PropertyOfZack’s Label Talk series has been in the works for months and last week we debuted it with producer/manager Jesse Cannon who works with Man Overboard and Transit. This week we bring you an interview from Jeff Casazza, Run For Cover Record’s founder. We’re huge supports of RFC and of all the bands that Jeff has under his roof, so it’s a great joy that we were able to set up an interview with him. Jeff and I discuss how 2010 went for the label, how he handles being an indie compared to the majors, how he goes about signing bands, the future of RFC, and more! 

It’s been a pretty incredible year for Run For Cover with critically acclaimed releases from Man Overboard, Transit, and now Tigers Jaw. How would you describe the last year?
It’s really been crazy. At the end of 2009 I pretty much decided to see just how much I could accomplish with this label in a year. I had never put out a full length before this year, besides the Fireworks works LP that we did on vinyl, but Run For Cover had never financed a full length release ourselves which is a pretty big step for a record label. By the end of the year we will have released 15 releases in 2010, with 7 of those being full lengths, and 5 of those them being CD/LPs. I really had no idea if I could do it, especially with a school schedule and essentially no full time help, but I think it went well. It’s just insane to think that in 2009 RFC released 4 or 5 records, the year before that 3, and this year 15. How did that happen? I don’t even know. What I do know, is that Man Overboard - Real Talk, Tigers Jaw - Self Titled, Transit - Keep This To Yourself, Hostage Calm - Self Titled, and Tigers Jaw - Two Worlds are easily 5 of my favorite releases in Run For Cover’s catalog, and the fact that they all came out in one year is insane to me. Sometimes I sit at my desk just looking at the piles of CDs directly in front of me and think about how much I like them.
 
You started Run For Cover six years ago when you were only 17. Was it always just a matter of time in your eyes until this extreme growth spurt took place, or is it still a surprise?
It’s still a surprise for sure. There was definitely a time were I considering just dropping the whole thing a few years ago, which is weird to think about. It just seemed unrealistic to be successful at all, and at that point we were dealing with almost exclusively hardcore bands, which was really hard, because there aren’t many good hardcore bands out there, and the good ones get picked up by the bigger hardcore labels immediately. Basically that scene had everything it needed label wise and it became frustrating to keep pushing to be apart of it when there really weren’t a lot of bands. I love hardcore and always have, and hardcore is the reason this label exists and that will never change, but clearly we have found a niche that is working for us. That niche isn’t pop punk or post hardcore or anything like that either. I don’t know what it is. We release a lot of different sounding stuff but I believe it all ties together very well. To directly answer your question, I did not expect this to happen, not even close. I honestly feel so lucky that Run For Cover is where it’s at right now. I think about it everyday. 
 
What’s your regular day like at the label? It is it more kind of managing how your roster is doing as a whole and prepping releases, or is there a lot more to it that most people wouldn’t think of?
Yeah there’s a ridiculous amount of stuff going on at all times, especially considering we put out at least one release for every month this year. Mailorder consumes a ton of my time but I’ve learned to deal with it get it done quickly and efficiently. We’ve obviously had mailorder troubles in the past. It was tough to get a hold on but we have a great system, interns helping out, my friend Bobby and my roomate Taylor and my girlfriend Dre tackle it with me sometimes. I am glad to say the mailorder woes of our past are gone. Other things that get done on a daily basis are design work for releases/promotional items, assembling records, forwarding shows with posters, taking inventory, shipping and receiving between distributors and manufacturers, folding endless amounts of shirts, corresponding with CD/Vinyl plants, screenprinters, offset printers, and bands, making sure they have what they need on the road and such. Obviously listening to bands and the A&R aspect is a huge part of it, but that’s sort of something that just naturally happens. I also do all the web design social networking and webstore aspects of the label. That stuff can take up a ton of time but I generally enjoy doing it. Even something as simple as keeping up with twitter and tumblr and facebook and such can be hectic. There’s always something to do, that’s for sure. Weekends don’t exist for me. 
 
Giants like Warner Brothers can, essentially, manage lower sales for their bands and artists because those names are more likely to sell out larger arenas like MSG or Staples Center in LA. How do you, as a smaller label, handle the same issue of decreased music sales?
Every year that goes by is unfortunately the new lowest year of recorded music sales in history. I think this is a product of most mainstream music being terrible, disposable, and more often than not insultingly trendy. The only thing a record label or band can do to counteract this is make music people care about. I think we release music people care about, and as long as we keep doing that, people will buy it. It’s funny, Tigers Jaw - Two Worlds sold more copies in the first week than any Run For Cover release prior. If you look at the mediafire and torrent links for the album, it had been downloaded 3,000+ times within the first 48 hours of it hitting the internet. It’s probably been downloaded 10,000+ times by now. Would we have sold more copies if the internet didn’t exist? Who knows? I don’t. I try not to worry about it. 
 
