Matador Artists In Odd Places

[Spam]

Recently I have been hearing Matador artists in places you normally wouldn't expect to hear them.
At the Kohl's department stores in my area they have been playing multiple Belle and Sebastian songs mainly If She Wants You ( I realize that Belle and Sebastian's previous release wasn't on Matador, but they are Matador artists once again.)
Last month while flipping through the T.V. channels I came across the NP's "the laws have changed" on some ABC Family show, and yesterday they were using the music (no vocals)to Pretty Girls Make Graves "something bigger, something brighter" as background on some Mtv show. Along with some other Matador artists I have noticed a number of other indie artists songs are appearing in unusual places.
What is the deal with this? The prices for indie artists songs must be cheaper than their corporate counterparts. Who's selling Matador (the label) or the artists. And who is seeing the profits on the sales of these songs? Label or Artist?

[johansen smith]

I used to work at Pier 1 and the store would recieve an mp3 CD every month with 3 hours worth of music on it and one of the CDs had "Ease Your Feet in the Sea" (or whatever it's called) from Boy With the Arab Strap on it and everytime I worked I made sure to put in that CD so I could hear one decent song among the John Mayer and DMB selections that populated most of the discs.

[Miss Tasty Princess]

A friend of mine heard Yo La Tengo in an elevator in Tokyo.





Well, he heard 1/3 of Yo La Tengo.





James was in the elevator and my friend engaged him in a brief conversation and presumably was able to hear James's response.

[Elijah]

A friend of mine does post-production for the Fox affiliate in Boston, and frequently gets the chance to pick music for some of the news segments. He's used B&S' The Boy With the Arab Strap for the segue-to-commercial music quite a few times.

[johansen smith]

I heard they used Smog's "Bathysphere" on SNL last week.

[Salman]

I heard "Sing Me Spanish Techno" by NP on some ad for a new Canadian melo-drama television show called Falcon Beach... but that probably has more to do with the Mint connection than Matador.

[Lukas]

oh yeah well beat this:

One of my friends randomly brought this up when I got to school this morning.

"Hey, I finally figured out how I knew Pavement before you told me about them!"

"Really from where?"

"From that Brady Bunch movie where the girl goes for a hair cut and they played 'Cut Yer Hair'"

"There was a Brady Bunch Movie?"

[Electromud]

I read that they were going to use "Cut Your Hair" as the theme song to "Pardon the Interruption" on ESPN.

[My Friend Goo]

Now that you bring it up at the begining of the summer my sister bought me a subscription to SPIN magazine. With the first issue I got I recieved a promotional disc of Matador artists. It included Guided By Voices everywhere with helicopter and it had a Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks song too (off Pig Lib I think). It struck me as odd that Matador would team up with SPIN.
Has anyone else ever got something like this?

Beggar's Group is the owner of Matador these days right? (Shit, I'll just check the FAQ, duh!)

[Lukas]

Ya I own that Spin issue. It has Interpol on the cover, right?

[9000]

i picked up a beggar's sampler in a bar last week, and although the matador logo is included on it, not one song is by a matador artist. also nabbed a few beggar's/matador cd cutters, which have gotten more use than the sampler so far.

[Lukas]

whats a cd cutter?

[9000]

whats a cd cutter?

probably not the right term. cd opener? just a plastic thing with a blade for opening humanly unopenable cd shrinkwrap.

[Miss Tasty Princess]

They're also good for slicing up little babies' fingers when no one's watching.

[9000]

or the tip of their tongues.

[Joel]

I read that they were going to use "Cut Your Hair" as the theme song to "Pardon the Interruption" on ESPN.

Nope, they use a soundalike. It's kind of pathetic.

[Patrick]

And who is seeing the profits on the sales of these songs? Label or Artist?

What do you think, Big Boy? What is the purpose of a leading question like this? In fact, what's your problem in general?

It's usually 50/50 by the way.

Beggar's Group is the owner of Matador these days right? (Shit, I'll just check the FAQ, duh!)

Wrong. Beggars Group (no apostrophe) owns 50% of Matador, and the other 50% is owned by the founders, Chris and Gerard.

http://www.matadorrecords.com/matadorinfo/faq.html

Patrick

[Lukas]

Current projects include XL's Super Furry Animals, who have just completed a breakthrough American tour and are about to embark on a second one in September, Layo & Bushwacka!, and Badly Drawn Boy, out with the soundtrack to the UK number one film About A Boy, Wiiija's Cornershop, 4AD's Neil Halstead and the return of the Breeders, together with Matador's Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Guided By Voices and the upcoming debut album by the exciting NYC band Interpol.

