Interview: Stan Wittenberg Founder @ Tribal Trap
Welcome to an exclusive interview with Stan Wittenberg, the visionary founder of Tribal Trap, a cutting-edge record label that has become a driving force in the music industry. With an unwavering passion for electronic music and an innovative approach to showcasing emerging artists, Stan has transformed Tribal Trap into a powerhouse of talent and creativity. In this insightful conversation, we delve into Stan's journey, his dedication to nurturing new talent, and practical tips he has for emerging artists.
Interview with Stan Wittenberg:
Question: What initially drew you to the music industry and working at a record label?
Stan Wittenberg: When I started out in music, it was not my intention to start a record label. When Trap was just becoming a thing, I found it very hard to find a good, reliable, and consistent source of Trap music. I think that was in 2013 when I was 15. Spotify wasn't really a thing yet for the more underground genres, so I was crate-digging Soundcloud daily for my personal playlists. I figured that making a mixing channel on which I shared weekly mixes of my favorite new trap would save other people the hassle of crate-digging themselves, which turned out to be a good idea. The channel really exploded and reached 200k subscribers almost within a year. But I had no clearance to use or monetize any of the content, no connections, and zero knowledge of how the music industry actually worked. So there was no revenue at all, even with millions of views per month. In 2014, I started Tribal Trap on which I was premiering and showcasing singles from the artists I worked with most in these mixes, but with clearance. I would showcase them on the channel for free if they let me keep the YouTube advertising revenue. Tribal Trap started outgrowing the mixing channel quickly. I never intended to, but this eventually morphed into a record label with our first official release in 2016. So it was a really organic process rather than a conscious decision, driven mostly by my interest & obsession with the music industry.
Question: Can you share a memorable or defining moment in your career that had a significant impact on you?
Stan Wittenberg: My first time going to Amsterdam Dance Event in 2016! My entire music career until that point was experienced from behind a computer screen. Meeting everyone was magical. The same applied to my first trip to EDM District in Vancouver, where I met many of the curators behind the world's biggest music channels that I had been in contact with for years. Having the ability to talk to peers in real life was the most motivating thing for me.
Question: How do you handle the pressure and demands of the music industry while maintaining your well-being?
Stan Wittenberg: Some things I think could help anyone; Limiting social media use like Twitter, Youtube, Instagram as much as possible outside of work and being careful about what type of content you interact with or consume. Stay clear of needless social media drama. Also having a good diet and going to the gym a few times per week. And having a 'normal' sleeping schedule. I think the music industry is a field where working weird and irregular hours is glorified but I think it's more productive to just stick to normal 9-5 hours where possible.
Question: Which song or album best describes your life and why?
Stan Wittenberg: I'll quote a recent Tribal release by DVRKMANE called "Can't Stop Me".. I may make some mistakes but I'll learn from those & keep improving and building regardless.
Question: What's the best piece of advice you've ever received in your career?
Stan Wittenberg: I've been blessed with a lot of good advice. The best piece would be not to compare yourself to others. There's always someone out there doing better than you, and you shouldn't let that impact you at all unless it's to take inspiration from. Next to that, the advice to start a record label alongside the YouTube channel was a career-saving one as well!
Question: Can you share a mentor or role model who has had a significant influence on your career?
Stan Wittenberg: Aqib Khan who runs Elysian Records is one of the first friends I made in the music industry and probably the person who helped shape the way I run my business most in the early days, he helped me understand how to turn Tribal from a YouTube channel into a record label. I owe Josh Carr-Hilton from EDM District for inviting me to his curator meetups in Vancouver, which had a significant impact on me, and Andre Benz from Trap Nation is someone I look up to as a role model and successful entrepreneur in the music scene.
Question: What are the common mistakes artists make when approaching record labels?
Stan Wittenberg: Sharing way too much information or way too little. If someone sends me just a Soundcloud link with no context, I'm usually not interested, but getting a 3-page essay is also extremely time-consuming and may be off-putting to some labels. Just a nice email with some context and background information is just fine! And I think I speak for any label when I say it's a mistake to send download links or zip files. Private streaming links are the way to go, A&Rs don't want to download 50 files per day. ;)
Question: Can you provide some guidance on the importance of networking and building industry connections?
Stan Wittenberg: Networking is definitely important. Maybe especially so in the music industry. You never know where someone is going to end up and at which point in your career it may suddenly be super useful to be in touch with them! I personally don't like going to shows all that much, but I've been going to Amsterdam Dance Event for almost 8 years in a row now, and it's had a very significant impact on my industry contacts. But even more than networking, I think building your own business or career should be a priority over networking with others. Once you get things going for yourself and you can actually provide some value to someone, it's much much much easier to get in touch and connect on a meaningful level.
Question: How do you handle the delicate process of giving creative feedback to artists?
Stan Wittenberg: At this point, I'm often too busy to give in-depth feedback myself, so when I judge demos, it's either a yes or a no. But I'm luckily getting more and more help from our freshly appointed A&Rs who can give more feedback and guide artists properly.
Question: How important is an artist's image and branding in today's music industry?
Stan Wittenberg: I think it's incredibly important. I see it as the label's task & responsibility to bring eyeballs and traffic to an artist's track or page, but it's then up to the artist to actually convert those views into fans. Branding can play a crucial role in that process.
Question: What are the qualities you look for in an artist's demo or EP before considering signing them?
Stan Wittenberg: Quality of the music, artist branding, and consistency in both their sound as well as how often the artist releases music.
Question: What do you think is the biggest misconception artists have about the role of record labels today?
Stan Wittenberg: Most often 50% of a lot is more than 100% of a little. A majority of record labels are a net positive on artists' bottom line, but the popular opinion is often very different.
Question: What artists have you signed from LabelRadar?
Stan Wittenberg: Most recently, we've signed an amazing track from Zaug which I really enjoy. We've also signed some from Youth In Circles, Jaxxtone & T-Mass, Brvski, Lucad and more.
Question: How does LabelRadar help the music discovery process for you?
Stan Wittenberg: Our email and social media submissions are often artists that are already very familiar with our brand, which can be great, but at times also a bit boring or predictable. On LabelRadar, the average artist that submits to us is a little less aware of our previous releases, and sometimes that causes a mismatch, but often it also means we get some different genres or styles than usual, which I really enjoy!