Inside The Label: Ipecac Recordings

http://blog.indiepit.com/2009/07/02/inside-the-label-ipecac-recordings/

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You know a label is cool when it doesn’t even bother keeping track of how many records it sells. And while such slackerish business practices would seem to spell doom for any label, Ipecac Recordings is puking in the face of its naysayers as the company founded by Mike Patton and Greg Werckman blows out 10 candles this year.

“We don’t really count record sales that well,” Werckman sheepishly admitted to IndiePit in a recent chat. “For Mike and I … we’ve only been around 10 years, but man, we’ve done these records. And the records we’re proudest of are definitely not always the ones that sell the most. It’s just cool to work with so many talented people.”

Lest ye doubt the merit of Werckman’s word, try on for size the Melvins, Isis, Peeping Tom and Queens of the Stone Age - just a small nibble of the big cookie that is the Ipecac Recordings oeuvre.

“We have a foundation of artists who have been around for a while and have a built-in fanbase,” Werckman says of the aforementioned acts. “It would’ve been pretty hard for us to fail completely. … We have a base of Mike Patton’s projects since Faith No More - that’s a pretty strong fanbase. And then, right off the bat, we had the Melvins, who have a good, strong fanbase. The one band we’ve been able to grow and establish a fanbase with is Isis. And then Josh Homme, a good friend of ours from Queens of the Stone Age” who is a constant co-conspirator.

Note Werckman’s use of the term “foundation” instead of “roster.” That’s because the label doesn’t exactly have one - at least, not in the traditional sense. Ipecac doesn’t actually own any of its releases.

Cue a record screeching to a halt. How can there be a label that doesn’t actually own any of its releases?

Here’s how: At any given moment, Ipecac licenses multiple releases. But those items are only “borrowed,” as Werckman says, for a few years - at which point bands can bail and take the material elsewhere.

While Werckman sounds like a pretty modest guy, there’s an unmistakable trace of pride in his voice as he recalls: “Several years back, a big record label came knowing on our door and wanted to look into buying us out. And I told the person right up front, ‘Well, just so you know, you would be buying the name “Ipecac Recordings” - and I guess you would be gaining Mike and I as employees - but you wouldn’t have any of our releases.’ ”

It’s like a company that creates original products without owning the patents - a paradox, right? That’s why Werckman doesn’t think in just business terms.

“So much of what the music industry is built on is so anti-art. It’s all based on commerce and ownership and forcing someone into a relationship where they’re forced to work with us. I know so many artists on labels who are miserable.”

And it’s hard to be miserable when a label is giving you ownership of your masters, unlimited creative control … oh, and by the way, Ipecac also splits royalties right down the middle with its artists. Still, there have been some (albeit perhaps reluctant) defectors, including Homme’s sexy-slimy side gang, the Eagles of Death Metal, whose 2004 Peace, Love, Death Metal debut is one of the label’s best-sellers.

“When they were getting ready to record their second record, [frontman] Jesse [Hughes] needed a large amount of money for personal reasons. We’re in a position where we don’t pay huge advances for records. We pay what you need to make the record. Our goal is for every band and every record to show a profit and to write royalty checks to every band every six months. If it works like that, everyone’s happy.

“But at that time, we couldn’t advance the money the Eagles were looking for, and they said, ‘Do you mind?’ ” if they were to dish out the album via another label. “And we said, ‘That’s fine,’ and to this day we still put out the vinyl of EODM.”

With that sort of model, could there even be such a thing as label acrimony?

The Eagles - screw you, Don Henley, we’ll call ‘em that if we please - wound up releasing that second album, Death by Sexy, through the Universal-distributed Downtown Recordings. But just like Werckman doesn’t have any hang-ups about the Eagles straying away from Ipecac, neither does he hold any grudges against major labels.

“I am appalled by a lot of indie labels,” says Werckman, whose rare career has included stints as both manager of leftist label Alternative Tentacles and as an A&R rep at major-label Mercury Records. “QOTSA have a good working relationship with Interscope. There as just as many indie labels that rip bands off. And if you’re a pop band that’s going to need to be on the radio, I would suggest to you that you do record for a major record label. Because they’re the ones that have the resources to pay the radio stations and promote you and make the expensive videos.

“I don’t think many of our artists sit at bed at night dreaming about being on the cover of Rolling Stone,” he adds. “Our artists like making music.”

