Tom Loftus (Modern Radio Music Label, co-owner)
SPB: What was the biggest mistake you made when starting up/learning how run a record label?
Loftus: My biggest mistake was overestimating quantity when putting out releases. There are all sorts of price breaks when you manufacture vinyl, CDs or print that make the cost per unit much cheaper. I always had a notion that running a label was something I wanted to do for a long time and that there were all sorts of stories of bands I loved that never saw critical appreciation in their own time. This comes from working in and hanging out in record stores a bunch. Additionally, there was a desire to have something documented and available for future generations. I didn't fully consider how many copies the band and distros could actually sell in the immediate future and ended up creating excess physical copies that still don't have homes. While it would be nice to think of those records finding a new audience years later, the reality is that it is unlikely.
