Gilead Media owner Adam Bartlett
The life of an independent record label proprietor is far from glamorous. The hours are long and sporadic, the headache and worries are incessant, and the future is often uncertain. But people gladly take on the daunting workload and the financial risk to help bring music they’re passionate about to a larger audience.
Since 2005, Gilead Media owner/operator Adam Bartlett has sunk countless portions of his time, money and mental well-being into his Oshkosh-based record label. In the half dozen years since, he’s released CDs and vinyl re-issues from bands like mewithoutYou, Rocky Votolato, The Paper Chase, and a multitude of other bands—including Milwaukee bands Get Rad and Northless, to name a few.
Of late, Gilead Media transitioned into a metal label that primarily specializes in vinyl releases, a move that has proved successful, especially for a one-man operation. However, due to the sudden and tumultuous collapse of his former retail distributor, Bartlett is out some $5,500 he’s owed and the fate label is left in question.
In an entry posted on the label’s blog early Monday morning, Bartlett detailed his financial situation:
“I found out I won’t be seeing much, if any, of the $5,500 I was owed by my old retail distributor, the Independent Label Collective. It was like running full speed into a brick wall.”
“Earlier in 2011 there was a situation of inner turmoil at ILC, which involved people I considered friends, many of whom I’d known for quite some time and to whom I had grown close.”
Bartlett said prior to the business’ downward spiral, three main employees were fired. The distributor’s owner cannot be found, all assets have been stripped and the company is buried in legal issues, leaving Gilead and all other labels that worked with the distributor unable to recoup much if any of the money they are owed. Even if he gets any of the $5,500, Bartlett says it will take a long time and will, at best, only be a portion of what he’s owed.
“It’s going to be an uphill battle to collect on invoices and whatever they can mange to collect is going to be spread thinly across the many labels owed money.”
“There are definitely a lot of labels that are owed much more than Gilead Media, so I’m not trying to throw a pity party for myself and claim that I’m in a dire position all alone, the sole victim. Every ILC label got hit hard and they all need support from their respective groups of fans.”
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Faced with the uphill battle, Bartlett has decided to keep the label going. He’s paying off portions of bills in cash and he’s unable to have any new releases pressed until he’s squared up with his printer and pressing plant.
Still, Bartlett is not seeking any handouts. There is no Kickstarter campaign or bake sales planned to help keep Gilead Media alive. Instead, Bartlett has significantly marked down existing titles and simply asks that people interested in purchasing items from his catalog make sure to do so.
At a sale price of just $5, I made sure to finally pick up that Northless Clandestine Abuse CD I’d been meaning to since I reviewed it this spring. Browse the variety of metal, hardcore and singer/songwriter releases in the Gilead Media store. If you feel so inclined, make a purchase. You’ll save some money and, quite possibly, an independent record label in the process.