Stones Throw Records, one of the truly outstanding indie record labels, was founded in 1996 by DJ Peanut Butter Wolf. Not just important to hip hop, Stones Throw has long championed vinyl, creative merch and unique artistry.
"Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton," a documentary chronicling this history, premieres this month at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
The documentary, "Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton (This Is Stones Throw Records)," was successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter last fall. The pledge rewards offer an excellent glimpse into Stones Throw's merch game.
OUR VINYL WEIGHS A TON (This Is Stones Throw Records) Teaser
It's the third documentary from Gatling Pictures' Jeff Broadway. As the Kickstarter page explains, the project began life as footage from other filmmakers and then was picked up and taken to completion by Broadway and Gatling Pictures:
"Drawing on live concert footage, never-before-seen archival material, inner-circle home video and photographs and in-depth interviews with the folks who put Stones Throw on the map, OUR VINYL WEIGHS A TON will delve deeper into the label's enigmatic artists, history, culture and global following."
Stones Throw is important for its role in releasing a huge number of records from unique and influential artists, in pushing the vinyl game forward and in demonstrating just how creative a box set could be.
But the personal side is also important from the stories behind the business to Peanut Butter Wolf's approach and motivation:
"Stones Throw Records is a very personal label for me. I put out what I personally like and save the rest for the other labels out there. As executive producer, I don't put out what I think the people will like, I put out what I like. This has worked for me so far, and if it stops working for me, it will be the end of Stones Throw as a label."
"I've passed on some artists that I knew would sell a lot of units because I didn't like the songs. That sounds like a bad business move and from a purely financial standpoint it is one, but profit isn't the only thing that drives my label. If money were my sole motivation, I'd be rich by now because so far I've attained everything I've put my mind to. I may be wealthy someday, but only as an indirect consequence of putting out what I believe to be good music."
Premiering at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 21st, "Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton" should provide a more personal look at a historically important label.
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch/@crowdfundingm) also blogs at Flux Research and Crowdfunding For Musicians. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact:
clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.Related articles