We saw just how effective tools like Bandcamp can be this past summer with Man Overboard’s handling of their leak, so what are your opinions on not only Bandcamp, but just the sale of music in general in terms of iTunes and the new push in vinyl?
Bandcamp rules, no question. It was such an effective tool when it was free that I actually wanted to give them money for how awesome it was. I am happy they charge money now, I could care less. It gives the user exactly what anyone would need in purchasing of digital music. Even physical music! Bandcamp is perfect and I hope it keeps growing. To anyone reading this I urge you to try to find releases on Bandcamp before purchasing them on iTunes. Support the little guy, or something. Regarding the Real Talk leak, 15 minutes after it hit the internet we had it on Bandcamp available for $7. We sold hundreds and hundreds of copies of it that night. People were so psyched on how we handled it, it was seriously unreal. People were saying they purchased the album on Bandcamp just because they thought it was cool that we released the record early because it leaked. I will say this, I have read countless articles and news posts about that happening, all praising how RFC and Man Overboard handled the situation, but really most credit is due to Jesse Cannon, the band’s manager/producer. We were clearly all on board and it worked out amazingly. It’s funny that bigger labels/bands don’t follow suite. If something is available illegally, and not from a legitimate source, seems to me like releasing it legally as an alternative to stealing it is common sense. Some people are idiots.
 
With the industry struggling the way that it is, how do you make decisions about who to bring into your family and how to market them?
One of our interns was asking me something similar recently, regarding whether or not I take into consideration how people will view a certain band being on the label and whether or not its a factor in signing a band. It totally is, which I guess some people might think is weird. We signed a rapper (GDP) this year, as well as a singer/activist (Koji) who are both not only polar opposites from each other, but completely different things for the label. I thought long and hard about the GDP thing, what fans of RFC would think, what my peers would think, etc. I obviously came to the decision that it would work, because I realized his music spoke for itself. Normally signing an offbeat sort of artist I would play it for a friend and give them a few reasons on why I was into it, or why I thought it made sense for Run For Cover, but with GDP, its just like “listen to this” and everyone gets it because its immediately engaging. Anyone of my friends, any dude in a band on Run For Cover, one song in and they just get it.  He’s DIY, he’s pissed, he comes from a punk background, he gets what Run For Cover is doing and he’s incredibly talented. Same thing with Koji. As soon as that dude sings everyone is immediately sold on it. On the other hand there have been bands I love that I don’t think fit the aesthetic of the label and not worked with them because of it. I don’t know how to market a metalcore record. I don’t even want to touch that whole scene in general even though there are heavier unsigned bands I am really into. It’s weird talking about an aesthetic or whatever for my label because I don’t even know what the “image” my label has. I am not intentionally doing anything, or trying to appear a certain way or apart of some specific trend. I hope that’s obvious. 
 
Recently the UK band, Basement was added to the family and will be putting out a release next year through the label. Obviously they fit the style of bands on the label, but is branching out, out of the country for bands something that you’re definitely more open to?
I don’t know. I want to say “not really” but anything can happen and there are tons of good bands everywhere. Basement isn’t our first international band. We released a discography for an amazing group of guys from Norway called Death is Not Glamorous. They were our 8th release I believe, and we are releasing their year old full length on vinyl very soon. It’s been pushed back a bunch but its still happening. Really great band. Basement has a full length coming out in 2011 on Run For Cover. I couldn’t be more excited to hit the UK with them and Tigers Jaw in a month. They talk funny and I love it. 
 
Run For Cover is very much labeled as a strictly pop-punk label, but Tigers Jaw just released Two Worlds and they certainly fit in the same criteria, but are really one of a kind. What do you see in store for them in the next year building off of this release?
Most people consider us a pop-punk label, which I think is sort of weird. On the other hand it seems like every band/label/person hates whatever label is assigned to them. Everyone thinks everyone else is a hipster you know? We definitely do release a bunch of pop-punk records, but I think labeling bands like Title Fight, Transit, Tigers Jaw, Castevet etc as pop-punk is just lazy. Arguing the semantics of genres is annoying though.
 
Regarding Tigers Jaw I think Two Worlds is just phenomenal. I really don’t think it could be better. The only thing stopping Tigers Jaw from directly following in Title Fights path, if you ask me, is the fact that they don’t tour full time. I think Two Worlds is a much stronger release than their past work and I think it will open doors for them for sure. I couldn’t be happier to have a band on my label. I love Tigers Jaw. 
 
