Meet the record label Flare & Flame Records
Hello Adam, how are you doing? Could you please introduce yourself and your company Flare & Flame Records? What’s the story behind your labels name? “I am really well, thank you! How are you? My name is Adam and I am the founder of Riff Media and it’s record label Flare & Flame Records! The name comes from a kind of mash up between what Riff represents and what Flare & Flame Records represents and that is working with smaller bands that need help (flare) and larger bands that are already established and burning bright (flame).” We've known each other for a few years now. You started with Riff Media, a news website and now, you're running a record label. What does this change mean to you? What were the steps to go from a news site to something bigger, like your label? “We have known each other since the beginning near enough! The label is something I’ve always wanted to do but never really had the know how to follow it through. This year I have seen an increase in bands paying companies to release their music but receiving no further support. This is where I decided to research into running a label. With it in place we can offer to release bands music without it costing them, they also have our support and assistance and are even free to leave the label whenever they wish with no costs or hard feelings. For me it gives another dimension to the Riff Media empire!” I know that it takes a lot of time to do reviews and interviews, and I'm not even talking about the PR. Isn't it hard for you to run both Riff Media and Flare & Flame Records? Did you team up with other people to run both agencies? How do you manage your time between the website, the label and your own personal life? “I know this will sound very cliché but music is my life and has been my life since I was sixteen! I’ve ran Riff on my own for ten years, granted I do have a very small team that come to live events with me but promoting shows and everything else is all on me. Flare & Flame Records is solely myself at the moment as I don’t want to include someone who may not be able to advise a band correctly or in line with our mission statement. I guess it all comes down to the old saying that if you want a job doing properly you are best off doing it yourself. Time management is something I am very good at, I am lucky to have such an amazing and supporting family, especially my fiancee Sam, who supports me when I’m working endlessly on music ventures. I work a full-time job in a bar as well so most of my Riff/Flare & Flame Records work is done on my rare day off during the week or when I get home at midnight each night for a few hours. My personal life is my Riff life, everybody I know is through music in some way. I’m happiest when I am working press at an event or working on new releases and content for the site. I’m recognized as the guy who does Riff, it’s crazy how this has become my life! I kind of just rolled up and said I was doing this and it’s worked so far!” Basically, Flare & Flame Records officially started in February 2017 and you're already working with 4 bands (Tenements, Northern Horizon, Horizon, Supersonic Death Monkey), and you recently stated that a new artist will soon join your roster. How is it working with these 4 bands? Are you happy, so far, with the evolution of the label? “The bands are amazing, each one of them have their own ambitions and are so driven! Not to mention talented. Horizon (Matt Merry) is an artist I have admired for years. To have him as the first official artist on the label was a real honor and I am looking forward to working on his next release. Tenements are a very strong band coming through the scene at the moment with an incredible work ethic and the talent to boot. I’ve become very close with the lads during our time together and to witness their commitment first hand is truly special, if the day ever comes that they out grow us, I’d be a very proud person to be able to say that they started out with us! Northern Horizon joined recently and released their EP on their own this time around. I am loving the direction they are moving in and can’t wait to see what else they have up their sleeves. Supersonic Death Monkey are our newest family members and add another dimension to the label with grit and doom! They are one if the best Doom Metal bands I have heard in a long time. They are exceptionally exciting to be working on. I think I can announce our new artist here as well! I am very proud to be welcoming Sally Pepper to the family. Sally is such a talent and a very strong musician with a very bright career path. Hopefully, with our help and guidance, we can help move her to the label she wishes to be at.” This interview is unfortunately coming to an end. What can we expect from Flare & Flame Records in 2018? Your own festival maybe? Thank you for your time! “Next year, I am hoping to be able to offer physical releases (as we are only online at the moment) if also like to sign on more artists and develop ourselves. We do have a festival coming up in April 2018 (Pop Punk Pile Up)! It features Northern Horizon, along with stacks more of bands! But we are working on more shows, more press features and more releases than ever before. This year was a fantastic one for me! Here’s hoping we can continue that momentum and carry on growing, booking shows and helping bands for years to come. Music is my life and I would love to be able to commit all if my time to it! Thank you so much for taking tour time to find out more! Hopefully we have more news for you soon.”
Find out more about the festival Pop-Punk Pile Up here: https://www.facebook.com/events/762976170570565/
Leave a comment
Log in to post comments