A Delicate Balance: Exigent Records Finds its Groove
by Jesse Hawlish [jhawlish@gmail.com]
Issue 239 / November 2008 More from this Issue
Download PDF
Owner/Founder: Colby HoughtonYear Established: 2004
Current artists: Gaza, Prize Country, Loom,Bird Eater, Microtia, Gods Revolver, Medea,Diesto, Accidente, Top Dead Celebrity, Cosm,ESP, Ether, Pilot, Reviver and Bird Eater
Number of releases to date: 20
National Distribution? Yes. Through Sony Red
Is Roster Available on itunes? Yes
Number of albums sold to date: 8,000 +
Website: exigentrecords.com and myspace.com/exigentrecords
Photo by Ruby Johnson
Colby Houghton, father of two and T-Mobile employee by day, isno stranger to the business behind owning a record label. Colby’sbrainchild, Exigent Records, has seen substantial national successwith GAZA, Loom, Prize Country and a gamut of successful andup-and-coming regional bands. What began as a helping hand toHoughton’s friends’ bands quickly grew into a healthy regional labelwith four years and 19 albums at its back. With around 15,000 albumssold to date, you could say Exigent is doing just fine. "When I wasa teenager," Colby recalls, "my dad told me: ‘You know, if you reallywant to rebel, if you really want to get to corporate America, you haveto become corporate America and break it from the inside out.’" Theessence of this advice––that it’s best to play by the rules, but only untilyou get what you want––lays the foundation for Exigent’s philosophy."To me, it’s ultimately about the real value of music, the real value ofart––doing things more for the art and music than for the business."
Exigent Records has always had this admirable conviction. "[We’realways] looking at how we can do things differently and still besuccessful," Houghton says. "Salt Lake’s an amazing place andI think, based on the culture here, that there’s a lot of untappedambitions and amazing art and music, and any label looking tosupport that can always find it." Colby isn’t in it for the money, andneither are his bands or fans. The mission statement on Exigent’sMyspace puts it best, asking its readers: "How do you currentlysupport art? Your rebellion is confused by suburbs and downloads;but we fight for so much more––PUNK ROCK is a mentality––amovement of influence – a state of mind. Not your haircut."
Maybe you can build a record label with nice ideas alone, but youcan’t keep one running that way, so Exigent’s release process hasbeen "more traditional for the last few years, just to get the exposure."And they got it: "I mean, there was a year’s time there where I putout like twelve records. You have to build credibility somewhere,"Houghton says, "and now that we have that credibility, I can turnaround and say, ‘Okay, well the focus hasn’t changed, but now wehave the leeway to do it in a more creative way.’"
Steering away from mainstream record label practices has alwaysbeen Exigent’s mantra. The most notable step in this direction is anumber of limited-edition vinyl releases, printed at about 200 copieseach, that are set to drop within the year, including Ether’s first cutin over six years. While far from bankable in a strictly commercialsense, vinyl records are something "that people are super interestedin," Houghton says. The appeal of these collectibles is their artisticcontent, both visual and auditory, and just the way one feels in yourhands––it’s a physical presence that music is losing in our digitalworld. Houghton’s also looking into some digital-only releases forwww.exigentrecords.com, which already streams every Exigent albumfor free.
Current artists: Gaza, Prize Country, Loom,Bird Eater, Microtia, Gods Revolver, Medea,Diesto, Accidente, Top Dead Celebrity, Cosm,ESP, Ether, Pilot, Reviver and Bird Eater
Number of releases to date: 20
National Distribution? Yes. Through Sony Red
Is Roster Available on itunes? Yes
Number of albums sold to date: 8,000 +
Website: exigentrecords.com and myspace.com/exigentrecords
Photo by Ruby Johnson
Colby Houghton, father of two and T-Mobile employee by day, isno stranger to the business behind owning a record label. Colby’sbrainchild, Exigent Records, has seen substantial national successwith GAZA, Loom, Prize Country and a gamut of successful andup-and-coming regional bands. What began as a helping hand toHoughton’s friends’ bands quickly grew into a healthy regional labelwith four years and 19 albums at its back. With around 15,000 albumssold to date, you could say Exigent is doing just fine. "When I wasa teenager," Colby recalls, "my dad told me: ‘You know, if you reallywant to rebel, if you really want to get to corporate America, you haveto become corporate America and break it from the inside out.’" Theessence of this advice––that it’s best to play by the rules, but only untilyou get what you want––lays the foundation for Exigent’s philosophy."To me, it’s ultimately about the real value of music, the real value ofart––doing things more for the art and music than for the business."
Exigent Records has always had this admirable conviction. "[We’realways] looking at how we can do things differently and still besuccessful," Houghton says. "Salt Lake’s an amazing place andI think, based on the culture here, that there’s a lot of untappedambitions and amazing art and music, and any label looking tosupport that can always find it." Colby isn’t in it for the money, andneither are his bands or fans. The mission statement on Exigent’sMyspace puts it best, asking its readers: "How do you currentlysupport art? Your rebellion is confused by suburbs and downloads;but we fight for so much more––PUNK ROCK is a mentality––amovement of influence – a state of mind. Not your haircut."
Maybe you can build a record label with nice ideas alone, but youcan’t keep one running that way, so Exigent’s release process hasbeen "more traditional for the last few years, just to get the exposure."And they got it: "I mean, there was a year’s time there where I putout like twelve records. You have to build credibility somewhere,"Houghton says, "and now that we have that credibility, I can turnaround and say, ‘Okay, well the focus hasn’t changed, but now wehave the leeway to do it in a more creative way.’"
Steering away from mainstream record label practices has alwaysbeen Exigent’s mantra. The most notable step in this direction is anumber of limited-edition vinyl releases, printed at about 200 copieseach, that are set to drop within the year, including Ether’s first cutin over six years. While far from bankable in a strictly commercialsense, vinyl records are something "that people are super interestedin," Houghton says. The appeal of these collectibles is their artisticcontent, both visual and auditory, and just the way one feels in yourhands––it’s a physical presence that music is losing in our digitalworld. Houghton’s also looking into some digital-only releases forwww.exigentrecords.com, which already streams every Exigent albumfor free.
Page: [1] 2 Next >>
Facebook
Myspace
Twitter
YouTube
RSS
Be the first to comment!
Add a comment
Please keep your comments on the subject of the article.
We will delete your comment if it is racist, misogynistic, sexist, bigoted or just plain lame.
No HTML allowed!