A new student-run record label is aiming to help more young people take their first steps in the industry.
New Street Records, a label run by students for students, announced on Monday that it would open a new branch in the city that would look to sign the very best of what Manchester’s student population has to offer.
The label, which originated in Birmingham in February 2015, is committed to giving students opportunities both behind the mic and behind the scenes, offering students the chance to practise entrepreneurial, production, marketing and planning skills whilst gaining real world experience.
Rob Charlton, co-director and a student at University of Manchester University told MM that the fact New Street is ran by students is a vital part of their ethos.
“It’s incredibly significant that it’s a student record label and I think Birmingham’s proved that,” he said.
“A lot of record companies these days miss what students actually want and as students we understand that and we can approach that much better.
“We’re always open for students to come and develop what they want to do for future career prospects.
“Working through as a student company you get so much work experience
“I think firstly to start with people that work within the record label itself it provides so much work experience which you can’t always get as a student.”
The Manchester branch will be hoping to emulate the success of its Birmingham counterpart in its first year of operation, which saw it feature on BBC and Capital FM, work with Spotify, and see their first artist headline at the O2 Academy in Birmingham.
Rob explained how, after hearing about the success of the original office, he felt compelled to bring the label to Manchester.
“I heard about it through a friend who works in the AR department in Birmingham and I just thought this is something which has to be set up in Manchester,” he said.
“Manchester lives and breathes music and it always has done, it’s arguably the most iconic music city in the country.
“Think about the Manchester music scene that came out in the 80s and 90s – Oasis, The Smiths, Happy Mondays.
“Music is moulded into Manchester’s culture so to be able to set up a student record label here is just a fantastic opportunity and it’s the perfect city for it to thrive in.”
Much Rob’s passion derives from his Mancunian roots.
Having grown up here he is intimately acquainted with the Manchester music scene and is keen to play a part in it.
The Manchester branch has been well received on social media, gaining well over 300 likes on Facebook in the first day after it announced its launch, and is looking to capitalise on this momentum by setting up an A&R night to launch the branch, which will take place at some point in the next couple of months.
In the meantime, the team of students, all of whom are voluntary and working purely for passion, will be scouring the city’s music scene for promising student artists to headline their launch.
Longer term, Mr Chorlton says New Street Records intends to set up a network of labels across various student cities in the UK with the intention of giving artists and students alike more opportunities through inter-branch co-operation.
“We aren’t excluding any music genre, we’re open to literally anything that we either sign or play at our events, nothing is taboo,” said Mr Chorlton.
“Everything is open. Manchester is such a vibrant music scene, there are a lot of genres out there to have a look at.”
Image courtesy of New Street Records, via Twitter, with thanks
