Echo Drug Recordings was an independent rock music record label from 2015 through 2018, which specialized in limited edition vinyl records. I was Co-founder of the label and also served as Creative Director and Lead Designer. Our label started as a side project because of our passion for music and records, and snowballed into a full-time business. Our ultimate goal was to match high caliber bands with high quality artwork and packaging. As the label's hype grew, we sold preorders for our records so fast that the last record sold out in eighteen minutes. Our bands and their records started to receive high profile press, which included being featured in Rolling Stone, being aired in a Vogue commercial, and being played on vinyl by Keanu Reeves in the movie "Knock, Knock."
Branding:
My partners and I shared an ongoing joke about our music "addiction." From that, the label name Echo Drug was born. "Echo" referred to sound and "Drug" made reference to the addiction. We were the "drug dealers" of vinyl and our customers needed our "fix." Our logo was a "pill"; our tagline was "Get Your Fix"; and our online store was "The Pharmacy.' The demand for our releases was so high, people waited for hours online for our records to post for sale. Preorders sold out in minutes, months before the actual release dates.
Concept + Product Development
With our bands being relatively unknown at the time, we needed to attract the consumer visually first, with the art and design of the album. We believed that if people were attracted to the album art first, then they would be more motivated to give an unheard artist a shot. The second piece of the packaging puzzle was the vinyl itself. We partnered with a pressing plant that could hand pour custom-made vinyl. Our collaboration produced intricate, eye-catching, limited edition, one-of-a-kind records. With a global band range, including Australia, Argentina, England, and Sweden, our label created a launchpad for our artists to break into the U.S. market.
Branding:
My partners and I shared an ongoing joke about our music "addiction." From that, the label name Echo Drug was born. "Echo" referred to sound and "Drug" made reference to the addiction. We were the "drug dealers" of vinyl and our customers needed our "fix." Our logo was a "pill"; our tagline was "Get Your Fix"; and our online store was "The Pharmacy.' The demand for our releases was so high, people waited for hours online for our records to post for sale. Preorders sold out in minutes, months before the actual release dates.
Concept + Product Development
With our bands being relatively unknown at the time, we needed to attract the consumer visually first, with the art and design of the album. We believed that if people were attracted to the album art first, then they would be more motivated to give an unheard artist a shot. The second piece of the packaging puzzle was the vinyl itself. We partnered with a pressing plant that could hand pour custom-made vinyl. Our collaboration produced intricate, eye-catching, limited edition, one-of-a-kind records. With a global band range, including Australia, Argentina, England, and Sweden, our label created a launchpad for our artists to break into the U.S. market.
Advertising & Marketing
Unlike the traditional approach to marketing in the music industry, our artwork sold the music, instead of the music selling the artwork. Without any paid advertising, and trusting our visuals alone, our social posts went viral in the vinyl and music community due to the beauty and uniqueness of our artwork and vinyl. The bands on our label were picked up by radio station fixtures like KEXP in Seattle, EVR in New York City, and even Red Bull Music Academy Radio. Large publications, like The New York Times and Rolling Stone, started writing about our bands. The bands' videos were played on MTV and received over a million views each on YouTube. Their albums were listed on Bandcamp as #1 Best Selling New Arrivals and charted on iTunes "Hot Albums." All of this exposure, promotion, and success, was accomplished without spending a cent.
My Role
For Echo Drug Recordings, I:
• established the label's name and created the logo
• designed, implemented, and maintained the original website
• developed all legal band contracts
• scouted and signed all bands to the label
• communicated with and maintained relationships with the bands and their managers
• created artwork, layout, and design for our bands' album covers
• collaborated with our pressing plant to create unique and eye-catching limited edition vinyl
• managed, photographed, and designed content for social media
• brokered a deal to license a band's record from an overseas label for U.S. rights
Unlike the traditional approach to marketing in the music industry, our artwork sold the music, instead of the music selling the artwork. Without any paid advertising, and trusting our visuals alone, our social posts went viral in the vinyl and music community due to the beauty and uniqueness of our artwork and vinyl. The bands on our label were picked up by radio station fixtures like KEXP in Seattle, EVR in New York City, and even Red Bull Music Academy Radio. Large publications, like The New York Times and Rolling Stone, started writing about our bands. The bands' videos were played on MTV and received over a million views each on YouTube. Their albums were listed on Bandcamp as #1 Best Selling New Arrivals and charted on iTunes "Hot Albums." All of this exposure, promotion, and success, was accomplished without spending a cent.
My Role
For Echo Drug Recordings, I:
• established the label's name and created the logo
• designed, implemented, and maintained the original website
• developed all legal band contracts
• scouted and signed all bands to the label
• communicated with and maintained relationships with the bands and their managers
• created artwork, layout, and design for our bands' album covers
• collaborated with our pressing plant to create unique and eye-catching limited edition vinyl
• managed, photographed, and designed content for social media
• brokered a deal to license a band's record from an overseas label for U.S. rights
Echo Drug Recordings / Album Art & Limited Edition Vinyl Editions
Nowhere "Invisible World" Album / For album details and design go here: Nowhere
Dead Vibrations "Reflections" Album / For album details and design go here: Dead Vibrations
Sunbeam Sound Machine "Wonderer" Album / For album details and design go here: Sunbeam Sound Machine
Echo Drug Recordings / Artist Roster
Sulk / London, England
Nowhere / Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Dead Vibrations / Stockholm, Sweden
Sunbeam Sound Machine / Melbourne, Australia
Echo Drug Recordings / Artist Interviews & Music Videos