Artists like making music, and record labels like releasing music … and, generally, making money too. So how exactly does a label like Ipecac pay its bills, if it’s shelling out such large dividends to its artists (and spending so handsomely on album artwork , for that matter)? By keeping operational costs under control (the staff consists of three employees); by skirting marketing and promotion almost altogether; and by actually being sensible about how it spends its dough. Imagine that.

Werckman calls to mind another story about one of Homme’s mistresses, this one his ongoing improv-only Desert Sessions affair. The project infrequently records in Homme’s Inland Empire homeland and has involved the likes of PJ Harvey, Mark Lanegan and other urbanites he swindles into recording in the 110-degree heat.

“He sent a CD of four of the demo songs. They were really catchy. He said he [was] going to do it in the studio out in the desert,” Werckman says. “He said, ‘It looks like we’re going to need about $600.’ That record cost $600 of an advance. That band made a ton of money doing it that way. Instead of taking a $100,000 advance from us, and then us as a record label trying to find different ways to charge them more - building up this huge debt that they wouldn’t be able to climb out of - the band wouldn’t [have made any money].” Instead, Werckman says, “It went on to sell close to 200,000 [copies].

“For us, that’s what it’s all about. A band can record a record for us for $1,500. It can sell 3,000 copies worldwide, and it’s a success. There’s no pressure for it to be looked at as a failure. Big records that get advances are set up as a failure. Like I said, what’s the biggest doesn’t always equate to the most successful. We look at the records that have sold 3,000 copies as some of our biggest successes. It’s fun to introduce weird and unique artists that would otherwise not have an outlet.

Here’s what weirdness you can expect to see from Ipecac in the coming months and beyond:


Mike Patton
• Mondo Cane’s debut album. According to Werckman, the most anticipated upcoming Ipecac release is - surprise - a new venture by Mike Patton. And Mondo Cane looks to be his most incomprehensible ensemble yet - so to speak. Featuring a full orchestra, the real highlight will undoubtedly be Patton’s singing of Italian pop standards … in Italian, no less. The album, which “keeps getting sidetracked,” Werckman says, should finally see the light of day next year.

• Peeping Tom’s new album. Don’t start doing cartwheels yet - it won’t be out till 2011.

• Melvins’ new album. Only four things are certain in this world: taxes, death, Kathy Lee Gifford and Melvins.

• Mad Love’s debut album. By bassist Trevor Dunn of Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, etc. Due soon.


Sax Ruins
• Ruins’ new album. Or make that “Sax Ruins.” With the addition of a saxophonist, the band revised its mantle. “It’s chaos, it’s wonderful,” Werckman says of what to expect.

• Rahzel’s solo album. The former Roots beatboxer’s lonesome outing will likely drop next year.

• Queens of the Stone Age’s debut reissue. Fans sulking over the band’s recent abandonment of righteous riffage will be get their just desserts with a pair of early unreleased, yet-unvealed bonus tunes to appear on the reissue of its self-titled LP. For the factoid-inclined, Homme originally put out the album through Loosegroove Records, a label that - like Ipecac - was owned by a member of a band that dominated the last decade. That man is Stone Gossard, and his band is Pearl Jam.


Josh Homme
• Desert Sessions till you drop. Homme-ies know full well that Desert Sessions are released two at a time - after all, one album is never enough to contain the sprawling, chartless musical walkabout that is the project. This time around, though, Homme is doubling your pleasure, and your fun, with one piece new material, one piece “greatest hits” (or maybe, better put, “feel-good hits of the summer”).

In case that ain’t enough, you can keep Joshing around with a “really cool box set with vinyl and CDs” that will pull together all the Desert Sessions. No target release date on that one yet, though.

“They head out to the desert with nothing … it’s such a great, pure way to create music,” Werckman says of the Sessions. Josh has “been trying to get Patton to go out there, but he just hates the desert. Mike needs stimulation and good food to be creative.”

Ça c'est ce que j'appelle une excellente nouvelle !!! J'ai trouvé l'info sur Metalorgie.fr mais merci quand même de faire tourner l'info !! De mon côté, je l'ai postée sur Fessebook et Twitter et apparement, ça a fait plaisir à mes amis Pattoniaques à l'étranger !!! Et en plus, les Desert Sessions de Josh Homme sont tout bonnement divines. Et oui, il n'y a pas que Faith No More dans ma vie (23h/jour seulement), sinon c'est cool !!

