1320 Records (thirteen-twenty) is an independent label founded on the homegrown principles of collaboration, cooperation, and community. This makes us something of a throwback. Like Motown, Blue Note, CTI, and other classic imprints, the artists on our roster are friends and fans. They tour together, produce and mix tracks for one another, and appear on each other's records—steadfast in the belief that the success of one benefits all. In short, 1320 musicians have each other's backs.
Loyalty defines our relationship with artists. We don't specialize in a particular musical style. Instead we seek out acts that we'd want to listen to, and that we'd want to see perform live. Then we give them the creative freedom to do what they do. Be it the gut-punching beatmasters (and label owners) STS9; the soulful MC and multi-instrumentalist Count Bass D, underground hip- hop poets Collective Efforts; or producer/multi-instrumentalist Emancipator, our musicians bring their own artistic vision to the label. We do what we can to help them achieve that vision, while they maintain ultimate control of their careers.
1320 artists are in the game for the long haul, for the right reasons. Take the improvisational DJ duo Sub ID; they've been bridging the gap between organic and electronic music for nearly ten years. Lowpro Lounge, the San Francisco DJ and production collective, have been staples on the West Coast scene since 2001. John Hughes, founder of Hefty Records, has been creating music as Bill Ding and Slicker since the 90's and brings his unique flavor to 1320, as well. Even hip-hop/electronica/jazz up-and-comers Big Gigantic share what everybody on the 1320 label has in common: They can't not make music. They're absolute lifers.
In order to best serve our artists and their fans, we've created a sustainable model for running a record company. Rather than resisting digital technology, we're relying on it. The overwhelming majority of our sales are digital downloads (in both mp3 and high-quality FLAC format), which makes for an efficient and economical distribution system—and an environmentally-friendly one. Fewer hard copy CDs means less plastic and paperboard waste. And because we've reduced manufacturing costs, our acts get the royalty rate they deserve. When you download a track at 1320, you can be sure that a fair percentage of your dollar is going directly to the artist. Record companies by definition straddle the line between art and commerce, and surely we need to make enough money to keep afloat. But we believe that as long as we focus on the art, the commerce will take care of itself. This philosophy gives us the freedom to be more creative than mega-corporate labels. We can put out side projects, live albums, live shows, remixes, and other releases that a more conventional company would likely shelve. For instance, Landscape and Breath—STS9 at their most acoustic and ambient—might never see daylight at a label that was more concerned with quarterly stock prices than musical innovation. And because 1320 is art- rather than profit-driven, we can support bands we love, like Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey—Tulsa, Oklahoma's mind-expanding jazz trio, and Dark Party, Eliot Lipp's new NYC-based project—even though they are signed to another label. We simply refuse to let business trample creativity.
Our job is clear: Bring the music to the people in the most conscious and saavy way possible. By doing so, we close the distance between artists and fans, putting the power back in the hands of those that make music and those that live for it. In one human body there are 13 major joints and 20 fingers and toes. And while one person can create art, the strongest artistic statements are supported by many, for many. At 1320 Records we're working to build an ever-expanding community, a musical support system. There is strength in numbers.
