Random
info to help you find your way with mrw44
(more
questions - and answers - to be added soon, suggestions welcome)
1. MRW44 presentation:
1.1 What is mrw44?
1.2 Why is it not more obvious in the first place...
what is the rest?
1.3 What does mrw44 mean?
1.4 I know there is a trick with the pronunciation
of mrw44, what's the "right" pronunciation supposed to be?
1.5 What about the spelling?
1.6 In the booklet for "September of..."
you misspelt the word "pronunciation", is that anything voluntary
then?
1.7 Who is "we"? Who is "I"?
1.8 Is mrw44 specifically dealing with Scottish bands?
2. Submissions:
2.1 We were wondering if our band could be featured
in the "bands" section.
2.2 Do we have a chance of getting something released
on mrw44 then?
2.3 Are the "No ReWind" compilations open
to everyone?
2.4 We've already sent you some recordings / seen you
at our gigs, you said you liked the band, does that mean we have a chance
of being on the compilation?
2.5 We do not currently have anything recorded but
would be able to go and record if we knew for sure we are gonna be on
the compilation, is it possible?
2.6 What are the deadlines for applications?
2.7 What are the deadlines for material?
2.8 Does it need to be exclusive material?
2.9 Are there any guidelines for track lengths?
2.10 We've already appeared on "No ReWind",
can we submit something new for the next one?
2.11 We would like to release an ep / an album on
mrw44, is it possible?
3. Press, distribution, other labels:
3.1 We run a fanzine / webzine, we write for such or
such, we do a radio show, can we receive promo copies?
3.2 We run a mail-order / shop, can we get CDs directly
from you?
3.3 We run another label, would you be interested in
trading?
3.4 We are in a band, would you like to sell our CDs
in your mail-order section?
3.5 We run another label, would you like to sell our
stuff in your mail-order section?
3.6 We tried to contact one of the bands featured on
your CDs / site, but our e-mail was left unanswered.
4. Buying CDs:
4.1 I would like to buy your CDs but don't know where
to find them.
4.2 Why are some of the CDs in your mail-order section
so expensive when I can find them cheaper elsewhere?
4.3 What are the shipping costs?
4.4 How does PayPal work?
4.5 Can I pay cash?
4.6 Can I pay by cheque?
4.7 Can I pay by International Money Order?
1. MRW44 presentation:
mrw44 is a label which started in Scotland in 2001. For details of our existing and planned releases please visit this page.
1.2 Why is it not more obvious in the first place?
MRW44 is meant to be a label before all, but as it's all just starting at the same time, it could seem a bit unclear as we haven't got that many releases yet, and the other activities seem to take as much space / inportance. All the rest (gig promotion, mail order, photos, etc) are "auxiliary" things linked to the label one way or other.
It will hopefully become clearer (and more confused as well at the same time) soon, when Enzine 44 (webzine and print version) starts: there again, it will be very closely related to the label but this will be the occasion to include all the non-directly related stuff (other label presentations, reviews, webzine recommendations, etc), and more ranting kind of stuff, etc.
It's a long story, a very very long story, one day maybe... but just to make things clear, no, it doesn't stand for MaRitime vieW - it's rather the other way round, MaRitime vieW 444 was kind of a joke that came from MRW44... also, it was fun and slightly cheeky at the time to add MaRitime vieW to the address as you can indeed see the water from Elm Row, but you're still quite far from the shore, and it doesn't have much of a beach... Funnily enough, I now personally live on the beach further afield, and on the wall outside the house it says "Sea View"... And you'll also notice that the letters MRW come up in the "real" street address anyway: ELM RoW... spooky, ain't it?
1.4 I know there's a trick with the pronunciation of mrw44, what's the "right" pronunciation supposed to be?
Just don't pronounce the "double". So in English that would be like "M are you" and in French "Aime Hervé", entre "énervé" et "émerveillé".
It's spelt MRW44, nothing else, although it might sometimes been referred to as MRW or 44 alone (neither of which is right ;-). MRW can be written either in lower or in upper case; there is no specific rule there, although generally it will be in capitals letters at the beginning of a sentence in reaction against people's disregard for the use of capital letters. 44 will always be written in figures.
1.6 In the booklet for "September of..." you misspelt the word "pronunciation", is that anything voluntary then?
Ah, ah, good one, did anyone else aside from me notice that then? no, it's a mistake on my part, but when I realized it was too late already... don't you think "pronounciation" would look better like this anyway? Did you not notice there also were some inverted commas missing in the same page? arghhh, slackness, I shall overcome you one day!
Well, "we" generally stands for mrw44 as the label, "I" generally stands for Claire (me) personally... Not that there is a big difference as I'm on my own, more or less - with occasional support from Ryan for confidence and Lilian for madness...
