Jef Peace is a prolific songwriter, a man of classic substance, gritty, humble and painfully honest. He's the smoking gun behind Peacework Records, and Peacework Music Network. We've been intrigued by the bands he represents as well as his own beatnik- jazz- throwback- style in Jazza Diction that was reviewed in Score! Music Magazine in September of 2002. He's about to charm the sugar from the bowl here while explaining what a band can expect from a Peacework contract, what he listens for when considering a band, and gently offers insight into the ongoing Analog/Digital debate.
May: How do you feel about the indie / mainstream conflict in today's industry vs. during the label's inception?
Jef: Actually, the label was initially just my private label for my own music. The official launch of PeaceWork Records as an Indie label, open to all artists, was January 1, 2000.
Anyway, I see some huge forward movement in the indie scene and downward sliding in the mainstream. At the risk of sounding political (Who? Me? Political?), I think it's about time artists started directly benefiting from their art and the business folk started letting go of some of that cash. I can't think of anything that irritates me more than a person incapable of creating music telling musicians what to create.
This high-handed method is having its toll. The majors would like us to believe music sales are declining because of piracy, but the fact is that people are getting tired of the copycat pabulum that is being spoon-fed to them. They want new and different and exciting and ORIGINAL.
Depending on who you ask, it's not music sales that are down, but only mainstream music sales that are down. The indie scene is doing quite well and I think we're going to win this war!
May: Who are your partners now, and how did you all meet?
Jef: I don't have any partners with PeaceWork Records, I'm the sum total of the management team. However, I'm going to assume you're referring to the distribution company, PeaceWork Music Net and will respond accordingly.
Fran Ashcroft was the man who started the ball rolling with PeaceWork Music Net. Fran is a producer with impressive credits, which include Blur. He's the only person I personally know who has been inside Abbey Road, but that's another story. Fran also produced my EP, Don't Look Back and has been a never-ending source of advice and assistance. Fran is our International Director and is instrumental in maintaining our overseas offices. He's also an A&R man, which helps considerably in all aspects of distribution.
Jean Marc Rejaud is a business executive with a very impressive resume, which includes Marketing Director for MCI. Jean Marc is our Director of Marketing and serves, among other things, as our buffer and contact with the corporate world. Without him, we couldn't remain a partnership in this industry and would lose our personal touch.
May: What made you want to start your own record label?
Jef: I had something to say and no one in the industry would listen. I was ripped off, lied to and generally abused. I couldn't give up, though, any musician will tell you about the addiction. I decided to start my own label and said "to hell with the industry."
May: While considering signing a band to the Peacework label, what do you look for from their music?
Jef: I look for the t-shirt or coffee mug that came with the package first, but once I've been sufficiently bribed, then what I look for is originality and talent. The two things that will stand out most is if the music doesn't remind me of any other group and if the lyrics make me go "hmmmmm." I want PeaceWork Records to become synonymous with "You can't find this awesome stuff on any other label."
May: Is there a personal goal you are trying to achieve with Peacework Records, and has it changed since starting the label?
Jef: Yes, there is a personal goal and no, it has not changed.
I'm trying to do what I can to make the industry more balanced. I'd love for PeaceWork Records to be as big as Sony, just so I would have the necessary clout to turn it around in one fell swoop, but I know that will never happen. So, since the ultimate goal is unrealistic, my goal is to be the best Indie label possible and become a haven for talented and hard working musicians who have been abused or ignored by the industry.
May: What can a band expect from one of your contracts? And what would make a band want to sign with your label opposed to another (in other words, do you feel your contract would be as beneficial, or better?)
Jef: Hey, that's two questions . . . you obviously don't know how easily distracted I am.
Okay, the first question; the band can expect complete honesty with no strings. What you see is what you get. My eyes are too bad to read fine print, so I dispense with it entirely.
The answer to the second question is I have no idea why any band would want to sign to my label except maybe that they want someone who understands them and really digs what they're doing to represent them.
It is beneficial and better; because part of what I do is seek contracts with larger labels for my clients. I'm not big enough to offer recording contracts and huge promotions, so I try to find a label that can. I will negotiate the fairest deal possible and will advise every step of the way. I don't mind being a stepping-stone; it really is all about the music with me.
May: How does your label promote a band you've just signed, or a new release/tour from a band already signed?
Jef: Oh, man, now you're getting personal. Okay, you want the details of the drudgery . . . here goes:
It all starts with a press release sent out to a carefully assembled list of radio stations, promoters, magazines, e-zines and larger labels. Each list is specific to the genre. Hopefully, this initial press release will result in airplay and reviews, which are used to beef up the press kit.
