Morgen is het exact vijf jaar geleden dat “Water, Winds and Sails“, de allereerste release op WM Recordings, online ging. Dat heuglijke feit wordt gevierd met een gratis compilatie, die vanaf morgen op de site van het label staat. Dat dit ook nog eens de honderdste gratis release is, komt natuurlijk extra mooi uit.
Ik heb enkele mensen die op de een of andere manier betrokken waren bij mijn label, of die me in de loop van de jaren moreel gesteund hebben, gevraagd om een paar woorden over WM op papier te zetten. Mijn online vriendin Katyana, bekend van haar sites Oddio Overplay en Kazoomzoom, heeft er een uitgebreid verhaal van gemaakt, waarin tevens de geschiedenis van de netlabelscene wordt aangestipt. Kat’s verhaal komt uiteraard op de WM Recordings website te staan, maar ik vind het zo leuk dat ik het ook hier een plekje wil geven:
WM Recordings is celebrating its fifth birthday. In reviewing old correspondence from those years, something became crystal clear. Marco is an energetic powerhouse, a great guy, and he and his netlabel deserve every success.
Our friendship began with an online music community years ago. In that situation, I learned that Marco treats people with respect, is generally friendly, and has a seemingly limitless knowledge of even the most obscure genres of music. Actually, he is especially good with the most obscure genres.
Marco and I would get to know one another better in 2003 when Otis Fodder included us in the team who staffed Comfort Stand Recordings. It was there that I first witnessed Marco’s dedication. He was always on top of staff discussions and worked well with artists. Marco would prepare releases and spend countless hours of overtime working on Comfort Stand. It sometimes seemed like the guy just didn’t sleep.
Late in 2004, Marco’s Weirdomusic.com launched its own netlabel and WM Recordings was born as a sister to Comfort Stand. The historical significance of both of these netlabels is that they were offering genres that were not available out there in netlabel-land. Netlabels at that early time were focused mostly on electronica and out-there experimental material. Marco and Otis were among the first to create netlabels offering a wide spectrum of music.
The early introduction to the netlabel explained, “WM Recordings brings you music that is a little ‘different.’ We do not specialize in one style, but instead bring you exciting sounds that you’re not likely to find anywhere else.”
In fact, the first release on WM Recordings, a collection titled WATER, WIND AND SAILS, flows across genres from bluegrass to the avant garde. It was released in conjunction with Jan Turkenburg’s 52 Weeks. Week 18 of 52 was a radio program with the sea as its theme. Turkenburg invited listeners to contribute their own musical pieces to create a water CD. Fellow Netherlanders Jan Turkenburg and Ton Ruckert have assisted Marco with other releases for WM Recordings, as well.
WM Recordings branched out in 2006 with a sales catalog to help support artists, yet has still maintained an ever-growing catalog of free releases.
Five years ago I wrote, “Super excited and grateful that WM Recordings has sprouted. Here’s to it blossoming in the years to come.”
Blossom it has. Now we celebrate 100 releases and five years of unusual, wonderful free music, and a fantastic catalog for sale. Countless ears around the world have enjoyed their music. WM Recordings has been a positive place on the web for five years, and we are all so fortunate for it!
Congratulations to Marco and all of the WM Recordings artists on five years of blossoming. Happy Birthday, WM Recordings.
Related posts:
