Nathan ‘Barley’ Philips
Co Founder talks about the music business
interview By Metal Mick (the beard) Staley

Basick records are celebrating five years as a label and Nathan kindly agreed to ask some questions about the workings of the company.

MG Were you in the music industry before you founded Basick records and if so, in what capacity?
Nathan I was in the music industry, but I was on the other side of the fence as a musician – seeing the industry operate such a closed door system is part of the reason I founded the label.

MG So how did it all come about, we here at Metalgodstv were reading a metal magazine one day and thought, hey we can better that, did you think the same about record companies or did it happen another way ?
Nathan Yeah I guess there was certainly an element of that to it! Not so much that we thought we could do it better per se, but more that we could do things differently. That’s not to say that there aren’t some terrible labels out there though of course!
 
MG How long was it before you actually started to make a profit in this cut throat business?
It took us a fair while if I’m honest, and even now we still struggle to make ends meet at times. But we’re young and have a lot of ambition and drive, which will hopefully see us through :)
 
MG Why should bands sign for you as opposed to other labels?
Nathan I think because of the work ethic and dedication that we bring to every single one of our releases. Our resource and contact network is second to none and whereas at some other bigger labels your band might not be seen as a priority, here at Basick we genuinely give all our bands exactly the same amount of backing, no matter the circumstances.
 
MG Who were the first band you signed and why and what do you look for in a band that makes you want to sign them?
Nathan I’m pretty sure it was FELLSILENT – they just had everything we were looking for; the right attitude, the right approach to their music and a far above average musical ability. We need all this things if we are to work with a band.
 
MG Do you tend to stick to a certain genre of metal music or is it just a case of, "these guys rock, sign them"?
Nathan Again, I think there needs to be that element to it! There’s nothing worse than going to see a band that sound great on record, but then bore the arse off you! Again, we’re looking for the very best musicians and guitar based bands in Rock and Metal to work with. By default these bands tend to be of a technical nature, it just comes with the territory I guess.
 
MG Do you scout for bands yourself or do you go on recommendations?
Nathan Both. I have the final say on who we sign, but I have a close network of friends and scouts whose opinions I value highly, so I’m always open to recommendations :)
 
MG Can bands send you demos or are there other channels they need to follow to get your attention?
Nathan Yep we check our demo dropbox every Wednesday, without fail: http://www.soundcloud.com/basickrecords/dropbox
 
MG Do you take on total control of a band, such as their Facebook, Myspace etc or do you let them make the choice, as when bands sign for certain other record  companies, they suddenly become 'untouchable' or unapproachable
Nathan We like to keep it 50/50. It’s important for us that a band is marketing itself appropriately, but its equally important that a band should keep up their own relations with their fans. There is nothing worse than a label or an outside company socially networking with bands fans via their own personal sites, pretending to be the band itself.  
 
MG Who would you say is the biggest band on your books at the moment?
Nathan The guys from A Dark Orbit are pretty big fellas.
 
MG How many bands have you got your eye on at the moment, or is that a case of, 'if i tell you that I would have to kill you"
Nathan Around 5 or 6. I can tell you the numbers, but not the names ;)
 
MG Apart from answering my boring and probing questions, what other ways are Basick going to celebrate 5 years of trading?
We had a big free birthday party with loads of bands and cake. It was great! Plus we released a FREE 15 track compilation CD that documents the music we’ve worked with over the last 5 years.
 
MG Finally (thank god I hear you say!) what advise can you give to bands out there that are struggling to make it?
Nathan Just stick with it, work hard and be all that you can be. If you’ve got a talent, as long as your head is in the right place, you practice and work hard, you’ll come right in the end.
 
Thankyou so much, Nathan for taking time out to talk to me