Commerce

Next stop, Publisher’s Clearinghouse

By Sam Pfeifle

Everybody’s got ideas about how to foster local music: compilation discs, big day-long events, independent labels. But Rob Sylvain and his Gigafone Records have a new idea whose time has come: a CD periodical of local music.

“It’s a time when the industry is being turned on its heels,” says Sylvain. “A time for local artists to be heard.” Initially, a yearly subscription of $39 gets you four CDs, with roughly a dozen tracks each featuring local artists. The first “issue” of The Record went out November 1. And although it’s quarterly now, Sylvain would love to see it go monthly once the service is up and running.

“CDR technology [allowing you to make CDs on your home computer] and on-demand printing have made it so small runs of CDs can actually be profitable,” says Sylvain, who does have profit as one of his end goals. “Literally, you can make CDs to order,” he says, “with absolutely no overrun, eliminating your overhead and loss.”

Sylvain had ideas about publishing the discs through a network of local computers, but in the end decided on outsourcing the project to the Tape Complex, a Boston company that can perform small runs at a good price.

Sylvain is adamant that all the songs on these discs be recorded live. He’s recording “not necessarily in a club, but a one-take type of thing.” For instance, he recorded Jeff Aumuller on his boat, where there’s no electricity, in the middle of Casco Bay, “with a DAT recorder and a couple of mics, and he banged out a couple songs.”

In addition to Aumuller, who holds down a number of local gigs, including Tuesday nights at the Free Street Taverna, Sylvain has captured a number of Scott Conley originals. Basically keeping his songwriting and singing talents to the shadows as bassist for Diesel Doug and the Long Haul Truckers and guitarist for the Muddy Marsh Ramblers, Conley has been busy penning songs for his own smooth tenor.

If you’re interested in consuming music like a magazine — Sylvain likens it to National Geographic for its collectability — and building up a collection of obscure local live tracks, check out the order form at gigafone.com.

Need incentive? “The Half Moon Jug Band was recorded on the street in the Old Port,” says Sylvain, “you’ll hear Harley’s growling and kids yelling.” That’s local.