Exclusive: Volcom Founder Issues Statement About Label Closing, Future of Volcom Entertainment
Last week MetalSucks revealed that Volcom Entertainent is shutting down their record label; we first learned of the situation from a passing comment made by Valient Himself of Valient Thorr in an interview with the MetalSucks Podcast. MetalSucks contacted Volcom before publishing that article but the label declined to comment. Now Volcom Entertainment founder Ryan Immegart has reached out to MetalSucks with a statement that sheds more light on the decision to shutter the label (which, as it turns out, is not being entirely closed down) and what the future holds for Volcom Entertainment.
Here’s Immegart’s statement:
I just read your piece on Volcom Ent shutting down and wanted to add some insights.
To clarify we are not shutting down Volcom Entertainment, but we are changing it’s primary function/objective.
I co-founded the label in 1995 and it’s always been a passion of mine (and Volcom’s) to support musicians and the creative process of making music. Our new business model will allow us to continue to do that with less limitations and more flexibility across the board.
We still have a dedicated staff that will be focused on working with bands but on a less granular level.
Instead of signing a handful of bands to traditional record deals we plan on focusing on special projects with a broader scope of artists. Those projects will range from limited edition releases, merch collabs, tours, marketing campaigns, promotions, a combination of them or anything we can dream up…
I can also confirm that we will be continuing with the Volcom Ent Vinyl Club and plan on putting more resources into it. Lots of great things planned for the VEVC and it’s only going to get better from here.
In general we felt it was time to try a different approach and believe our new direction will be more complimentary to both Volcom and the artist.
I hope that helped clear up some questions.
Many thanks for all the support over the years and keep up the good work!
Reading between the lines here, it seems as if the traditional model of signing bands and releasing their records just wasn’t profitable (or profitable enough) for Volcom anymore, and that they’re looking to utilize a more modern business model by focusing on the projects — their Vinyl Club, limited edition release, merch collabs, tours, etc — that are much more rewarding. Not too much unlike what Scion has been doing for the past few years in the metal space, but more as its own music entity instead of a giant advertisement to sell more of their product.
I’m really glad to hear that Volcom will continue as a music brand and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds. As I’ve said before, Volcom has put out a lot of great music over the years and it’d be a shame to see the brand go away completely.