1.8 Is mrw44 specifically dealing with Scottish bands?
No, for instance Guapo and Polaris are English, Servo and Milgram are French. It just happens that most of the bands are Scottish as they are the ones I'm most likely to discover easily (because I happened to see them live, or because they got in touch in the first place), but this will hopefully evolve with more people from further afield sending demos in, etc...
2. Submissions:
2.1 We were wondering if our band could be featured in the "bands" section.
No, sorry, unless they are directly related to the label - the only reason the bands page is here is to provide more background info about the bands who have (or will) release stuff on mrw44.
2.2 Do we have a chance of getting something released on mrw44 then?
Maybe, who are you?
2.3 Are the "No ReWind" compilations open to everyone?
Yes and no... Yes, we gladly accept submissions from everyone - but like it better if you have heard some of our stuff before and send us something because you like what we do and think it would be "relevant"; not just because you picked up our address from some other website and you're sending your stuff randomly to any label that takes submissions.
And no, submitting something does not guarantee you a slot on the compilation as I am quite picky :-)
2.4 We've already sent you some recordings / seen you at our gigs, you said you liked the band, does that mean we have a chance of being on the compilation?
Not necessarily, unless I have specifically said I'd like you to contribute to the compilation. And even then, don't take anything for granted until I have 1/2 tracks I'm satisfied with. I will not just invite you and say "just send me a track you'd like to have on the compilation" (unless you're called Guapo :-), I like to have a bit more choice over which track etc... And yes, I have already refused a track from a band who had been invited - Opaque could testify, fortunately enough I knew they had plenty of other recordings I could still choose from, but just to say, don't take the risk of sending just the one track, because I might just not want to use it.
2.5 We do not currently have anything recorded but would be able to go and record if we knew for sure we are gonna be on the compilation, is it possible?
It sometimes happens if I really like what I've already heard (LNFR, Hex or March of Dimes for instance went to record specifically for the compilation, but I already knew their tracks after seeing them live many times or hearing earlier demos, so I knew what I wanted for the compilation). In that case I'd need to hear at least a rough rehearsal or live recording, disregarding the sound quality, just so that I can be familiar with the songs and see if there are any I like enough to include on the compilation. And if you are thinking of recording only a couple of songs, we usually agree beforehand on what I'd like to use.
2.6 What are the deadlines for applications?
There are no deadlines, so the earlier the better... If I receive something I really really like, I will be able to tell the band straight away if I really want them on the compilation (even if there are months left before the next compilation actually gets sorted). If I like it but I am not yet entirely sure to include it, I might just keep it aside and wait till we get closer to the unexisting deadline, and then one day make a choice between what's been pre-selected.
2.7 What are the deadlines for material?
If you are invited, I will let you know. If you need to record, I'll ask you to give me an idea of when you can realistically expect the recording to be completed. I will not accept any unjustified delays - I mean, delays are part of life, not everything always goes as planned, but the least you can do is keep us informed asap; it was too much stress and too much time waste "hassling" certain bands on the first 2 compilations just to find out what was happening... next time we'll just go on without the ones who don't keep in touch! everyone invited will have an address, phone number and e-mail address to be able to keep in touch at any time - so I won't accept excuses such as the ones I've had (they are all genuine!):
- "he tried to answer his mobile phone that rang while he was shaving;
but it slipped from his hand and ended up in the bath full of water"
(excuse for being unreachable because of dead mobile phone)
- "we've burnt a CD with the tracks on it, but we thought it would be
nicer if we had the sleeve ready as well, it's just that the guy who was supposed
to get it printed hasn't had the time" (if you're been invited for the
CD and I'm just waiting for the tracks for the mastering and pressing to go
on, I don't fucking give a damn whether it comes in a nice colour sleeve or
just wrapped in a piece of cardboard!)
- "my phone's been cut off, and I'm so skint I couldn't afford a stamp
to send you the stuff, or even a phone call to let you know" (I'd told
him to borrow some bloody 20p and ring my mobile once from a phone box, I'd
just ring him back).
- "I haven't had the time to go to the post office to buy a Jiffy bag"
(just a piece of cardboard and a bit of sellotape will do!)
- "We gave it to such who will pass it on to such who will drop it there
for such to pick up" (!!!)
2.8 Does it need to be exclusive material?
Yes, preferably; if for any reason it is not possible (not enough material available, other commitments with other labels, etc), we can agree on a different version of a song that will be released later on; ask us and we'll consider specific cases.
