It seems like when there’s an overabundance of something, people tend to take it for granted. The motto itself is directed more towards the quantity of each release being more limited in nature. I guess it just kind of worked out that we don’t release music very frequently too.
Tapes are affordable, they’re durable, they come in a variety of colours and lengths, and they are easy to produce at any given quantity. We don’t have to buy them by the hundreds like vinyl. Our releases are also available to purchase or stream in digital format, to make it enjoyable for individuals who may not like tapes.
CSD is not really something I see our label ever being outwardly involved in. I’m all for the love of music and supporting local vendors, but the idea of dedicating a day to a particular format just seems silly to me.
Our number one goal with all this shit is to have fun. We never want it to become like work, and we try not to put too much pressure on the artists we work with. More importantly, we want artists to feel creative freedom. We work closely together to ensure our finished product reflects the heart & soul of their concept while maintaining an aesthetic that keeps some continuity across the label.
Another goal of Rano is to put out music we enjoy. We love all kinds of music and we’ve definitely built a catalog that encompasses many of our tastes. I believe our eclectic blend of styles has been pivotal in earning us a unique and diverse fan base. I’m surprised at the number of fans who have purchased everything we’ve made so far. It’s nice to know your label can be adventurous in choosing different styles of music it produces and still have that level of love and support from fans. We love our fans and always want to be connected with them as much as we can.
The internet, and specifically Bandcamp, is an incredibly prolific area in which to seek out music as a listener, speaking personally I find Twitter invaluable for recommendations and have no idea how I would find things without it. Do you encounter similar problems when finding artists to work with?
We love Bandcamp for finding new music and the fan pages are great because we can see what other interests our fans have. Twitter is my personal favorite way to connect with artists and fans. It’s our #1 promotional tool to help us generate sales, and it’s helped us to find several artists we work with. It’s nice because we can see more of an artist’s personality on a site like Twitter, as opposed to Bandcamp or Soundcloud.
When it comes to the social media thing and music, my biggest let down this year was the revamp of Soundcloud. I’m not a fan of their new interface. Really hope it changes into something more like it was.
Currently we have Maurice’s Hotel Death ‘Hot Jone’ (C70) available for purchase, and MICROFLVRSCNCE ‘III’ is in the works. We also have several other artists committed, but I don’t want to take the focus off of the two I just mentioned. Our future will reveal itself in due time.
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