Hi Tallulah! Thank you so much for taking the time out to answer my questions!
For those who don’t know you, can you give them a little introduction?
I’m Tallulah and I run a record label called Sad Club Records! We release mostly indie-pop music, and we’re based in London.
What made you want to create Sad Club Records, and make it into a cassette tape only record label?
I started it about 4 years ago, mainly because I was interested in the music industry and wanted to help bands and artists release music. At the time, I wasn’t working with bands big enough to press vinyl so saw cassettes as a better option, offering more freedom to everyone.
How different is running a cassette tape label from running a label that release their music on vinyl?
I think the biggests things are time and money - we’ve had bands coming up to us wanting to release music in 6 weeks. They’d be going on tour and need some tapes to sell too. With tapes and digital, you can easily have it done by that timeframe. With vinyl, you can’t. With tapes, you can also do a way more limited run, 50 if you like. With vinyl, its only really worth doing 300+
A lot of bands nowadays are starting to sell cassette tapes now, what do you think about the sudden interest towards cassette tapes?
I think people finally see them as a viable option. When I first started the label, people used to laugh at the idea of tapes, but now I think people have got used to it. Plus, if you’re an independent artist, it’s hard to spend money on a whole run of vinyl, but cassettes, you can totally do it.
Is there anything in particular you look for in bands/artists when signing them to Sad Club Records?
Yeah - I’ve gotta love their music, and for both of our expectations and visions to be matched up too.
What would your definition be of a good record label?
A label that releases great music and supports their artists, I guess!
What would you say is the hardest part about running a label?
Probably a mixture between time, money and opinions. If it weren’t just me running it, there would be a lot more time and decisions would be made by the both of us, which would be nice. Even small things like a colour of a font, or new merch items, it would be nice if threw as someone to make those decisions with me.
What are some of your favorite independent labels at the moment?
Clue Recs, Hand in Hive, Spinny Nights, Slow Dance!
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned running a label?
Everyone is a lot more willing to help than you think. Ask as many questions as you need! Also, its not worth working with somebody who is difficult even if you love their music. It has to be enjoyable.
What’s one of your proudest moment you’ve had so far?
Oh god - we’ve had a few that I’ve been so proud of. We had a gig at Lion Coffee Records last year which was beautiful - everyone there was lovely, loving it and it was packed. I’ve also been on BBC a few times which was pretty cool - I was on the sofa talking about tapes!
What’s one thing you wish someone would’ve told you before you started running a label?
Put EVERYTHING into a spreadsheet. Use google docs and organise it.
What advice would you give someone who wants to start their own label?
Ask about and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Write everything down. Start slow and meticulously plan everything because things will take 30% longer than you think, and will be 30% more expensive too.
Where would you like to see Sad Club Records go next?
We’ve got loads of massive releases this year which I’m really excited about. We might be doing some new formats which will be exciting...
If you could recommend me the next person to interview, who would it be?
Arthur Cross from Spinny Nights!
Huge thank you to Tallulah for being a part of Making Noise. We think the work that she's doing is so, so cool, and we know she's going to continue to kill it in the new year. Tallulah can be found at @tallulah4eva on Instagram, and Sad Club Records can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @sadclubrecords!