Je vous conseille vivement d'aller sur les blogs Faith No More 2.0, Stubbadub et MikePatton.cl (en espagnol, oui je sais) parce qu'ils sont vraiment bien foutus. Au fait, z'avez prévu quoi dans 39 jours... ? :

Faudrait que Patton mange davantage, on arrêterait d'avoir des choses mal composées comme Crank II et A Perfect Place, ses deux seules compositions en 3 ans.

the 0))) a écrit:

Faudrait que Patton mange davantage, on arrêterait d'avoir des choses mal composées comme Crank II et A Perfect Place, ses deux seules compositions en 3 ans.

...C'est à dire?...

“They head out to the desert with nothing … it’s such a great, pure way to create music,” Werckman says of the Sessions. Josh has “been trying to get Patton to go out there, but he just hates the desert. Mike needs stimulation and good food to be creative.”


Donc, Mike devrait manger mieux, qu'il retrouve sa créativité de jadis.

Putain t'es ouf mec !

Comment tu parles à the O))) !!!

O)))) est le seul à ne pas aimer les 2 BO

Bon en définitive, je crois que je peux arréter de me toucher quand à l'album de Mondo Cane pour cette année...
Ca m'est égal que Patton n'aille pas trainer au Rancho De La Luna pour une Desert Sessions. A mon avis, c'est pas la question qu'il aime le désert ou qu'il ait besoin de bouffer des supers trucs. C'est juste qu'il se sentirait un peu seul avec plein de gens défoncés autours de lui au milieu de nul part à mon sens.

French Pattoniac a écrit:

the 0))) a écrit:

“They head out to the desert with nothing … it’s such a great, pure way to create music,” Werckman says of the Sessions. Josh has “been trying to get Patton to go out there, but he just hates the desert. Mike needs stimulation and good food to be creative.”


Donc, Mike devrait manger mieux, qu'il retrouve sa créativité de jadis.

Mec, va falloir que tu m'expliques où tu veux en venir... je veux dire concrètement. Parce que répéter ce qu'on dit c'est bien mais pas suffisant. Et puis, faudrait aussi qu'il nous ponde un nouveau Fantômas depuis le temps !!!

Puisque tu sembles avoir un anglais très minime, je vais expliquer le tout de façon à ce que tu comprennes. Dans l'entrevue, Werckman dit que Patton a besoin de stimulation et de bonne nourriture pour être créatif. Et moi ça me fait dire : Qu'on lui donne de la bonne nourriture immédiatement car il n'a rien créé de valable depuis Peeping Tom et Suspended Animation.


@Mr. Grabuge : Je doute fortement du fait que je suis la SEULE personne à trouver que A Perfect Place est l'une des pires sinon la pire chose que Patton a fait.

c'est quoi le problème avec a perfect place??? je capte pas ce point là...

Je la trouve pas mal perso.

oui moi aussi...
je peux comprendre qu on aime pas trop mais je pense qu'il y a bien pire dans la disco de patton...

Moi je le trouve tres bien le perfect place !

un peu court mais bon !

Tiens d'ailleurs ami [BRAM] !!

C'est koi pour toi le pire que le vieux nous ai pondu ?

|BRAM| a écrit:

oui moi aussi...
je peux comprendre qu on aime pas trop mais je pense qu'il y a bien pire dans la disco de patton...

Honnêtement, il n'y a rien de pire. Et A Perfect Place n'est pas horrible, juste très ordinaire. Honnêtement, y'a quel A Perfect Twist, A Little Poker Tomorrow Night et Ill Cupo Dolore qui sont mémorables. Les chansons instrumentales sont fades, avec un son assez mauvais et peu de virtuosité.

the 0))) a écrit:

Je doute fortement du fait que je suis la SEULE personne à trouver que A Perfect Place est l'une des pires sinon la pire chose que Patton a fait.

Alors trouve-moi quelqu'un qui le pense aussi...

Pour resumer !

Nous pouvons dire qu'avec peeping tom, a perfect place et crank 2, le vieux aurait pu faire juste un seul et bon album en compilant les meilleures chansons de chacun d'entre eux !

Ah franchement Crank 2 se tient par lui même pour moi. Ca reste une collection de morceaux très différents qui collent aux images du film, c'est sur. D'où un aspect très décousu. Mais j'y retrouve une folie que je n'avais pas entendu depuis Suspended Animation (qui commence à dater un peu). Et en ça, je trouve cette B.O bien supérieure à celle de A Perfect Place et je trouve que ça va bien à Patton de travailler sous contraintes. Apparement il apprécie aussi.