Music for music lovers

Songphonic was formed to provide an artistic and commercial platform to develop and sell quality contemporary music for music lovers. These days simply too much material and too many artists are manufactured  to a formula - we prefer to grow ours organically.

This means we have to develop our artists and music in a more natural way. We call this 'incubation' and Songphonic is rare among record labels in devoting resources to incubating new talent. Decades ago this was the industry norm but these days they are expected to generate a hit within six months of signing or they are out - we are different.

Initially we decided to focus on the time-honoured song forms - hence the name Songphonic. You can make good music in many other forms too but we all have to start somewhere. This is also the reason why our initial roster of artists are all singer-songwriters.

For us, one of the tests for good music is its potential longevity. Stripped of its production clothes, will a particular song be enjoyable in ten years' time? Will it become a jazz standard or be covered by another artist? Can it cross-over styles?

This is what we strive to achieve and encourage in our artists.  It does not mean that we will always succeed but every once in a while, we will hit that great song. Hopefully, the rest of the time they will be good songs.  It apparently took Carole King 150 'bad songs' (her words) before You've Got A Friend.

Audiophile sound and production

There is no point in striving for quality music if you cannot deliver the best possible experience to your listeners. At Songphonic, we are fanatical about sound quality and have the in-house expertise and the resources to make it happen - in the studio or a live setting.

At Songphonic, arranging, recording, mixing and production all go hand in hand in a closed loop, striving for that perfect sound to match the music.

We like having production values which sound great on a hi-fi system and good on radio (or in MP3). We believe radio specific mixes can sometimes sound awful and thin when heard on a great system. We were very proud when What Hi-Fi magazine chose our debut album as a Test CD, describing its production as faultless.

Embrace new technology

We were probably the one of the first labels in the world to send out album promos pre-ripped on a Songphonic branded MP3 player. We embrace new technology in everything we do (having a CEO with passion for technology helps) and are constantly trying out new ways of doing things.

We are not one of those analog die-hards or a company seeking a retro-sound. For us if it sounds good, it is good. We use lots of analog outboard gear but record and mix digitally (see our studio page here). We use the best possible acoustic instruments, mics together with the best virtual instruments and tools to translate our artists' music into the best format for our listeners.

We are constantly experimenting with new media formats to see what is possible and will be trying out these formats with future releases.

A world-class boutique

Like any business we have to grow to a critical mass to become a commercial success. However, we do not plan nor want to become a giant record company where the quarterly pressures become more important than the artistry. Our vision is to become a respected and world-class boutique, much like ECM or Blue Note, with a very high-quality catalog of artists and recordings for our label and timeless songs for our publishing business.

Journey is the reward. We hope that you will stay the course with us.

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