The former bass player for Popsicko and the manager of My Records, Nerf Herder's local indie record label, sips a double mocha and discusses moving product. Major labels don't indimidate me anymore. It's a tool for the artist to exploit, and the artist is a tool for the label to exploit. This makes no difference to Joey Cape. The Lagwagon singer, who originally released the album on his My Records label, has found himself at the helm of a suddenly profitable business.
Most independent labels are lucky to break even.
Any money they make goes right back to the label. Marko's been amping the Santa Barbara scene since long before there was one. Cape jokes that he and Marko communicate by fax and through messages relayed through Cape's mom, who lives in town. He's probably serious about this, but given the immediate success of Nerf Herder, there will undoubtedly be quite a few bands willing to work with My Records. Clive Davis, the head of Arista records, is also willing to work with My Records.