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"Music Is About Listening"
3 Zero Records is the brainchild of veteran producer/composer/mix engineer, Simon J. Harrison. The company’s mission is simple: to bring back the days when music was about listening – not about image.
“You have to have great lyrics and great melodies,” says Harrison, adding, “We need to get back to the song, the singer and the musicianship. It’s all about that.”
While there has been much talk and wonder about this new, reformist ‘business model’ for the music industry, Harrison is passionate about his vision. “I was in Manhattan last year to license some very good product to a number of large independent labels. I did the rounds with several lawyers and was told in no uncertain terms that the artists I was working with were ‘too old to have a prayer of getting any kind of deal, they loved the songs, but the artists didn’t look right.’” Discouraged, he went back home to New Jersey; but, rather than giving up decided that the only way forward was to have his own label.
The question often raised seems to be, ‘if the music industry is led by image and is completely age-conscious, how come it was the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Madonna, Queen, U2 were still funding the entire industry?’ The answer, according to Harrison, is a straightforward one: they all write great songs and are talented artists and performers. They know their craft and nobody cares what they look like!
For these reasons, 3 Zero Records’ target market is the over-thirties consumer (and hence the name of the company itself, 3 Zero, is a play on the age of 30). No one has made new product for this demographic for years. The over-30 sector is a market hungry for product, and no other record company in the United States is solely developing artists in this age bracket.
Fostering solid artists who are long-dedicated to their craft, 3 Zero Records only signs artists, unashamedly, over the age of 24. “I believe as a vocalist, writer and performer, one doesn’t really mature until their early thirties. I love working with people who know their stuff! These (older) artists have no attitude and they have lived through enough life experiences to be able to write about them, in a way with which others can identify. It is a very creative atmosphere,” says Harrison.
Harrison is currently working with artists John Rose, The Beatless, Ben Joseph, The GlassHouse and Atlantic. Late 2008/early 2009 will bring Albums with Tony Mills and a single with Tony Beet. The work of these musicians and songwriters follows the great records that were made through the 60s, 70s, 80s and early 90s.
3 Zero Records first release is called “The Hello Man” a song about homelessness and our vets by The Beatless. “This is a fantastic single to debut the label and the artist. Sadly, in America today, one in every three homeless people are veterans of the Armed Forces,” says Harrison, who goes on to discuss global reaction to this first single.
“The response from US and British DJs has been fantastic, with the syndicated Britsound Radio Show declaring The Hello Man single-of-the-year. What more could you ask for? The song and the band are exactly what the label is all about – music that you actually want to listen to, time and time again.”
3 Zero Records is always looking for new talent. If you fit the profile and you are a great songwriter, artist or band please reach out to us.
Peace,
3 Zero Records
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