We love startups, especially those developed and driven by college students like us. Budding in August 2013 as a branch of Student Government Productions, Swamp Records is a student-run record label that caters to local musicians at The University of Florida.
Swamp Records is a non-profit organization that offers a complete support system for musically talented individuals, focusing on marketing, public relations, graphic design, photography, videography, audio recording and even event coordination. With the purpose of discovering distinct artists, supporting and developing their talent, and showcasing it at quality events, Swamp Records is on the way to becoming an all-encompassing powerhouse of both business and sound. The organization also works with the UF Audio Engineering Society to ensure superior production at each and every show.
While SGP is about bringing in the big names, Swamp Records is here to look out for the little guys, who are still working on getting their feet through the door. Swamp Records intends on breaking all boundaries in order to strengthen and unify the Gainesville music scene. According to founders Rachel Ring and Breana Auberry, “Our mission is to bridge the gap between the Gainesville and University of Florida music scenes and create a central hub for music networking and collaboration. Swamp Records is solely about the art of music and about enhancing the music scene overall.”
Via: cargocollective.com
An exciting development is the Swamp Records partnership with Grooveshark, a Gainesville born and based music streaming service that was launched in 2007. Similar to Pandora but with a lot more spunk, Grooveshark offers a search engine, streaming service and recommendation application. With a library of over 15 million songs, accessed by more than 20 million users per month, Grooveshark is a strong industry figure with a leading role in the Gainesville music community. Their staff is similarly made up of former and current UF students, making the organization an integral part of the Gator nation.
“It was a natural partnership. Both parties care about the Gainesville music scene, artists, and providing quality events for the UF student body and surrounding area. Grooveshark is filled with UF alumni and students, so it made sense for us to partner on this endeavor. I see us continuing working with each other in the future. We both focus on the music, so it just feels right! Keep it homegrown!” said Breana Auberry. Collaborating with Swamp Records since January of 2014, Bells and Robes was the label’s first artist affiliation. Comprised of Luke Sipka and Dean Spaniol, Bells and Robes unique spin on livetronica provides auditory pleasure while ultimately defying the laws of time and space. I currently have their EP, affectionately titled “One Should See Sound,” on repeat in my car stereo.
Via: twitter.com
Today, September 12th, the companies are co-hosting the EP release party, and inviting Gainesville’s lovers of sound to experience Bells & Robes in full force at The Motor Room. The funky electronic duo will headline from 11 p.m. to midnight, preceded by Swamp Records artists Flexenbaum and Matthew Connor starting 9 p.m. There’s no cover, but with a $5 donation, attendees will receive their very own hard copy of Bells and Robes new EP.
The impressive pairing will undoubtedly deliver a new level of skill and sophistication to the scene, while Grooveshark broadcasts and expands the reach of local talent to the rest of the world. The EP release of “One Should See Sound” was featured exclusively on Grooveshark. “Our platform helped them grow their fan base, interact with new fans and engage our community of millions,” said Jason Rubel, who handles Artist Development for the company. “We featured it on our home page which attracts our community of unique listeners throughout the course of the exclusive. They were also featured as this weeks #musicspotlight via our social media outlets; and we used banner ads to promote the release party, which also redirected to their exclusive EP.”
Via: tmonews.com
Those who attend the EP release party tonight can expect special banners and other decorative items, swag bag giveaways, Grooveshark shot glasses and more. You may have even seen the Grooveshark mascot breaking it down, promoting and flyering on campus. It is predictable that this progressive partnership will persist, based on the similar history, work ethic, commitment to the artists and connection of purpose. “We especially found it appealing to help out a local startup that had similar values as us, and in tandem support up-and-coming artists. We believe that they have a strong vision and we will continue to support this vision however we can. Grooveshark and Swamp Records are in sync in terms of our core value of bridging artist and fans. The industry is experiencing an organic evolution, driven by the listener, and now all sides have a seat at the table,” said Rubel.
Bells and Robes EP “One Should See Sound” is available for free here.
