There are thousands of indie labels, so what’s different about Cole Ocean?

Most so-called “indie” labels are actually owned by a larger label, but Cole Ocean is truly independent. Also, we’re not centered around a producer or production house; our core approach is simply finding and developing the true Artist, whoever that may be. Any of the Label people out there will tell you this approach is very risky, because generally either an Artist is unproven, or he or she is proven and then of course the big labels want to sign them. So can we identify star potential early on? …we think we can, and we’re willing to invest for the long haul.

David Cole, founder
Cole Ocean Records

What got you started on the idea of developing musical Artists before they’re proven?

Awhile back we came across a girl who had written a song out of grief after a severe tragedy occurred in her circle of friends. When she performed her song live with voice and guitar, I got so excited about her potential to make a record that people would buy, a vision began in me to help young Artists focus their gift and grow it into something that not only will create revenue for them, but also will enable them to stay in control of their brand and their creative work — and this is what absolutely sets Cole Ocean apart from other labels.

Is Cole Ocean focused on any particular genre?

We’re approaching our work as if there are only two genres of music: “outstanding” and “just okay”. This helps us evaluate Artists for who they are intrinsically, not for which type of music we’re trying to find. Because sooner or later, any label that isolates on one music genre is going to have to make a decision to forego the best quality to stay true to their priority of the right sound …whereas with our model, the musician with the better product will always rise to the top.

What is Cole Ocean’s philosophy?

Our logo says “free your music.” So for the musically gifted, the question is – are you able to get the music out of your head and onto a disk in an appealing, marketable form?

We feel many of the best musicians are trapped in circumstances that are blocking their ability to fully express their music. If you’re so close to being able to share or express your music, but just haven’t had a team to believe in you and help you focus – or you haven’t had a way to record your music, or maybe you just need a business structure, then Cole Ocean is a great resource to consider.

So the philosophy is, we exist to help the true Artist free the music that’s already inside him or her, and if an Artist shows us the resolve to do it, we’ll wait for it to happen, because you can’t rush authentic creativity.

How do you sift through potential Artists to identify the real gold?

Once we’ve isolated an Artist who we feel has the product and the passion, we make a proposal that’s fluid — either party can make changes as we go. The flipside is, the Artist needs to show us on a consistent basis that they’re working hard at their craft and that they’re focused and committed, or else we’d reevaluate the whole relationship. I think this is helping us find amazing, totally marketable Artists who might otherwise never have a shot.

Of course there’s still a risk with this plan, because the Label is making an investment in the Artist that may not pay off. But we believe there are a lot of world-class Artists out there who are undiscovered and just need this type of trust relationship to help them act out their dream.

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