Fergus Jenkins
Artist & Repertoire and Licensing Manager , Dew Process Publishing

Written by Jean Tucker on 2008-10-13

What do you see happening in the next five years in the Independent Record Labels industry?

The debate about “shifting to online consumption” is now dated. I think the biggest issue for labels is how will they make their music visible: how are they going to put their music in the eye of online consumers? Who can get their music heard amongst the saturation of digital content and ultimately, remain visible and credible. Another very topical issue at the moment is how labels are going to safeguard their income streams into the future with record sales declining. This is where you will see the traditional record label model morph into a full service music company in a sense. Dew Process Records is supplemented with a management company, touring company, publishing company, publicity company and a music financial services company.

What are the biggest challenges you and your organisation face as a member of the Brisbane media community?

I guess it goes to show if you are willing to put the hard yards in, which this office has over the last six years, then you can basically do what you want from anywhere. It doesn’t disadvantage us a lot being in Brisbane. From a personal perspective it’s obviously harder to see bands in Sydney and Melbourne that aren’t touring, but most of the bands we’re looking at are touring nationally. Having said that, we just signed an artist last week, who had only played one show with his band in Sydney. So I guess to answer your question, the biggest disadvantages would just be around operational things like not being able to call in personal meetings at the drop of a hat with our Sydney and Melbourne based artists/managers.

What are the most important/valuable skills that graduates can bring to your industry?

Be completely proactive. Putting yourself forward is essential, but also keep in mind that you need to be completely and utterly chocked up on knowledge of the company or industry you want to work for. That helped me get my job here, I knew Dew Process and the bands they represented, as well as the styles of music they like and the markets they go for.

Also be aware of what’s happening across the industry – whether through studying at uni or building skills before you approach people for work.

How would you rate the performance of Brisbane-based media organisations in comparison to other national and international media hubs?

The intensity may not be as high as what Sydney or Melbourne experience in terms of the amount of bands. But last week we had an international conference held in Brisbane called Big Sound with some really high calibre people attending – it was a networking frenzy and I think it shows that Brisbane is very much in the eye of the international community. Although Melbourne and Sydney might have more volume of acts, Brisbane is definitely competing. It’s sometimes easier for bands to rise to the top in Brisbane or be sifted out, because there’s not so many and it’s a bit easier to shine through.

How has new media such as the Internet and mobile communications revolutionised your workplace?

Everything we put out now is put out digitally as well as physically. Our building and company is completely geared towards digital environments. We have a digital department and tailor each digital marketing plan differently for each record. If need be we’ll put more online marketing than hard marketing into a record, depending on the fan base.

Has the internet helped or hindered Dew Process and the independent music industry?

As much as it has changed the environment, our office has changed its work processes and accommodated online markets; it’s now a big part of what we do.

Is your clientele Brisbane-based or more widespread?

I’d like to think they’re all across Australia, I can pretty much say that they’re all across the world. This month we’ve got four records coming out in the US: The Panics, Yves Klein Blue, Whitley and Powderfinger. We’ve got a small US office and are starting to put out records in the US now. Our bestselling records are overseas so our markets are definitely there, but Brisbane’s always a good supporter of what we do and we’re very entrenched in the music industry in Brisbane.