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PROVO — For many musicians, one of the most challenging aspects of breaking into the scene can be getting signed by a record label. Being signed to a label is often viewed as a sign of “making it.” But any contract brings pros and cons, and label-signing is no exception.
Once signed and to different degrees, each label expects certain things from their musicians, and sometimes these requests can be completely opposed to the band's desires or wishes.
For this reason, many artists choose to go an independent route — a route where they can always have complete creative control. This was no different for singer-songwriters Joshua James and McKay Stevens.
“I have stayed independent because I have trust issues. Trusting someone else with something that I consider a life force (music), is scarier than going at it alone. I would rather be alone than in love with a cancerous gal,” James said.
Beginning as a way to record and promote their own music and the music of their friends, James and Stevens began Northplatte Records, a label where they could record what they wanted and help promote their friends at the same time.
Over the years, the label has expanded and now holds several different artists. While an indie folk sound may be at the foundation of many of the different musicians' music, all have a unique and varying sound.
The artists include Sayde Price, Desert Noises, The Vibrant Sound, Timmy The Teeth, RURU and Parlor Hawk.
Everything is a challenge when it comes to trying to start a business that is based off hope for a community of like-mindedness.
–Joshua James
When asked if there were any specific qualities James looked for in the artists he has on the label, he quipped, “Long hair, sometimes short hair, cutting eyes, soaring expressions, tale tellers, truth seekers.”
While all the artists do fall under the camp of having either long or sometimes short hair, the continuity throughout all their music is the tales they tell in their songs. All speak on a variety of topics, and all are excellent storytellers. Within each song is woven a story completely enchanting and captivating.
But starting and operating the label hasn’t come without certain challenges.
“Everything is a challenge when it comes to trying to start a business that is based off hope for a community of like-mindedness. A Utahn label starting a grassroots movement in an industry that is as venomous as Medusa's child (can be difficult),” James said.
But through the difficulties, the label and its musicians have continued to flourish by gaining an extremely loyal local fanbase as well as national recognition. And with James saying he gives fresh goat cheese from his farm to those on his label, it’s not hard to see why and how Northplatte has seen its growth.
