Information.

WHO WE ARE

The label has a very special group of people behind it — especially the artists, many of whom work together and support each other with shows and recordings. We are really happy about the heart and soul that goes into making this not only a website and a collection of records, but also a community, and an experience.

We started releasing records in early 2003, to document some of our friends' bands here in Baltimore. Most of our artists are based in or around Maryland, but we've worked with people from as far away as Minnesota and Arkansas, too. Our artists' dedication helps to make The Beechfields a different kind of record label; in many ways we're more of a musicians' cooperative than a traditional label. Our budgets are quite small, but through cooperation we're able to share great music with the world, while allowing artists full ownership of their own recordings.

Some press coverage of The Beechfields:

Interview at WYPR 88.1 FM, "Morning Edition", May 2010. Mike answers questions about the future of record labels in the new digital era and talks about how the label will face a future of MP3's, free downloads and iTunes. (mp3 | 11 MB)

Interview on WTMD 89.7 FM's "Baltimore Unsigned" program, April 2007. Mike and Austin talk about the cooperative and community aspects of the label, particularly from the artists' perspective. (mp3 | 13 MB)

Interview at WYPR 88.1 FM, on "The Signal", June 2006. Mike discusses an overview of The Beechfields philosophy and plays music from a few of the bands. (mp3 | 9 MB)

Article in the Baltimore City Paper, May 2004. Mike and Austin talk about home recording, musical community, and the origins of The Beechfields. Writer Bret McCabe does a very good job of capturing the spirit of what is going on here.

Please also see our Mission for more info about what we do.

HOW TO FIND US

If you would like to be a part of what we are doing, please talk to us!

General questions or comments: info [at] thebeechfields.com
Questions about an order or our catalog:info [at] thebeechfields.com
A&R, demos, radio, press inquiries:info [at] thebeechfields.com

DEMOS

We love them. We are a small label though, so make sure you know about what we are about before you send them. Of course, we can't promise anything, except that we will listen to everything we receive. But if you feel you might fit into what we're doing, send us some music (CD or CDR only, please). We look forward to hearing it.

Please send an email to info [at] thebeechfields.com for our mailing address.

NOTE: Please do NOT email us large attachments (mp3s, large images, etc) without asking first. This really should go without saying, but this is considered bad form, and will likely get your messages deleted and ignored. Also, just sending us a "here is a link to my myspace page, can you sign me?" request will get you automatically deleted.

One other word of advice on demos: Don't forget to tell us a little bit about yourself, and why you're sending us your music. It doesn't need to be fancy — we don't want 8x10 glossies or massive press kits, a simple note is just fine — but we do want to get some sense of who you are, and why you want The Beechfields to hear your music. You might think "the music should speak for itself," but we're all about personal connections — so take this opportunity to make one!

COLLABORATIONS

We used to record records, now we focus on mastering. Beechfields artists enjoy special discounts from affiliated recording studios around Baltimore. If we choose to release your record then ask us all about it!

For photography, we use Tedd Henn at Hennpict Studio. He has made the artwork for some of our album covers and also done portraiture for Beechfields artists. Tedd loves capturing the magic of live shows in addition to making bands look their best for any projects you have. Headshots, promo, Facebook, flyers, etc, Tedd can make it happen-and we highly recommend him. He is the official photographer for the label. You can find him on Flickr here.

If you would like to buy a physical copy of our back-catalog releases: Jigsaw Records in Seattle, WA is the exclusive distributor for our back-catalog.

CREDITS

All material on this site: Copyright The Beechfields Record Label and its artists. Site design by Austin Stahl. Concept by Michael W. Nestor.