Since 2001, I have spent an unreasonable number of hours listening to independent music. Millions of songs. Thousands of artists. A worrying amount of sleepless nights. FM Radio, then webradios, then podcasts, then blogging, and now making CDs.

Some releases stayed with me for a few days. Others stayed with me for years. Then, Indie Music Center slowly grew around those discoveries and now reaches more than 10,000 recurring readers every month.

That would never have happened without the artists who trusted me with their music, or without the readers who kept coming back to discover it. So if you're a part of them, I want to warmly thank you. If this is your first time here, then welcome! You have more than 2,000 pages or reviews to read and dozens of podcasts full of music gems to discover.

After almost ten years of writing about independent releases, I decided it was time to do something slightly more ambitious than publishing another article and hoping the algorithms of social media would be in a good mood that day. So I created IMC Records.

Why physical music?

I grew up with CDs and cassettes. I know what it feels like to wait for months until my favorite artist's new record is out so I can go to the disc store and buy it.

But this is now part of the past. Now, music has never been easier to release. But trust me, it has also never been easier for a release to disappear. I realized quickly that songs can disappear suddenly from streaming platforms, and sometimes the artist is not responsible for it. Recently, an artist posted on Instagram about being rejected by his distributor because their AI algorithm detected AI while he's doing everything by himself for years...

Today, a song arrives on streaming platforms, gets promoted for a few days, receives a few playlist placements if the planets are correctly aligned, and is then buried under the next 130 000 new songs uploaded every day. The artist may have spent months writing, recording, producing, and promoting it. In return, streaming platforms generously offer them fractions of a cent. But only if they reach a thousand streams. If they get fewer streams, they pay to distribute their music but get nothing in return. Very thoughtful.

I wanted to create another option. IMC Records will produce physical CD releases for independent folk, pop and rock artists from around the world. This can include albums, EPs, compilations, and special projects selected through Indie Music Center. Something real. Something people can hold, collect, play in the car, display on a shelf, get signed at a concert or give to someone who still remembers that music can exist outside a phone.

I've done my research for months. Ordered different kinds of blank CDs. Different kinds of CD cases. Different kinds of paper. Different tools to fold, cut, and trim. Different secured envelopes for shipping... Until I got the perfect compromise between quality and affordability. I already had the gear to produce CDs (7 at a time actually; soon 14 at a time). I already know how to put music on CDs, as this is how we've listened to music in the early 2000s.

Made directly by IMC Records

So the CDs will be produced directly by me using professional equipment and carefully selected materials. Yes, by me. I will check the audio files, prepare the physical release, manufacture the discs, print the artwork, assemble the packaging, and test the final result. Basically, I decided that sleeping was becoming a little overrated.

The releases will be produced on demand. I will manufacture a copy whenever someone orders one, rather than filling an entire room with boxes and praying that they eventually sell. This also means that artists do not need to finance hundreds of copies in advance. There is no large factory order, no pile of unsold stock and no need to convince relatives to buy twelve copies each out of pity.

The artists keep their music

Artists working with IMC Records will keep full ownership of their recordings and compositions. The agreements will be non-exclusive and limited to the physical release concerned. I am not trying to take control of anyone’s career, publishing rights, identity, soul or first-born child. My role is to produce and sell the physical edition. The artist provides the final masters, artwork and credits, approves the release and receives royalties from every copy sold. Simple.

Royalties that actually mean something

One of the main reasons I created IMC Records is that independent artists deserve to earn a respectable amount from their work. Not 0.003-something per stream. Not a mysterious calculation involving territories, subscription types, market shares, and possibly the position of Jupiter, depending on the tide and direction of the wind, you see?

For an artist album released through IMC Records, the planned royalty is €4 for every CD sold. Basically, that's 80% of what's left after production costs. I'll keep 20% to buy new materials to manufacture future releases. For compilations (I'll relaunch the famous "Indie Mixtape" series), artists will receive €0.10 per included track for every copy sold. When a track is a collaboration between separately credited artists, each artist receives their own royalty.

The goal is clear: when someone buys a physical release, the artist should receive an amount that does not require a microscope to be seen. The rest covers the discs, printing, packaging, website fees, payment fees, manufacturing time and new equipment. Because apparently printers, CD writers and ink cartridges have not yet accepted payment in exposure or Instagram likes and followers.

What will be released?

IMC Records will focus on independent folk, pop and rock.

The catalogue may include:

- physical editions of albums or EPs that were previously only available digitally;

- new releases prepared with the artist;

- compilations selected through Indie Music Center;

- occasional special projects that I find impossible to resist (yes, I already have some ideas for Christmas).

I will personally choose every release. I am not interested in filling the catalogue with hundreds of names for the sake of appearing important. I would rather release fewer projects and genuinely care about each one. Streaming numbers will not be the main deciding factor. A small artist can make an extraordinary record. A large artist can also make something completely forgettable. It happens. Quite often, actually.

What does this mean for IMC readers?

For readers and music fans, IMC Records will offer another way to discover and support the artists featured through Indie Music Center. Some of the music you may have discovered through an article, playlist, or recommendation will become available as a physical edition.

You will be able to buy a CD knowing that part of the price goes directly to the artist, rather than being divided into microscopic pieces somewhere inside a streaming platform’s accounting department. It will also allow IMC to preserve some of the best independent releases it has supported over the years. Online articles get older. Links disappear. Platforms change. Websites close. Songs are removed from streaming services.

A physical copy stays.

Unless someone leaves it in a hot car in August. Then I make no promises.

The first IMC Records releases

I am currently selecting the first projects that will become part of the IMC Records catalogue. Applications are already open for independent artists who would like to propose an album, EP or future release.

Not every submission will be accepted. The music needs to fit IMC, the rights need to be clear, and I need to believe that the physical edition deserves to exist. For everyone else, artists, readers, collectors, and people who still own a CD player somewhere: this is the beginning of a new part of Indie Music Center.

After 25 years of talking about music, I am finally going to manufacture some of it.