Man Overboard, in particular, has really exploded within the past six months, much past the expectations of many, in a way some are comparing to both early Brand New and The Get Up Kids. Title Fight are currently on a huge tour with Bayside and Senses Fail. All in all, things are really looking for most of the bands on your label and for the label itself. Do stories like these kind of give you hope in terms of running a label? How do they play into your thoughts in general about where we are in the music industry and what we’re doing?
It’s really cool that bands on my label are getting so much attention but it clearly speaks more on the quality of music the bands are making than really anything I am doing. It definitely gives me hope for underground and DIY music that bands on RFC can actually survive on tour and come home with money. I think that’s pretty impressive. Title Fight are on a label essentially ran out of a bedroom, doing us tours with Four Year Strong, New Found Glory, and Bayside. It’s cool. 
 
On AbsolutePunk’s Label picks for 2010, Soupy from The Wonder Years compared you guys to Drive-Thru, and many others are sort of calling you and No Sleep the home for the new “era” of this genre’s great releases. Is that humbling in a way?
Yes definitely. This is also something I was talking to with a friend very recently. Growing up and going to shows, I’d see a band as a kid that to me was huge; say the Get Up Kids or The Anniversary or Piebald or something. That was like IT you know? I would see a band I loved play to 400 people in a club and just assumed because I loved that band, and 399 other people loved that band, that they were making money, living lavish lifestyles, and generally just doing it you know? Those bands had made it to me. I figured any band on a label like Drive Thru was just killing it in every way. It’s funny because now so many of my friends are in the same positions as a lot of those early Drive-Thru and Vagrant records bands, and it’s just really interesting to see all this shit from behind the scenes and actually being the one in charge of these bands records and whatnot. Things sure are different than I thought they’d be…
 
Being compared to labels I grew up thinking were just the biggest things out there is insane. It’s very humbling to say the least. Truth be told I am not a huge Drive-Thru fan outside of a few bands, but the comparison is definitely a welcomed one. It’s weird seeing all these labels I grew up with slowly fading out of relevance. Seems like a lot of those 2000 era labels got stuck on some shitty trends and couldn’t get away from it before it was too late. No Sleep is 100% on the tip of what’s cool, new, and interesting in indie music, and I would like to think Run For Cover is right there with them. We are definitely doing similar things, but at the same time I we both have completely different aesthetics which is cool. I think Topshelf Records should be getting just as much credit honestly. 
 
Two Worlds marked the 30th release for Run For Cover, but pushing into next year, what else can we be on the lookout for? There are expected releases from Title Fight, Man Overboard, and Transit.
We have tons of releases already planned for 2011. Although it probably won’t be as crazy as this year, as I have already proved my point, it will still be very busy. As far as stuff I am allowed to talk about, this is what to expect in the first quarter of 2011. 
 
*Fireworks - Bonfires 7” which is 3 new songs. Really next level stuff for them. They are probably the single most important band to the history of Run For Cover and I couldn’t be happier to still be releasing their music in conjunction with Triple Crown.  This 7” has some crazy packaging stuff going on that I am really excited about. Fireworks are also recording their full length as I type this. 
 
* Castevet - 7”. Our first release for one of my more recent favorite bands is going to be a 2 song, one sided 7” with a silkscreened b-side and some pretty original art/packaging going on. This record is going to look just as cool as it sounds, and it sounds awesome. Best Castevet stuff to date.
 
*GDP - Useless Eaters CD/LP. This will be out around February/March. I was really unsure of what to expect from this release before I heard it, but since starting this label I have never been more blown away upon hearing a release for the first time. It’s so genuinely good, and creative, and different. I can’t say enough good things about it. Very easily could be my #1 record of 2011. 
*Daytrader - The Last Days of Rome 12”EP/CD - I am really excited about this release, which will hopefully be out by the end o January. These songs are so much better than the demo it’s crazy. People are going to be very impressed. Vince Ratti who recorded the Upsides and Two Worlds produced it and it sounds awesome.  
We also have confirmed releases with some of the bands you mentioned that we can’t quite talk about yet, as well as new bands, a book or two, a movie, etc. Things are getting crazy.
 
Thank you so much for your time, is there anything else you’d like to add?
Check out these record labels, Topshelf Records, Tiny Engines, No Sleep, and thank you PropertyOfZack.com for the interview. These questions were better than pretty much any interview I’ve done before. Thank you!