Industry Profile with Grinding Tapes Recording Company March 11th, 2010
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TAGGED: I’ve always been a big fan of indie record labels. They seem to have the most integrity and passion, and are definitely in it for the right reasons. Boston’s own Grinding Tapes, is a perfect example of that—helping indie artists sell records and give back to important social causes at the same time. Take a look at my interview with company founder Jason Rozen to learn more about the label and his personal views on vegetarianism.
Introduce yourself—who are you, what do you do, how did you get started in the music industry?
My name is Jason Rozen. My involvement in the music business was almost entirely accidental. I was looking for a good way to stay involved with social justice issues after college when I stumbled across an amazing group of young and largely-unsupported folk musicians through my good friend, Elijah Wyman. I started Grinding Tapes as a way to help these artists pay for releases while also supporting important programs by donating part of the proceeds to worthy causes.Since then, some friends have come on board and helped to expand our role to other areas such as promotion, booking, and distribution. I’m very much an amateur at this, so I’m learning new things every day. It’s all very exciting!
Tell us about Grinding Tapes.
When I started the label back in 2005, Grinding Tapes had just three bands: Elijah Wyman, Saint Joe Hazelwood (now The Points North), and Dogs & Trains (now Mr. Sister). Since then, seven more awesome artists have released albums on Grinding Tapes, including an orchestral rock band from Brooklyn called Slowest Runner; an embellished folk band from Italy called Vinegar Socks; a local folk-rock band called Dreamtigers; and a Yann Tiersen-esque pop band from Sweden called Detektivbyrån. I couldn’t be happier with our current roster.
2009 was especially big for us, as we added three new bands and released six very successful albums. It’s been exhausting, but we’re hitting the ground running in 2010 with a new release this month from the minimal folk band, Manners, an electronic split cassette by Sylphid/Seer Group, and a Mr. Sister album on the way.
How long have you been vegetarian? Were there any bands, books, videos, etc that influenced your decision?
I have been vegetarian for about two and a half years. It’s something that I knew I wanted to do since I was in high school, since the nature of the meat industry so fundamentally conflicts with my values. Unfortunately, changing my diet was a mysterious and intimidating challenge, and it took me a long time to actually make the change.
Indie rocker Ted Leo was my biggest vegetarian/vegan role model and is also my very favorite musician of all time. There are a lot of reasons to not eat meat, but he always put the animal rights issue right at the center, and I really respect that. I also had the opportunity to meet him recently, which was very exciting.
Another key influence was Chris from The Points North (then Saint Joe Hazelwood), whose willingness to enter a tough conversation on the topic was instrumental in my decision to finally make the change.
I’m currently reading Animal Liberation by Peter Singer, which I wish I had read long ago. I’d recommend that book to anyone considering or curious about vegetarianism.
Another book I started recently is Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, which makes the important point that you don’t always have to go directly to vegetarianism or veganism. Any reduction makes a difference, even if you just avoid meat a couple meals a week. That’s something that I believe would have helped me start the transition much earlier.
Of all the major animal rights issues what do you feel most strongly about and why?
While I do feel very strongly about any mistreatment of animals, I think being a conscious eater is the best way to make a big impact. With just one decision, you can save animals for the rest of your life and maybe even influence others as well. I think it’s also important to recognize that cruelty extends to the production of all animal products in factory farming, which is why I’m also trying to cut out eggs and dairy whenever possible. I just found the site leaheyfoods.com, which has some delicious vegan cheese and meat substitutes, which are helping to make the transition easier.
xo
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