A little out-dated much?

[johansen smith]

I read Neil Halstead as Neil Hamburger and got really excited.

[earl grey]

i miss the juliana hatfield question.

[winterversion]

Anyone catch the Interpol Antics poster on Love Monkey on CBS last night?

[Dave]

I just have to say that this thread seemed so great before I opened it. I was hoping for something more like this:

I just saw Drew from Matmos at Whole Foods!
Carl Newman stole my cab!
My dad made me go to civil war re-enactment and Chan Marshall was there.
Matt Sweeney was just on New York One!
etc.

While none of these things are all that odd either, they are at least a whole lot more interesting than hearing music in places that play music.

Dave

[Miss Tasty Princess]

Not a Matador band (yet) but I see the bass player from Mastodon at the Kroger near my house every few months.

I'm pretty sure I saw R.E.M.'s Mike Mills checking out my (other) friend James's band The Jupiter Watts at their CD release show a few months ago.

I saw John Lydon at JC Penney's but that was in a dream 28 years ago.

[miss understood]

I just have to say that this thread seemed so great before I opened it. I was hoping for something more like this:

I just saw Drew from Matmos at Whole Foods!
Carl Newman stole my cab!
My dad made me go to civil war re-enactment and Chan Marshall was there.
Matt Sweeney was just on New York One!
etc.

While none of these things are all that odd either, they are at least a whole lot more interesting than hearing music in places that play music.

Dave

My girlfriend SWEARS up and town she saw Carl walking down Clinton Street in Brooklyn two weeks ago. I think she was a little too stricken to confirm, tho.

I do see James from Yo La Tengo in the supermarket from time to time. Even if there is nothing especially odd about our supermarket (except perhaps their refusal to sell vegetarian breakfast sausages....sigh).

[Joel]

I need to know if I should buy your companies [sic] records in the store or if I should wait for the concert to buy the record so I can ensure the artist is getting their fair amount.

I'm pretty sure Matador artists get a "fair amount" whether you buy it in a store or from them directly at a concert. Whether you want your local record store to also receive a "fair amount" is up to you, though.

[tinobeat]

Oftentimes before band practice I go to the Common Ground bar in Allston, MA for a cup of chili and a beer. A bunch of those times Roger Miller is in there having what I imagine to be an after-work beer and writing on a legal pad.

Also, I took a graphic design class with Mary Timony many years ago. I watched her use the school computers to lay out some of the cover art for Mountains. I was all "do it like this, not like that. it looks like shit the way you're doing it..."





the last part about me giving her design advice is totally made up. it was more like "um, is that your new record? whoa, um... cool.. .... *awkward silence*"

[earl grey]

i don't have a whole lot in the way of matador run-ins, but mark ibold does make one hell of a bloody mary.

oh and carlos D sightings don't count ... used to see the dude out and about more often than many of my friends.

[Lukas]

i don't have a whole lot in the way of matador run-ins, but mark ibold does make one hell of a bloody mary.


Is he still doing that? I'm gonna be in NY soon, and sigh - I will unfortunetly not be attending the silver jews show cause of the age limit. If we by chance pass by his place of business I'd really like to say hello to him.

[9000]

matt sweeney wasn't on ny1, but he bas been to katz's deli. richard hell was in kim's video returning dvds. jon spencer wanders around the union square area often, sometimes with russell simins, who used to stumble around the LES a bit. the kind folks of YLT take in culture at several shows and events throughout the city even though they have to trek from hoboken (oy vey!) there's more, but...

really insidious, matador, really.

[bitterfruit]

I saw YLT wandering around the merch table after one of their shows.

[Patrick]

Re: the Beggars US website. Yes, this is way out of date. An thorough update is in the works and will launch shortly.

And we're working on getting Matador listed in the A2IM founding members list.

Patrick

[earl grey]

Is he still doing that? I'm gonna be in NY soon, and sigh - I will unfortunetly not be attending the silver jews show cause of the age limit. If we by chance pass by his place of business I'd really like to say hello to him.

dunno, i haven't seen him there in a while. tho i don't know if he likes/wants the attention ... i used to go to that place a lot and it took many visits before i said anything to him.

