Berklee students spin songs at Heavy Rotation Records

For all the hype about the death of the music business, Heavy Rotation Records, a student-run record label at Berklee College of Music, is still thinking about the future.

The record label serves as a senior practicum for music business management students, but also provides opportunities in producing and marketing of artists that often go on to fame.

Jeff Dorenfeld is the faculty advisor for the two-semester class and the former manager of the band Boston. The label was created in 1995, and Dorenfeld took it to the next level in 1998 by negotiating a deal with Sony for $100,000 for the first record. He hopes to earn an additional $200,000 with the sale of two more records.

But the year in which Dorenfeld negotiated the deal with Sony was the same year that Shawn Fanning invented Napster. From then on the record business became “topsy-turvy,” as Dorenfeld put it, and the initial investment by Sony was not picked up again.

For the first compilation, “Dorm Sessions Vol. 1,” Dorenfeld made a distribution deal in 2003 with Rounder Records. The 2003 compilation featured notable artists, including musicians Annie Clark, now known as St. Vincent, Apollo Sunshine, and The Click 5.

HRR gives students unparalleled experience in the music business. Dorenfeld himself calls it “more of a business than a class.” Students are responsible for every aspect of the music production, including talent scouting and development, marketing, sales, touring, web development, media, and accounting.

Students essentially learn how to run a record company, and, according to Dorenfeld, their experience with HRR is an excellent launching pad into real life success. Students have gone on to work for A&M Records, Live Nation, and AEG Live.

Tommy Bohlen, a senior music business major at Berklee and this year’s director of the label, called HRR the most rewarding experience he has had in his four years at Berklee.

“In the music industry, the best way to land a job is to bring new ideas to the table, and nothing really prepares you for the real world except for actually doing it,” Bohlen said. The label “leaves it up to students to make something happen,” and is “an internship where you don’t get coffee—you actually do stuff.”

The label brings great benefits for the musicians too. From hundreds of demo submissions, the students choose nine artists to feature on a “Dorm Sessions” compilation.

For many artists, involvement with HRR gives them their first onstage experience and the opportunity to play shows with crowds of as many as 1,200 people.

Tommy Bohlen was also a musician on last year’s record with the band Nini & Ben. He describes being featured on HRR as a huge platform for the band. After playing at the label’s Berklee showcase in February, the bands became famous overnight.

As Bohlen put it, “When you’re a struggling band, being on HRR is an immediate boost in the Boston scene.” Not only do artists begin to get name recognition, but the label books shows for them with prominent people in the industry and gives free promotion.

Christina Fabi, also known as Nini of Nini & Ben, said that “there was a pretty drastic change” after being signed to HRR. According to Fabi, the label creates buzz around the bands and “gives them drive to keep doing what they’re doing.” Dorenfeld measures the success of the label on the success of the artists. He’s not focused on making money by selling music, but rather on selling tickets and acquiring sponsorships.

Nini & Ben, along with Sex! and Nathan Reich will be performing in a CMJ Music Marathon showcase this Saturday. Nini says the band is “really excited to play CMJ and get our stuff out.” The event is put together by Heavy Rotation Records, Berklee, and berkleemusic.com. It is a free event from 1-5 p.m. at the Bowery Poetry Club.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment, Ashton Cooper, berklee college of music