2.9 Are there any guidelines for track lengths?
No, if it's really good, it can be as long as you wish (so long as we've still got enough space counting what's been previously confirmed); the Nimrod 33 track is over 14 minutes for instance, and the Death Cat one last year reached 20 minutes. If it's really short, we'll probably ask to use more than one track; on average each band should get between 6 and 8 minutes.
2.10 We've already appeared on "No ReWind", can we submit something new for the next one?
I know who you are, he he, and the answer is no (except for the last band / artist of each compilation, who also gets to start the following one; if you want to take things further, it's gonna have to be an individual release, not another compilation contribution :-)
2.11 We would like to release an ep / an album on mrw44, is it possible?
Who are you? Send us some material (and just specify you'd be interested in releasing more than just a track on the compilation) and maybe if I really like it... please bear in mind that we are only a very young label with limited time and means at the moment, so we can't release too many things; and if we are putting out a debut release by a band, it will usually be a band who's also being featured on the compilation.
3. Press, distribution, other labels:
3.1 We run
a fanzine / webzine, we write for such or such, we do a radio show, can
we receive promo copies?
Get in touch.
Send us a copy of it if it's printed, or send us the url to your website so
we can see what it's like. If it's a radio show, your playlist would be nice
as well. And remember, if we do send you something, we like to get feedback
(receive the review when it's been printed, etc) as it's difficult to trace
it all ourselves.
3.2 We run a mail-order / shop,
can we get CDs directly from you?
Get in touch, we'll probably be able to sort something; we can do really cheap prices if you order quite a few copies; we will also consider sale or return in certain cases.
3.3 We run another label, would you be interested in trading?
Get in touch;
why not if it's something we like and believe we can sell here.
3.4 We are in a band, would
you like to sell our CDs in your mail-order section?
Well, maybe if
I really like the band, but I wouldn't count on it too much - it doesn't cost
anything to ask, but most of the individual band stuff we sell here is because
the bands are also involved in our releases. Please bear in mind we are quite
reluctant to sell CDR so don't bother asking if it's the case.
3.5 We run another label, would
you like to sell our stuff in your mail-order section?
There again,
get in touch. Although we prefer trading, we can sometimes take things
on a sale or return basis or even buy it if we really like it and believe
we can sell it.
3.6 We tried to contact one of the bands featured on your CDs / site, but our e-mail was left unanswered.
Not all bands check their e-mail regularly so don't consider it a lost case... Ask me, I'll see what I can do, if it's worth it, I'll try to get a hold of them via phone or pigeon carrier or whatever way is most suitable. If it's Death Cat you're trying to contact, don't really bother... the e-mail address stated will only direct you to myself, and I can't guarantee to get a hold of them... besides, Death Cat don't even exist... and even if they did, they would be MINE :-)
4. Buying CDs:
4.1 I would
like to buy your CDs but don't know where to find them.
There will be
a more comprehensive list on the website soon. In the meantime, e-mail us
for more details. And you can always order them from us directly.
4.2 Why are some of the CDs in
your mail-order section so expensive when I can find them cheaper elsewhere?
Well, it all
depends what price we have to pay for them - and if we get them on a sale
or return basis for instance they'll be more likely to be more expensive
than if we have already paid upfront for them... Usually, our prices will
be quite cheap compared to other places in the UK; they might be more
expensive than places in Europe or the US, but if you can find them cheaper
elsewhere then buy them elsewhere, there is nothing we can do about it
and we can't make them cheaper because what you pay is basically what
it costs us to get them.
4.3 What are the shipping costs?
We will give
you the exact shipping costs after you've filled in the form with your
order.
4.4 How does PayPal work?
If you have
never used PayPal before you will need to register with them (follow the
steps on their site). To be able to register you will need to have a credit
card. Once you have registered it's all pretty straight-forward, we give
give you the details in the email confirming your order.
4.5 Can I pay cash?
Yes, you can
send us £, € or $. Please make sure to conceal the fact that there
is money inside the envelope (make it look - and feel - as if it was a postcard
or plain letter) as we can't take responsibility for anything lost in the
post. If you leave us your e-mail we will let you know as soon as we receive
the money and send the CDs straight away.
4.6 Can I pay by cheque?
Yes, but it has
to be in £ on a UK bank account. All cheques should be made out to C.Grandemange
(nothing else please!). We will have to wait until the cheque has cleared
before we can dispatch your order.
4.7 Can I pay by International
Money Order?
Yes, but it might cost you a bit more (there is a fixed charge for the service, and it's usually not worth it unless you are making a big payment).
Don't hesitate to contact us and/or ask your own questions via our contact page.
Whether or not they will be included here does not actually depend on how frequently other people ask me the same question, but on how relevant / irrelevant ( I appreciate relevant and irrelevant questions likewise ) I find them, and on my general mood on that day.