The new and improved press kit is sent to a more select group of industry folk with the specific intent of acquiring more concentrated airplay, bigger articles and consideration for tours.
So far, I haven't had a single tour scheduled, but I'm working on it. Give it time, PeaceWork Records will be co-sponsoring the International Pop Overthrow by next year and plans are being laid for a similar festival, only not focusing specifically on pop. Very hush-hush, though, don't tell anyone I told you that.
May: How important is it for you to appreciate an industry trend, or the bands signed to the label to follow trend?
Jef: The only time I'll advise a band to follow a trend is if their music fits a specific genre that requires it. I recognize trends and grudgingly respect them because that's what the fans want, but I DO NOT appreciate them. For me it's all about expressing what's inside you, or observations you've made through music. You simply can't do that if you're worrying about whether or not you're wearing the right clothes.
May: How do you scout new talent?
Jef: I don't . . . new talent scouts me. That's not entirely flippant. I think I've only signed three bands as a result of direct inquiries (two of them were on the Goes Down Smooth compilation, btw, thanks for sending that to me). The rest of them came to me as referrals from Fran Ashcroft or inquiries from the distribution company I am co-owner of, PeaceWork Music Net. I've also received quite a few submissions directly from the PeaceWork Records website as well.
May: Your personal effort with the band Jazza Diction was recorded incredibly clear, while not sounding too "polished". Tell me about the equipment your studio prefers to use. Analog? Or Digital?
Jef: You just hit on the one thing that keeps my marriage from being perfect . . . the analog vs digital war is an ongoing one between my lovely and talented wife, Cyd and me.
I personally prefer analog, it's warmer and sounds more natural to me. However, I do admit that certain styles lend themselves to the crisp precision of digital, such as trance and electronica.
I'll let you guess Cyd's preference.
The CD you reviewed, Can Ya Dig It? was recorded in a live room, but the instruments were plugged directly into a Yamaha mixer and we used headphones. The vocal tracks actually have a little bleed-over from the drums and sax (as well as the room "white" noise), which is what gives it the warmth you're hearing. We used a Yamaha 8track mini-disc recorder and a few little toys like a Berringer compressor and a Yamaha effects processor, but it was pretty much live and what you hear is what we were hearing when we recorded it. My mic is an Audix Om 3xb, which I highly recommend for baritone vocalists. Brian used the old standard Shure 58.
However, that was how that album was recorded. I'm leaning toward lo-fi and with a few exceptions; the bands on my label are mostly lo-fi. We're even about to release a no-fi album that was recorded entirely on a portable cassette recorder. Keep you eyes peeled for that press release . . . it's quite an adventure into the mind of a true musician.
PeaceWork Records doesn't have its own studio and I don't have any real plans for ever opening a studio. I do have contacts with two exceptional studios that can provide anything needed, though. If I did put a studio together, I would start with a Yamaha mixer and mini-disc recorder, but I would also go to great lengths to find an old 1 or 2 inch reel-to-reel and that's what I'd do most of my recording on.
May: What is the difference between your two-label groups- Peacework Music Net, and Peacework Records? What is the purpose of the network?
Jef: It is confusing, isn't it? Actually, there's the label (PeaceWork Records) and the distribution company (PeaceWork Music Net). The major difference is I own the label and the distribution company owns me . . . well, it seems like it, anyway.
They are two completely separate companies and the only reason PeaceWork Music Net has the word PeaceWork in it is because at one time it was just an extension of the label. Now it's a growing multi-national music distribution company with offices in eight countries and more coming. We even have offices in East Europe and China!
The name stuck because it was more effort thinking of a new name than it seemed it was worth at the time. In retrospect, I wish we had renamed it because of the confusion it causes.
May: What has been your biggest lesson learned since starting the label?
Jef: I've learned that ranting may be entertaining, but it doesn't accomplish the intended goal. I'm every bit as opinionated as I ever was, but now I make those opinions known without flying off the handle.
Representing other people forced me to be more diplomatic. It's easy to tell someone to get screwed if they don't like my music; I'm the only one that suffers. I can't say that for other artists, though, and in learning how to be more diplomatic for my clients, I learned how to do the same for me.
May: What bands are you listening to these days?
Jef: You're trying to find out how old I am, aren't you? I listen to so much . . . my favorites are The Doors, REM, Depeche Mode, The Cure, 3rd Eye Blind, The Cranberries . . . man, the list goes on and on. I guess I'm most attracted to alternative rock, but hot jazz can really get me going, and so can Mozart.
The most recent band I've heard that I really like is T.A.T.U. and the most recent one prior to that is 3rd Eye Blind . . . guess that pretty much sums up what I think of mainstream, eh?
