do we want to trade for your releases?
you might want to read this info if you run a label/distro and you think you want to distribute heartfirst releases but unfortunately do not want to part with your hard earned cash and trade for your own releases instead. so before you send off that email:
heartfirst is cutting down trading activities because
the space here is very limited -- and so is the taste
in 21 years of distributing records i have seen too many lame and unsellable records
many records these days are lame shit, esp. when it comes to quality of recording and packaging -- it can mainly be blamed on the death of the demo tape
BUT trading is the best way to get your records around the world, so i do not have anything against it in general but need to enforce strict quality control on this end.
you get big PLUSes if:
we have traded in the past
you are putting out quality vinyl by quality bands
you put thought and effort into packaging and sound quality of your releases
styles that always have been and always will be hot here at heartfirst: early 80s ushc, mid 80s euro hc, 80s thrash, japacore
you unfortunately get thumbs down if:
you are sending out a mass mailing about trading. at least try to make it look personal.
you are doing cd-only releases. i cannot sell cds here in germany at all unless they are discographies by very famous bands. noone reads this important point. if you offer me cd releases i will delete your email in a second and you will not see a reply.
you have any of the following musical styles: skapunk, emo-rock, grind, crust with bad recording, stenchcore, generic dis-core, metal-mosh. basically everything that is influenced by 90s music we do not want.
the lyrics are dumb (homophobic, sexist, generic sXe, or exlusively about drinking or "the streets").
your releases have xeroxed covers with piles of corpses or skulls on them.
you trade with everyone and their mother in germany already and all my friend's labels are already stuck with your releases
quality-control is the most important way to keep the diy hardcore punk scene alive and strong. if you read and understood all this and still want to get in touch: trading@heartfirst.net