Symbolic Interaction

What’s behind the name of your label? How did this name come about (by accident, a word game)? Or does the name express or reflect the philosophy of the label?

When I was studying sociology at university, I came up with some ideas about having my own music label. At that time, I found the name in my textbook, “symbolic interaction”…. And finally I loved that name…
However I didn’t intend to give special meanings to symbolic interaction for my label’s activities, I just like symbolic interactionism or pragmatism as personal interest./>
When was the label founded? And who started the label?

When I was in the university (2007, 22 years-old), I (Kentaro Togawa) started the “symbolic interaction”.

What was the intention behind starting a label? Did it start as a "witty" response like, "Let's try out to run a label," or was there kind of a
business idea right from the start?

I just started symbolic interaction to release my own music (the retail sectors or long lost rest). There are no intentions like making money or becoming very famous.

Do you also run sub-labels? Why and when did you add them to your label roster?

Not as sub-label, but as special project, I release some music under the name, pragmatism series. The pragmatism series is project for Japanese artists or artists who live in Japan.

How would you describe the style/sound of your label (sublabel)? What are the musical boundaries? Which musical "drawer" do you like to fit most of your label's music?

I can say “symbolic interaction” doesn’t have any particular stereotyped styles or sounds. I really don’t care about the kind of music I release under symbolic interaction. The main goal is releasing music I like, and the accumulated releases can describe fully symbolic interaction’s sounds. So, if you want to understand what symbolic interaction’s style is, please see through our releases and listen to them.

Which kind of media do you use for your releases (MP3, CD, Vinyl...)? Are there any plans in the near future to add new media formats? Which media formats are definitely uninteresting to you?

I use CD for releases, sometimes mp3. I’m not considering new media format, but I don’t think that CD can survive next 10-15 years.

Do you own/run a shop or web-shop? How important is owning a store for you?

Yes, I have own web-shop. By having own shop, I can realize that our releases are ordered from all over the world. It’s really great and special thing for me.

In which countries do you distribute your records? Do you work with a Distribution? Or do you manage the distribution by yourselves?

Japan, UK, US, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands… In almost cases, I directly send CDs to each shop.

How do you become interested in new artists?

My friend’s introduction, demos, searching in myspace…

What do you think about the range of artists a label should sign? Less is more? Or does a big range of artists help to get more attention?

As I said above, I don’t care what kind of music I should release. Anyway if I like it, I release it. That’s all.

Do you have a demo policy? Who listens to the demos and decides to take new artists onboard?

No demo policy. Please send the demo to me in the way the artists like. I (Kentaro Togawa) do all labels’ operation.

What about the number of releases in one year. How many releases do you usually have in one year? And how much ahead do you plan your releases?

I released about 10 releases in each 2007 and 2008. In 2009, I will also release about 10 releases. However, I don’t know at all how much I can release in the next year.

Is there a connection between the hometown of your label and the label itself? Do you think if you would move to another city your label probably would lose his identity?

Yes, of course. Environment is important element. In 2008, I organized label’s festival (the silence was warm festival) at my country hometown. Although here were about 20-30 people at that event it was really worthwhile for symbolic interaction.

Which of your releases would you name as the most successful release?

Rudi Arapahoe’s is one of most important release for symbolic interaction. It took symbolic interaction to another level.

Besides the sales figures which one is your personal number one?

All releases.

Nobody likes to talk about failures, anyway, how much time must pass until you would call a release a “flop”? Any records which hadn’t any success in the beginning and after you named it a flop it became successful by accident?

At the point I release the music, it already became successful in part. So, I never met such a “flop”.

Your feelings about the music market: Would you say things are getting harder for record labels through things like p2p, mp3….?

I think there are no changes for very small labels like symbolic interaction. Rather, it’s getting better for labels that are based in country town.

Which kind of medias/press do you use for promotion? How do you select the media you work with? In general; how important is the press for electronic music?
What makes you really upset when you work with the press? A bad review, no response…

I usually request web-magazines to review our releases. I really empathize their independent activities. There is something like their strong belief or ideal. So, as much as I can, I’d like to cooperate with such great web-magazines.

Also, “no response” is sad gift from press.

Music is business, like every other business. With that in mind, how important is "friendship" and "trust" to you when you work with artists, promoters or distributors? Or do you separate things?

I feel symbolic interaction’s activities not as business. In almost cases, I have not received things called “profit”. But, I keep on releasing good music, I think.
I feel symbolic interaction as my mission. So, the “friendship” or “trust” from artists, promoters, distributors and audience is very very important for me. I have experienced that certain friendship broke up from a quarrel; it was pretty heavy for me.

Although your whole day is centered around the music business, do you sometimes walk into a recordstore to buy a record?

Yes, of course. However, my hometown is far away from Tokyo, it’s a little hard to go to stores every week.