We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melvin Dillon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melvin below.
Alright, Melvin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
When I started Soul Step Records, I think it was great that I was unaware of what I did not know. That really helped me be able to dream a bit bigger than I might have done if I had some previous experience in that line of work. I was able to truly be able to dial into what exactly I wanted to do and just dream it up.
I wanted to build a record label that went against the grain, to disrupt a bit. I wanted a label that really focused on the artists first and to put out music to help artists push their careers forward.
For many emerging artists they are consistently battling what they want to do, and what they have finances for. Soul Step Records was a great way for me to invest into my passions around vinyl records and supporting independent artists. Having a vinyl record can truly legitimize artists and give them (without any cost to them!) give them some incredible merchandise to take out on tour and help them grow their careers.
So naturally, when I reach out to an artist who grabbed my attention, they sometimes ask, “What is the catch here?” and my hope is that they never feel there is one.
As a record label making decisions with artist first and financials second, it helps artists achieve their creative visions without sacrifice.
Years later and over 100 releases under our belt the desire to support independent artists remains the same and I continue to enjoy finding new ways to operate while going against the grain of what other labels are doing in the industry.
Melvin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
It all began in 2011, when Melvin Dillon wanted to start making vinyl. He built a business plan to take care of the independent artists all while allowing them to make as much money as possible. A record label that operated as a non-profit? Wild!
Traditional record labels don’t always put their artists first – and Melvin wanted to change that.
Soul Step Records pays the upfront costs of production, and once we’ve made our investment, the rest of the profits are split evenly between Soul Step and the band. Melvin’s ability to pick and choose incredible talent has seen SSR artists get picked up by many major labels and grow their careers.
With over 100+ releases and even more in the pipeline, our records have been purchased and sent to all 50 states and to over 30 different countries while having worldwide distribution via Secretly Distribution.
We’re continuing to grow with each release with holding true to the initial dreams of disrupting the industry while supporting some incredible artists.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
With the vinyl industry the biggest hurdle to work through is unforeseen issues and delays with the production process. We’ve seen it all – most notably during COVID. A time where we sold more vinyl than ever due to people being home but certain major artists who started to ask for bigger and bigger quantities of vinyl. We saw turn around times for production going from 3-4 months to almost a year.
That can be tough for artists especially when the main revenue driver of touring was essentially shut down for a foreseeable time.
At this same time we saw the world’s largest lacquer manufacturer go up in flames causing even more delays. It was so difficult to completely adjust and change how we operated and engaged our fans and our artists.
Many labels couldn’t handle the adjustments and we saw smaller labels fold left and right. We had to get very financially disciplined as we found ways to make ends meet with extremely big gaps in moments where we couldn’t sell a product.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I’ve always kept this true since Day 1. I’ll sign an artist or a band only if I would buy the record myself. If someone passes that test they are getting recruited by Soul Step! I have a wide palette for music and I love surprising our fans with what types of sounds will come out next.
Over time we’ve seen such growth as we get introduced to new fans from the next release, and the hope is that they will go back and explore all the other great music we have put out. I would put our label and our releases up against any label out there. Good music is good music and I think people have discovered that we have put out lots of great music.
This quality in talent selection is a big part of why many of our artists end up on major labels after doing a release with us. The industry is almost using us as a minor league club to help discover the next big thing.
I never let that bother me, as I am flattered that our artists are getting picked up and we continue to be their biggest cheerleaders after they go to a major label.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.soulsteprecords.com
- Instagram: @soulsteprecords
- Facebook: @soulsteprecords
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melvindillon/
- Twitter: @soulsteprecords