This interview was done with Mike Kaminsky in May 2003 via e-mail.

SDP: So let's start off by telling us who you are and what you do?
Mike: My name is Mike Kaminsky and I run a label called American Jealousy. While we have a lot of help, I'm ultimately the one who decides what bands to sign, the best way to spend our marketing money, who to book tours with, etc. It's a full time job.

SDP: How old are you?
Mike: I'm 23.

SDP: What made you want to start AJ?
Mike: I had graduated college and while everyone else was trying to find their place in life, I knew I had to be involved in music. All my friends either stayed another year or got a temp job because they didn't know their calling, but I was anxious to get out and get moving. When we started the label we sat down and said "If we do this, we're not going to be like everyone else" and we just brainstormed from there.

SDP: How long have you been doing AJ?
Mike: AJ has been a record label for almost a year now. It kind of started back in college when it was a production company. The first thing we ever did was a video for Taking Back Sunday. We still do TV commercials, actually. All the stuff for Warped Tour was us, and we do a lot of EPKs and video shoots for other labels.

SDP: How many people are involved helping you with the label?
Mike: A lot! We've been EXTREMELY fortunate to have such dedicated people believe in what we're doing. I'd name names but I know I'd leave someone out and get in trouble...I hope everyone knows how much we appreciate their support, because I can honestly say AJ would not be around if not for them.

SDP: What experience did you have going into the label (have you worked with a label before)?
Mike: My biggest experience was just being incredibly involved in the scene, but yes I've worked for labels before. In college I worked for Capitol Records for a year but mostly it was just getting out there, talking to bands, booking shows, learning what worked and what didn't.

SDP: What have been some of the biggest difficulties and successes you've encountered to date.
Mike: The hardest thing was finding out how many people will take advantage of you. Unfortunately, there's a lot of people who we have pulled favors for, but when something comes up and you need a little help yourself, everyone deserts you. It's one of the most disappointing things I've ever encountered. The biggest success was seeing our bands in stuff like Alternative Press and the L.A. Times. It's just amazing to think something like that is even possible.

SDP: How do you find your bands?
Mike: Just being involved, you always have your favorite bands. Now that we work so much, I make sure to stay in touch with all the kids who still go to shows and see what they're listening to. I don't sign a band unless I can be in the pit singing along - we only sign what we like.

SDP: Let's talk about your new announcement about pricing. What made you decide to do that?
Mike: We think CD prices are too high. We're a young label, and we still buy our CD's instead of having them comp'ed, and I'll tell you, I personally hate spending $15 for an album. And we know most people do too, and you can see that reflected in the declining sales. So we figured, hey, let's do something to give back to the community and to our bands, and make our stuff really affordable. We say $8 retail, $6.50 online and, if you pay to see a show, pick up a CD for $5 on the way out. It's our way of making sure everyone who wants to hear the music still can, and it has a dual effect of growing our bands faster.

SDP: Can you turn a profit that way?
Mike: Well, when you consider fixed costs, it's definitely a lot harder. You only make 1/3 as much money selling for $5 instead of $10 after you take into account manufacturing, shipping, etc. So yeah, we'll make less money, but we'd rather some kid pick up our album and get the full experience with all the art and extra content instead of downloading it. If you really want to help us out, pick up some merch.

SDP: What do the bands think of this?
Mike: As with all big label decisions, we talked it over with the bands first. They were into it, since it gets them more exposure, and it helps out their fan base. We have a really good relationship with our artists, any member can pick up their phone and get me on the line directly. While we're at it... (Laughs) If I could talk about our artist relationships because that's really important to us. When we started, we made up a list of everything we didn't like about the industry, and we tried to fix that. Unlike the majors, our label doesn't make any money until the artist does. And we all work towards a common goal, instead of having the band make almost all their money from one part and the label make their money from another. It's counter-productive.

SDP: So what's next for you?
Mike: Well, our next album is by .thedecember drive and we're all really excited about it. It's the first one we're selling under the new model, and it's excellent. It's one of my favorite CDs, and I can't believe I'm getting to put it out. It's like...Jimmy's Clarity meets Taking Back Sunday meets The Gloria Record. Every song is soooo different, I can't describe it. But there's been a lot of good feedback, so we're excited. I hope everyone is able to check it out.

SDP: What lessons have you learned/or what advice can you give to kids who want to start their own label?
Mike: Whatever you are planning to spend in time/money, triple that and you'll have a good idea of what you need to start. Make sure you get involved for the right reasons and that you're prepared to deal with every possible problem from every possible direction. And most importantly, have fun!

SDP: Thanks for the time, anything you'd like to add?
Mike: Stay true to the music and things will work out.

http://www.americanjealousy.com

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