I can’t really remember the first time I met First Run Records co-member Scott Kirkwood. I was probably more shocked that someone so young was not only an A & R for Columbia Records, but also worked at the Scottish Music Centre as a project manager for Hit The Road.
Scotland has noticed an ever increasing roster of DIY labels. Many of whom put their own funds in if they don’t have spare capital to inject into music. Furthermore, a lot of bands have started to create their own labels to try and get recognised on bigger scale rather than self-releasing. Alternatively, many labels also represent the artist, but those musicians still put their own funds into the releases as the label simply has no capital.
It’s that DIY ethic that is a beautiful thing, but for many the dream is to hit the mainstream to a certain degree and ultimately be heard by as many people as possible. I don’t think anyone can criticise musicians for wanting to make a living from their love.
This is where First Run Records are starting to fill a niche of sorts. As a singles label, which is hard work in itself, they are effectively the first rung of the ladder with a view to nurturing a band. Kirkwood explains, ‘First Run is a platform for new and emerging artists in Scotland. We set up the label to give acts we like the exposure they need – releasing a single on a professional scale; putting them in the faces of the wider international music industry and media, which will hopefully lead to bigger and better things for them in the future.’
It is fair to say that any label hopefully has that intention, but with First Run there is certainly a focus to aim for the mainstream as Scott explains further, ‘I like to draw comparisons with what some labels in London and the US have achieved as far as a singles label is concerned, but my main goal for First Run is to create a bit of international buzz for acts in Scotland. I’d like people to be able to look back a few years down the line and see that First Run has made an impact in the amount of Scottish acts signing to bigger labels, reaching international media and progressing on an international scale. It’s still early days.’
There have been 3 bands on the label thus far: Model Aeroplanes, Vukovi and United Fruit. Dundee’s Model Aeroplanes gained notable airplay and attention with their first single ‘Electricity’. Many have whispered about label interest which is still shrouded in mystery, but they have got a decent booking agent in the form of Colin Keenan of ATC Live who represents the likes of Passenger, We Were Promised Jetpacks and more. First Run Records provided a strong platform and part of the reason is the team behind it.
Scott is joined at First Run Records by Billy Kiltie (Director, 23rd Precinct Music), Dave Loader and Andy McQueen (Directors of Notting Hill Music Publishing). His three colleagues have years of experience in the industry and one of the glaring factors of the label is the publishing arm. For musicians, this is a major bonus as those publishers are responsible for ensuring the songwriters and composers receive payment when their songs are used commercially. Thankfully, PRS and PPL is in place, but it is still shocking how many musicians still don’t know about any of these aforementioned things. With the publishing in place it is more of an education and safety mechanism for these artists.
Another aspect of the industry is that London is still regarded as the media hub of the UK. Sad, but very true. One does question why First Run have decided to base themselves north of the border, ‘Glasgow, and Scotland as a whole, has an excellent music scene and industry, which is often ignored on the larger scale of things. I wanted to create something that could operate in amongst it’ explains Scott.
Another of the label’s bands Vukovi recently released the anthemic ‘So Long Gone’. They are the most interesting band on the roster for me as they have changed my opinion drastically. In the beginning they were just not for me, but they have evolved in a way that has been incredibly impressive. Undoubtedly, a lot of work has been down to the band themselves, but they have also had the foresight of teams such as First Run that recognised their potential. Singer Janine Shilstone backs up that sentiment, ‘Funding and contacts is a big part of it, but it’s also great to work with people that genuinely love what you do and want to see you succeed.’ She continues, ‘We’ve been lucky to have a label like First Run who believe in us enough to invest in the band. We’ve had various offers before but you need to take a lot of these offers with a pinch of salt as from experience things can fall through at the last minute. I do believe that if your music is good enough people will come knocking but until that happens you just need to carry on putting in 100% and believing in yourself. ‘
The latest signing is United Fruit. A band I have been fortunate to work with and see grow organically. There has been a distinct level of frustration not only from myself, but a number of those working in the industry as to why United Fruit have not moved onto a bigger level, but this is starting to change. Thankfully, Scott and the team heard what we did and signed them. It is very easy to say that you like a band, but to truly believe in their potential, ability and talent is something else. ‘Open Your Eyes’ was released October 27th and has managed to be more successful for the band than anything else they have done. Bassist Marco Panagopoulos explained, ‘In the long run it has been insanely tough for us. We have always had an edge to us that seems to scare a lot of people away. Not sure if it’s the noisy nature of the band or just wrong place wrong time which is so easily done in the industry. We have been fiercely independent for a long time though and enjoyed it. Sometimes it is disheartening when no one wants to take you on and give you a helping hand but you just have to act like it’s never going to happen. That way you’ll always have a back-up plan.’ Thankfully, First Run have reached out and people are getting excited about them. Really excited.
First Run are a welcome addition to Scotland’s music industry. Whilst Scott is still learning as he goes, he has the experience of his team and capital behind him. More importantly. he has a genuine passion for what he does and that is what matters. Behind the scenes the team are working to get the bands booking agents, management and a bigger label. It may be the dream to sign to a label that gives you bucks and gets you played on major radio, but without enthusiasm then you might as well be playing music for a corpse. I sincerely hope that they continue to flourish as they have already started to make a difference.
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