[earl grey]

I saw YLT wandering around the merch table after one of their shows.

i was right behind james mcnew in a super-long line to get drinking bracelets at a television gig a couple years ago.

[Lukas]

dunno, i haven't seen him there in a while. tho i don't know if he likes/wants the attention ... i used to go to that place a lot and it took many visits before i said anything to him.

I would totally be like 'HOLY SHIT THAT IS IBOLD!! OH MAN!!'

[tinobeat]

hahaha..

hell, you should throw in some thumbs-up action too, while you're at it!

[Spam]

What do you think, Big Boy? What is the purpose of a leading question like this? In fact, what's your problem in general?
It's usually 50/50 by the way.

Patrick,
I have been a loyal Matador costumer for nearly fifteen years. In the last year my son bought his first Matador release and joined your message boards. I demand some goddamn respect when you speak to me. I am a paying customer utilizing an option for feedback. Is this how you treat your customers with questions? This is unnaceptable. My money contributes toward your salary and I have the right to ask where my money goes. Your company turns a profit off the art of a lot of talented young people, and I need to know that the actual talent is recieving their fair share; I will not particiapte in the exploitation of these kids.
My problem is your snide attitude. I am extremely offended by your reply and I will be copying it in the letter I send to every superior of yours. In addition I will also be including the kind of demeaning comments and lude language my son and his friends have encountered here (as will the parents of my son's friends). This message board reflects poorly on your comapny. I suggest you learn some customer service Patrick.
-Craig-

[Lukas]

Patrick,
I have been a loyal Matador costumer for nearly fifteen years. In the last year my son bought his first Matador release and joined your message boards. I demand some goddamn respect when you speak to me. I am a paying customer utilizing an option for feedback. Is this how you treat your customers with questions? This is unnaceptable. My money contributes toward your salary and I have the right to ask where my money goes. Your company turns a profit off the art of a lot of talented young people, and I need to know that the actual talent is recieving their fair share; I will not particiapte in the exploitation of these kids.
My problem is your snide attitude. I am extremely offended by your reply and I will be copying it in the letter I send to every superior of yours. In addition I will also be including the kind of demeaning comments and lude language my son and his friends have encountered here (as will the parents of my son's friends). This message board reflects poorly on your comapny. I suggest you learn some customer service Patrick.
-Craig-

Is this our preview of the Matador at 20 compilation?

[tinobeat]

Um, Spam, you won't find a label manager more civil and helpful than Patrick anywhere. I think your debut on the board with a bit of a snide attitude (that first post of yours) may have led people to consider you less than sincere, as it coincided with a spate of bullshit new posters.

Lukas, why'd you get your dad to post ;)

[vesper]

"lude"ites. any comments about pills, coincedentally, only come from "spam"mers.

[Paul]

Patrick,
I have been a loyal Matador costumer for nearly fifteen years. You guys wear costumes at work? That's fuckin' cool!

[Patrick]

Spam, if your name didn't say it all to begin with - not to mention your opening posts and your general attitude, then I think the other posters here have answered your questions for you.

Best
Patrick

[miss understood]

Patrick,
I have been a loyal Matador costumer for nearly fifteen years. In the last year my son bought his first Matador release and joined your message boards. I demand some goddamn respect when you speak to me. I am a paying customer utilizing an option for feedback. Is this how you treat your customers with questions? This is unnaceptable. My money contributes toward your salary and I have the right to ask where my money goes. Your company turns a profit off the art of a lot of talented young people, and I need to know that the actual talent is recieving their fair share; I will not particiapte in the exploitation of these kids.
My problem is your snide attitude. I am extremely offended by your reply and I will be copying it in the letter I send to every superior of yours. In addition I will also be including the kind of demeaning comments and lude language my son and his friends have encountered here (as will the parents of my son's friends). This message board reflects poorly on your comapny. I suggest you learn some customer service Patrick.
-Craig-
If you're so offended, why did you post this first under a different screen name, then delete the message and post it again?

Also: your sentence "I am a paying customer utilizing an option for feedback." is terrific.

[Miss Tasty Princess]

butt
pussywillow
boobies
ta tas
sex pistols
Liebe meine herbst monkey!



I thought I'd add some ludeness for the letter to Patrick's superiors (hi Gerard!).

[rhoops]

cause it comes from one of homeboys' posts. . .

Me, I'll slip in the back when I slide a spliff to the bouncer out back.

so. . .you're sliding spliffs eh?? i think it's safe to say this is just another douchetard along the lines of soberid. . .

