Interview with Mark Macdougall

Bandmo interviews Mark Macdougall from http://75orLess.com

Introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you and what is your background?
—
I am Mark MacDougall and I have run the review website, 75orLess
(www.75orLess.com) since 2001 and the 75orLess Music label
(www.75orLessRecords.com) since 2006. By the end of this year, the
label will have released more than 150 compact disc, digital, and
vinyl albums in just over six years, more than half of which are by
local performers. The review website now has more than 1,800 music
reviews in our archives, and we still receive more than 1,000
submissions per year.

What relation do you have with music (past-time, passion, a business)?
—
Short of touring all the time as a performer, if there is a way to
make a living with music I have yet to find it, nor do I have the
desire to live the lifestyle it would require. Music has always been a
passion of mine and the music label has ended up being a natural
extension of that. While the label pays for itself, I have never made
any money running it and I feel lucky to have an actual non-music
related full-time job. I also don’t look at making money as the
label’s priority. The goal of my label is to work with people making
great music that needs more exposure.

What do you think of the current state of music?
—
It’s become relatively easy and affordable over the last ten years to
record music and with digital distribution becoming more and more
popular over the past five years, it’s very easy to be overwhelmed by
the sheer amount of music that’s now out there to listen to. It helps
me to follow certain labels and artists that through hard work and
consistancy over a period of time, have established some musical
reliability. Labels like Touch and Go or Thrill Jockey, and performers
like Mike Watt or Mission of Burma, have been making interesting music
for so long, you know you can rely on them to deliver and if you see
their names or label logo on an album, you know there’s a good chance
you’ll be happy.

Where do you think it’s heading?
—
I have no clue and I tend to not ever think too far into the future.
If you had asked me this ten years ago, I could not have predicted
what is happening today. I enjoy the process of watching new
approaches to mmusiuc develop, fade away, and get replaced by a new
approach. In the end, if the music is worth listening to, you’ll know
it when you hear it.

What are your favorite websites to discover new talent, any tips for our readers?
—
Obviously, there are the classics, http://blog.largeheartedboy.com/,
and http://www.nyctaper.com/, but some sites I have found over the
last year or two include http://ongakubaka.blogspot.com/,
http://spacerockmountain.blogspot.com/, and

http://wefuckinglovemusic.blogspot.com/.

What role will the internet play in the music industry future?
—
I am sure it will be huge. High speed internet is more and more
common and with that, the increased exchange of information, including
music. I know that no matter what technology is developed, behind it
all will always be the music freak who is obsessed with finding
something they have never heard before. That has not changed since
the days of recording your vinyl onto a blank cassette and handing it
to your cousin, who takes it back home with him and shares it with his
friends. The internet just takes that concept and does it at
hyper-speeds.

-end-

Bandmo would like to thank Mark Macdougall for taking the time to participate in this interview. Head to http://75orLess.com today.

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