Zunior is a record label and cool idea by former Inbreds drummer Dave Ullrich. The gimmick, if you will, is that albums are sold online directly at Zunior.com, and only in MP3 form (although you can get some albums in CD format too), while only taking a small percentage of sale price, which means that the bands get more money while the albums cost less and the “record industry” is bypassed, leaving the artists in full control. Ryan McLaren and Ullrich talked about the site, the politics, and the hope of a new paradigm in the music industry.

What was your motivation to start Zunior? To prove it could be done.

The site seems to be somewhat more independent and D.I.Y. than a regular
record label, but more ordered and strict than something like Cafe
Press. How exactly do you put a finger on this?†Aside from the
obvious focus on MP3’s, how does this function differently? It is totally independent, totally D.I.Y. †From the business side, it is a one man show. My friend Terry helps out with the technology, but I run everything else myself and I still keep my day job. The day job is key because it keeps me from getting sucked into the usual record industry vortex. The sense in which it is strict generates from the focus on technology. This facilitates the low cost framework, and high efficiency distribution method. The order comes from a business approach and philosophy that is intended to build on the technology to provide a very new way to sell music.†The theory here is to create a new music-selling
framework outside of the well-worn tracks of the old one.†Artists that are
motivated will see the power of digital distribution more and more as buying
and listening digitally becomes truly commonplace. Digital distribution
levels the playing field.

It seems like more of a tool than a business.†How D.I.Y. is it? †Can
anyone upload music to sell, or does this function just like any
other record label, except in a more virtual form? It is like a record label and distribution method rolled up into one. We have our own technology for distribution, so we don’t need to go through iTunes fees and restrictions. My goal with Zunior is focus on a selection of bands that have the right attitude, and the right music. You’ll see some really cool artists putting out music this year on Zunior. Some that will surprise you.

Ron Hawkins (of Lowest of the Low and Rusty Nails) has
http://www.victimlesscapitalism.com/ which is along the same lines, except that
he’s not selling MP3’s, and there’s iTunes and PureTracks, but what
they’re selling is a more limited format that you can only use with
certain players etc., and they aren’t selling much in the way of
independent music.†Is Zunior just the next logical step in buying
music? Do you see more people taking this idea and expanding on it? It’s very cool to be able to download and listen to your music right away, and that’s what we have with Zunior. I came up with the idea of ‘double delivery’ that means you pay one price ($14.88) and you get to download the MP3 right away, but you can still get a CD in the mail.

DRM (Digital Rights Media) is bullshit. We keep music open (no-DRM), but it’s not free. The idea is to sell convenience, not restrictions. More people will expand on the idea of selling direct, digitally. It is ripe for major exploration. The smarter the artist (ie. Ron) the more cool things you will see.

Is Zunior a political statement? Not really. I’m mostly trying to prove that it can be done. Artists that are motivated by fame should sign with major labels… knock yourself out.†Artists that are motivated by music know it is important to keep your master recording, which is a political statement about how much you believe in your music.

You’ve said in the past that you’re trying to break down the barriers
between musicians and their fans. Isn’t the internet creating a space
where bands can deal with their fans directly?†A band can burn their
own CDs, or offer their music for download off of their personal site.
Is Zunior even necessary? Very awesome question! Generally no, Zunior is not necessary. The vision is this: I’ve said before that a single artist will come along with their own digital distribution system, and a music as compelling as Nirvana, Beck, or Prince. They’ll record, release, promote, and sell millions of
units on their own without ever touching the ‘real’ record business. Only
when this happens will everyone really get what the power of digital is. It will happen.

Some people think just because they have a website the world will come to them. It ain’t happening. You have to give people a compelling reason to come to your
music. My strengths with Zunior are the technology, the business model, and more and more I’m realizing it is my relationships with artists and people like
yourself. This is what will allow us to grow, learn and get better. Anyone
can set up a site like Zunior, but you have to work hard to build and grow
those relationships.

Do you ever feel like someone was going to come up with this idea
eventually? Oh yeah. I feel like people have been talking about this for years. The technology just needed to catch up. To be honest, the technology still
could improve quite a bit because a computer is still pretty complicated
machine for most people. Turn on a TV, now that’s easy. We are limited by
the skill set and understanding of computers.

I’ve heard one person call you “visionary".†So you have to tell us,
what does the future look like? Record labels will become even better at what they have always been good at…marketing. But they’ve lost their lunch on distribution; hello iTunes, Apple is the new Microsoft. †Distribution will continue to move away from CDs to digital formats including streaming. CDs however will be big for a long time…certainly as nostalgia (i.e. records), and primarily as storage. How many people do you know already that burn their CDs onto their iPods and
never look at them again? CDs are like backup.

Selling music digitally means artwork will get better, not worse. A CD is
terrible for the display and presentation of art.†Digital ‘album bundles’
will get better and better with rich media including images, video, and
animation. We’ve already started this on Zunior with the new Rheostatics
album that includes a super high-res copy of the album artwork that you can
print and frame for your wall.†Nick Zubeck’s single includes a short story. The options are endless. Albums can once again represent all sides of art; music, images, stories.

One thing that will not change anytime soon is the feeling you get when you
get up on a Saturday morning, grab a fresh coffee/tea, and then head down to
Soundscapes to browse the shop, meet the people, and buy some music. We can never replace that feeling, and I hope good independent music sellers like
Soundscapes thrive for years to come. And yes, you can buy some Zunior discs
there.

By Ryan McLaren