[johansen smith]

Is this our preview of the Matador at 20 compilation?
haha good one

[bitterfruit]

cause it comes from one of homeboys' posts.

so. . .you're sliding spliffs eh?? i think it's safe to say this is just another douchetard along the lines of soberid. . .


If I found out from a message board that my dad was smoking dope I would be upset.

[Elijah]

Recently I have been hearing Matador artists in places you normally wouldn't expect to hear them.
At the Kohl's department stores in my area they have been playing multiple Belle and Sebastian songs mainly If She Wants You ( I realize that Belle and Sebastian's previous release wasn't on Matador, but they are Matador artists once again.)
Last month while flipping through the T.V. channels I came across the NP's "the laws have changed" on some ABC Family show, and yesterday they were using the music (no vocals)to Pretty Girls Make Graves "something bigger, something brighter" as background on some Mtv show. Along with some other Matador artists I have noticed a number of other indie artists songs are appearing in unusual places.
What is the deal with this? The prices for indie artists songs must be cheaper than their corporate counterparts. Who's selling Matador (the label) or the artists. And who is seeing the profits on the sales of these songs? Label or Artist?I'm amazed that the person who wrote this is old enough to have fathered a child.

[Futureman]

Patrick,
I am extremely offended by your reply and I will be copying it in the letter I send to every superior of yours.

Be sure to use your computer's spell-check. A crash course in grammar may be a good idea, too.

P.S.--are you sober_id's Dad?

[9000]

c'mon. this is either total troll bait or just the musings of the world's biggest fucktard.

[Dave]

This thread came through after all. One of the better, more mysterious threads in recent memory.

Dave

[winterversion]

This is the type of idiocy that's probably best left ignored. Otherwise, it just encourages more douche-baggery.

[mayorbloomberg]

isn't "douche-baggery" what the internet and this place in particular are all about?

[the Pawnbroker]

cause it comes from one of homeboys' posts. . .



so. . .you're sliding spliffs eh?? i think it's safe to say this is just another douchetard along the lines of soberid. . .

Bingo.

This is just another one of those woxy dudes looking for our approval. I guarantee he doesn't have a kid and, if he does, I'm calling Child Protective Services.

Edit On Topic:

My Matador artist run ins were:

1. Stood directly behind Robert Pollard and son at the Electric Factory in Philly in '99. Watched Bob play air guitar while watching Cheap Trick's set.

2. Accosted Mark Ibold between sets during a Malkmus show at Warsaw after 10 or so vodka tonics. He looked like he wanted his bodyguards to stomp me, if he actually had bodyguards.

[Lutherface]

I saw YLT wandering around the merch table after one of their shows.
I saw Ira selling t-shirts at a show a few years ago...sad part is I don't think the person knew who it was until the band hit the stage.

[Paul]

I saw Ira selling t-shirts at a show a few years ago...sad part is I don't think the person knew who it was until the band hit the stage.Not Matador-related, but that reminds me of seeing Archers of Loaf back in 1996. Eric Bachmann was working the merch table and some girl asked if they were going to be touring with "Barry Black" anytime soon because she'd really like to meet him.

[rhoops]

Be sure to use your computer's spell-check. A crash course in grammar may be a good idea, too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spam
Patrick,
I am extremely offended by your reply and I will be copying it in the letter I send to every superior of yours.


Futureman, enlighten me. . . not that I disagree as to this idiot's, well, idiocy but what are the spelling and grammatical errors in this particular part of the post?

[Gerard]

I'd just like to say that not only has Patrick been fired for not treating Mr. or Mrs. Spam with the proper respect, but after my letter of apology was deemed not-apologetic-enuff, Chris and I both shot ourselves. So we're dead now.

Is that good enough?

The "talent" (this is sounding kinda pimp-like) most certainly receives their fair share of the dough, Mr. or Mrs. Spam. This is something they all negotiate in advance, usually with the benefit of pricey legal counsel. All of them have veto rights over the sort of film/tv/advertorial useages you find so puzzling, rights which are only occasionally exercised (though listing every instance would take forever, much as it would be a waste of time to list each occasion in which our songs turn up on the idiot box). But yeah, the artists get paid. Matador gets paid. The publishers get paid. Sometimes, it happens because we're asked. Sometimes it happens because a talented person we employ makes a suggestion. But the practice is about as non-sinister as it gets, and it isn't a new development, either.

GC, Matador Customer Service Dept.