled through the audience,
enjoying the bands and taking pictures.
The showcase was just another example of Rudzinski’s commitment
to music.
“I just got into it to help bands out,” Rudzinski said.
“That’s still the reason why I do it. There are bands
out there that need to be exposed, and if I can take some of my
money and give them a chance, and they want to work hard, then we
can both get to where we need to go.”
Where Rudzinski is planning to go with the label is a full time
job. Currently, Rudzinski makes no profit from Tribunal releases.
“I enjoy doing it now, as far as not getting paid, because
all the money goes back into the label to make it succeed,”
Rudzinski said. “But the ultimate goal is to make a career
out of Tribunal Records. Everyone’s goal is to be their own
boss.”
For more information on Tribunal Records, visit
their website at www.tribunalrecords.com |
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