Labelnotes 03/26

Pre-orders for the second release of our second life opened this month, and we weren't sure what to expect.

On the one hand, Giardini di Mirò has a very loyal fanbase. On the other, the band is no longer active, and instead of new material we’re releasing a live album (which our distributor acknowledged with a raised eyebrow).

So on the 19th – three years to the day after the final show we’re now preserving – we opened orders via our website and Bandcamp. Within the first 24 hours, we sold exactly 100 copies. Even more surprising given there was no way to hear the recording beforehand.

Thrilled about the pre-order numbers, I quickly put together a sales dashboard to share with the band. It pulls data from Shopify and Bandcamp, breaks it down by format, country, and more, and presents it on a clean, real-time interface. While I'm sceptical and critical about many aspects of AI, things like this still amaze me. Projects you’d want to build but never had the time, skills, or budget for are suddenly within reach.

A few days later, we hosted a Bandcamp listening party, so people would actually have a chance to check out the album before its official release. It was also an opportunity for fans to connect with each other and the band, ask questions or simply share their experiences. People from at least 10 different countries gathered to listen to the album in full and share stories about how they discovered the band. Toccante!

Giulia at GDG Press has been working her magic, promoting the album in Italy. Again, I’m surprised by the level of interest in a live release from an inactive band. But GdM’s standing in Italy is significantly stronger than elsewhere; it’s easy to underestimate that from the outside.

Luca’s release has taken a back seat this month because of all this. We did send the master to SST for vinyl cutting, and he completed a promo photo shoot, though I haven’t seen the results yet. Next step: working on the artwork.

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What is this about?

Labelnotes follow the tradition of weeknotes  – reflective posts on recent activity. I’ve opted for a monthly format, since focusing solely on the label, which is not my main occupation, doesn’t always warrant a weekly update.

Since first understanding what a record label is, I’ve been interested in how they operate. The kind of insight I’d like to read from labels I admire is rarely available: how things actually work, the day-to-day business, and how the people involved feel about it. In case others share that curiosity, this is our account.