Moodsdwinga Mixtape 2008
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The genesis of Moodswinga Records was a conversation between two friends. Antoine Tramble and Eric Hightower had gone to the ASCAP convention with the idea of putting together an urban film/television company and they wanted to check out the industry. Antoine recieved some surprised looks, walking around the convention center with his laptop and MIDI controller in an M-AUDIO backpack."We were there to learn, to get things done." Antoine says. Eric went to a session on music publishing that turned out to have someone on the panel from his music industry past, and the seed was planted. Seeing people that he had known from his past gave him a sense of direction, and when the convention was over the idea of a film company had evolved into a plan for a new kind of record label.Antoine and Eric sat down and discussed the idea of going into business together, to create the kind of record label they personally would want to be involved with artistically. Antoine met Eric years before through church, and both of them had been steeped in a religious music tradition of vigor, passion, and soul - gospel. Gospel was their springboard into secular music. Eric started working with Antoine to get him signed to a local label. They didn't really have the structure setup to develop more than one artist at a time. About a year later things came to a standstill. The drive to develop as artists re-enforced their vision.Eric worked as a writer for Hitmaker Brian Morgan and had a publishing deal with Chrysalis music, Antoine was now navigating commercial television music deals, and both of them had a complete unreserved commitment to the kind of music they wanted to make. Both of them had extensive recording experience both analog and digital, and since Antoine had already built a professional in-home studio the question of production was already answered. More than that, both knew exactly what type of artists they wanted for the label because they had already worked with many of them in recording sessions.They dedicated all of 2007 to preparation; incorporation, the perpetual writing and re-writing of the business plan, and discussing exactly what the relationship would be between artist and label. The most important idea was one of family; Moodswinga Records should be a group of people that want to work with each other, not against. Eric had already seen the fractures between people in Sacramento hip-hop, and what they wanted for the label was a sense of unity.The stars aligned yet again in late 2007 - Philly Slim asked Eric and Antoine for help with booking a show and they started making some calls. One of Eric's old contacts had transitioned his business from booking shows to working with major labels on artist development, and before they knew what was happening Eric, Antoine, and Slim were on a plane to New York City. Surrounded by record label reps they put the earliest version of the Moodswinga Compilation Album in the CD player, and when the first song started playing Slim jumped off of the air conditioner and started rapping right along with it. They kept listening, not even skipping a track, and when they heard the reggaeton riddim kick and Ito's rap, eyebrows went up around the room - Moodswinga was not just a rap label, not just an R&B label, but a trans-national, cross-cultural assembly of talent. Their feet barely touched the ground as they left the building; the feedback they had received was an incredible boost.Moodswinga is based on honesty and love for music. As Antoine says, "People don't just jump out of their vision and into yours, leaving theirs behind. Moodswinga wants to work to incorporate other people's visions into what a label can be." The honesty comes down to straight talk and a fair deal.The point of making a fair deal with the artist is to further their development and make sure that they and the label are working hard for their mutual success. To that end they decided on a tiered system for royalties and publishing rights giving the artist the majority of control. Their lawyer thought they were insane. Antoine reflects, "That's what the New Standard really means. We want to set a new bar for integrity and partnership in the industry." From recording and mixing to promotion, Moodswinga only gets paid for the work that they do. Keeping costs low while embracing the new technology of digital downloads was absolutely key. "There wasn't much question about doing downloads; both of us have always been deep into technology" says Antoine.It really does seem to come down to a sense of family for both of the founders. "You can have a career and support your family, your life in something you love to do. Moodswinga is about something positive." Eric pauses for a moment, before finishing: "We want to a have a positive effect on the lives of our artists."Moodswinga Records: "The New Standard"
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