OndaLabel #6

After introducing you to the contest, we bring you the conversation we had with Andrea Marmorini, who together with Marco Gallorini runs one of the liveliest independent labels of recent years. What emerged from the interview was a record label that's just as interesting for the principles and ideas that guide it.

How did Woodworm come about?

Woodworm was born in 2011 from the merger of Karemaski and Sons of Vesta, a label that also did underground punk for foreign bands too. The idea was to create an entity that dealt with music as a whole: Woodworm, in fact, isn't just a label but also handles management, booking, live shows, and event organization. In short, something that would work across the whole spectrum of the industry.

In a few days you'll be playing at Woodworm Fest, but it's not the first time that you, or labels of your caliber, have put on a label festival. How important are these events to you, and how do they fit into the life of the label?

Well, Sunday's Woodworm Fest specifically isn't really a standalone festival but a space set within another festival, the Forest. For us they're important because it's a way to get back together — you know, living quite far apart from each other means we don't see each other that often, so these are opportunities to spend time together and celebrate what's been done in the past months.

So it's a self-celebration?

Exactly, a way to celebrate ourselves.

Over the years you've built up a pretty impressive roster. Can you tell us something about your talent scouting method?

Well, we don't really have a set way of operating. Being based in Arezzo, though, we tend to come into contact mostly with artists from that area. Then, since we work mainly in Italy, it's easy to end up at a show and meet new bands that way. Besides, Woodworm's roster doesn't really follow a single genre direction — if you notice, our artists do quite different things. What they have in common, though, is their live shows, the ability to put on intense performances that really hit the audience. Word of mouth works a lot too: it happens that one of our bands tells us to check out this or that band, and the listen turns out to be particularly interesting.

When it comes to producing new albums, do you prefer to follow the recording process step by step, or give full creative freedom and only step in during the final stage?

Our idea is to follow the band as closely as possible right from the start, but that doesn't mean being invasive. We try to position ourselves as a guide from the very beginning and help them as much as we can with stylistic choices or the overall direction of the album. As a sound engineer, I'm particularly keen on staying close to the band right from the recording stage, as happened, for instance, with the latest Fast Animals record. After that comes all the artwork and management side of things, where, obviously, we're more hands-on.

I've noticed you put a lot of emphasis on vinyl. Personally, I really appreciate that choice, but I was wondering: do you do it for personal satisfaction, or does it also make sense from an economic standpoint?

Look, Marco and I are very attached to vinyl - I've been buying records since I was 16. I'll even tell you that at first Woodworm was meant to be a vinyl-only label; in fact, if you look at our first releases, there are no CDs at all. So let's say it's certainly something we're happy to do, but it's also true that if you sell a decent quantity you can get some economic return as well. And in recent years there also seems to have been a vinyl revival - last year it even outsold CDs - so yes, there's also this undeniable trend.

What's your take on the major labels? Do you think they can still find their place in a market that's so different from what it was 30 years ago?

First of all, if we've ended up in this situation, it's mostly the majors' fault. They were the ones holding the market in their hands until about fifteen years ago, and they were the ones who could have, for instance, handled the rise of downloads better. They were the ones who should have educated listeners and taught them the values - both economic and artistic - behind this kind of work. If listeners are aware, sure, maybe they'll keep streaming or pirating stuff, but then they'll also know how to reward whoever they think deserves it. It's the same thing that happens in the film world, where people watch TV series in streaming - the amount of money involved is considerably smaller, but the concept is the same. I read about a sample study the other day in a magazine: they had people listen to "The Dark Side Of The Moon" in Wav and Mp3 format. Most people identified the Mp3 format, not the Wav, as the one with better quality. You see? We've even lost our ear for music - between YouTube, Spotify and the rest, there's no listening culture left. That's the criticism I have of the majors: they had the resources to handle the situation better, and they didn't.

Then again, if you look at recent years, they're actually recovering quite a bit in terms of market presence. If you notice bands like Le Luci della centrale elettrica or Brunori, the ones who've managed to make that leap, so to speak, they're now with a major. All those bands that maybe aren't mainstream but are the ones who actually get people to shows. Even Ministri, who get held up as the standard-bearers of independent music - if you actually look, there's nothing independent about them. When we've had offers from a major, we've turned them down. Sure, it's true that in a way you're covered - there's more money, more contacts, and it's easier to get into stores. But what's left of your independence at that point? Nothing.

So you don't work with the majors as a matter of choice?

Yes, it's about respecting certain principles. For distribution we rely on Audioglobe, which is independent. Then again, artists are free and can do whatever they want - there's nothing to judge if a band decides to sign with a major, those are choices people make. But take Benvegnù, for example, who had a fairly long and intense relationship with the majors - he really wanted us for his latest record, telling us plainly that we're closer to his way of doing things.

What can a label offer artists today, when self-releasing is within everyone's reach?

Artists are pretty chaotic when it comes to handling their own stuff (laughs). As I was saying, a label's job is to take care of everything that goes beyond the music itself - choosing the graphic designers for the cover, an agency that fits the band's genre, booking. Basically, the whole communication side of things. So I believe that's what labels should do: provide support in all the areas that aren't a band's own expertise, on top of producing the record and putting up the money, of course.

Last question and I'll let you go. Is there anything in the pipeline for the coming months you can give us a preview of?

Oh gosh, I don't know... Marco is much better versed than me in what can and can't be said. What I can tell you is that a box set with the vinyl reissue of the Scisma albums will be coming out soon, followed by a short mini-tour with the band in full lineup. Then there's Francesco Motta, who together with Riccardo Sinigallia is putting together something I can't wait to be made public. We've also got other stuff I can't say a word about, but let's just say we've got plenty of material for the coming months.

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