In ten years Ipecac Recordings has managed to assemble an incredible constellation of bands. This fraternity includes Tomahawk, Fantômas, The Melvins, Isis… among others. The label has constructed it’s own immediately identifiable musical landscape, one so distinct and well-crafted that it has swept respect and success throughout the industry. Greg Werckman, co-founder of Ipecac, has compiled an artist-centered committed label and discusses its beginnings, evolution and perspectives.

When did you first encounter the will to put up a label with Mike Patton ?
In 1998 Mike had a couple projects he was working on, Fantômas and Maldoror. After Faith No More broke up he focused on these. I was Mike’s manager so I was talking to record labels about these projects. Nothing seemed to make sense to us. At the same time our friends, the Melvins, let us know they were looking for a permanent home as well. Because of my experience running and indie label and working at a major label, I felt comfortable doing it ourselves. We reached out to a few distributors and decided on April 1st 1999 to give it a shot. We were not sure if it would work but we were determined to provide a place where artistic creativity would be the focus.

As far as Ipecac goes, do you feel like you’re providing a pretty safe haven for people that want to stay independent ?
Yes, we are. It is not so much about staying independent, it is about retaining control of your art and getting paid for it. We provide a very artist friendly environment. I’m proud that we have survived over 10 years in this hideous industry.

Independent or not, running a label is business. Where does the indie and the businessman converge ?
It is absolutely a business. We feel that artists deserve to have their art heard by as many people as possible and to be paid fairly. It is not realistic, but I wish each of our releases would sell millions of copies. We would love to be the most successful record label in history however the sales won’t drive the art. The art is the focus and the commerce is the reward.

It seems that you are caught between worlds. Ipecac aren’t giving people the traditional view of an indie label, but you also have bigger draws and sales than most ‘indie heads’ that are essentially purists.
I don’t see it like that. What is the “traditional” view of an indie label? We put out some very obscure and challenging music. Even our most successful artist, Patton, is certainly not considered a mainstream artist. We do what we feel is right and do what our artists wish. I have no idea how other labels handle their business. But even more importantly, who really cares about the record label ? Do the majority of people who purchase music check to see the size of the label before they decide on a purchase ? It is about the music.

How has the label changed or evolved from the initial idea to execution ?
Well to be honest, we were not even sure it would be a real record label when we came up with the idea. We thought it might just be an outlet for Patton projects. But once the Melvins came aboard and we found that there were people looking for this kind of a label, it evolved into an active record label. The label evolves as the artists do. We just try to keep up with them.

Do you think that you’ve been able to create a bigger market by raising the bar ?
I don’t think we have affected any market. But we have realized that a lot of people are open to interesting and unique music. Not everyone is content with what the mainstream media serves them.

What has been Ipecac’s biggest success in terms of sales ?
The Kids of Widney High has sold over 4 million copies.

And the less successful one ?
They are all screaming success’s.

Do you feel that internet tools and digital distribution closed the income gap between ‘the hits’ and less established artists over the past years ?
No, I don’t. I think the gap is still huge between the huge selling artists and the unknowns. A lot of people thought that the digital distribution would level the playing field, but I think that it is even harder now for a developing artist to get noticed in the vast digital wasteland. When there were more cool record stores and cool radio stations and cool magazines it was easier to find cool, unknown bands. There is less focus now.

Some would argue that the future of music might exist online…
I don’t think it can be argued anymore. It is a fact. Although for developing artists it is even more important to be visible by touring.

How do you deal with very prolific bands like The Melvins, given that usually (major) labels exploits an album to its full money potential before sending the band back to recording ?
We let the artist make the decisions. At the very beginning of Ipecac the Melvins asked if it was ok if they committed career suicide by releasing 3 records in 8 months. We said that it sounded interesting and that was the Trilogy that we released. It is important to us to ignore industry standards and the norm and to just do what feels right for the artist. Nothing wrong with putting a record out in the summer or in january, people listen to music year round. We don’t send bands into the studio, bands let us know when they are ready.

How does the ‘music crisis’ affect you personally as a listener ?
Sales don’t affect me as a listener, but it affects me greatly as a businessman. I worry that there is little support for up and coming and developing bands. I don’t want to have to listen to old bands all the time. The excitement comes with discovering new artists.

I’m curious about your feelings regarding the Faith No More reunion ?
Well, as a fan of the band it is great to see them play again. As a friend of the band, I’m very happy with how successful the reunion was. But as a fan of rock music, it is a little sad that we depend on these bands from years ago to provide our entertainment. I could enjoy seeing Faith No More, the Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age, the Jesus Lizard, the Pixies etc etc play all the time, but we also need to support the next generation of rock bands. It can’t all be stale electronic music can it ?

What are Ipecac’s upcoming signatures ?
Got some cool upcoming releases. Just released BEAK> (a Portishead side project), releasing a DJ Rob Swift solo record in Feb, Mondo Cane, Mike Patton’s long awaited Italian pop project comes out in April, followed by new Melvins and more !

Related links
www.ipecac.com
www.facebook.com/ipecac
www.twitter.com/ipecacrec