In the realm of music recording, small labels are not merely entities; they are hubs of ingenuity and resilience. Running an independent recording label can be both challenging and rewarding. Building a strong brand, nurturing relationships, and staying innovative are the keys to success for smaller music recording labels. California-based boutique record label RidingEasy, which specializes in classic rock, heavy psych, and proto-metal, embodies all the crucial aspects of prosperity within the indie sphere.
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Welcome to The Conduit, a podcast featuring candid conversations with professional musicians who give listeners the unvarnished truth about being an artist in the music business today.
In today’s episode, host and LA-based DJ, producer, and musician Dan Ubick (aka Constantine “Connie” Price) sits down with RidingEasy Records founder Daniel Hall to discuss the label’s formation and subsequent success. “I have been really lucky with how things have flown with [RidingEasy],” he says. “I think the difference with independent labels is we are putting out records we feel great about, even if it does not sell a million copies.”
RidingEasy Records is more than a label; it’s a passion-turned-phenomenon. Their tracks have found homes in commercials, films, TV shows, and online content, making them an indomitable force in the industry.
Daniel himself is more than a seasoned professional in music marketing; he’s a trailblazer in the industry. From artist to promoter, his journey through the music industry is marked by life-changing relationships and a profound understanding of the mechanisms of success. “I think one of the things I learned about in the music business is that what you think you are going to be doing is not always what you are going to be doing,” he says.
In our conversation, Daniel unpacks the roots of RidingEasy Records and how stoner rock band Salem’s Pot ignited the label’s formation.
He shares the experiences that shaped his belief in the power of music and waxes poetic about strong graphics as the backbone of a marketing campaign: “Pre-internet days, you would go to the record store, and a lot of times you couldn’t hear what something sounded like. You had to look at the [album] cover.” Daniel discusses the album art and labels that ignited his passion before forming RidingEasy Records, his contemporary marketing approach, and how his DJ background helped shape his career.
Grab a backstage pass into the inner workings of an indie record label by tuning into our conversation with Daniel Hall.
