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Sain’s Georgia Ruth I
n its 75th year, the label remains, as John Peel put it “like a backbone” – quietly and resolutely continuing to do what it does best. The label celebrates at this year’s Towersey Festi- val, itself celebrating its 50th year, with Eliza Carthy, Norma Waterson and The Gift Band, alongside musicians from the latest generation to be inspired by the Topic catalogue.
www.topicrecords.co.uk
David Suff also heads up Fledg’ling Records – 20 this year – with its solid catalogue of classic British folk and folk-rock, “with a focus on releasing lost recordings and keeping classic albums from the likes of Shirley Collins, the Home Service, Morris On in circulation.”
Some of its key releases include those by Anne Briggs, Home Service, Shirley Collins, Sandy Denny, Fotheringay, Snakefarm and the wondrous 2013 Lal Waterson release – book and CD – Teach Me To Be A Summer’s Morning.
www.thebeesknees.com
Marking its 45th year, Sain Records is another statesperson of a label. Founded in Cardiff in 1969 by Huw Jones, Dafydd Iwan and Brian Morgan Edwards, Sain was closely allied to the Welsh lan- guage movement and the emerging campaign for Welsh self-gov- ernment. It relocated early on to the mamiath-speaking area near Caernarfon, where it remains to this day, bringing the company closer to its natural audience. Ten years ago, Dafydd Roberts (of Ar Log) was appointed MD: “Sain’s ethos and objective is to reflect the culture of Wales, especially the musical culture… Sain is pre- pared to record all kinds of music, as we don’t believe in the restrictions of ‘genres’.”
Initially the label focused on EPs and singles of original Welsh
singer-songwriters,much of it politically-charged: “The protest songs of one of the founder directors, Dafydd Iwan, have been key releas- es throughout the 45 years.” (Iwan is the former leader of Plaid Cymru, as well as a much loved musician.) But over the years their range has expanded to Welsh choirs, rock bands, country music, clas- sical artists and, in the 1990s, groups such as Catatonia and The Alarm (on the Crai subsidiary label) – and multimedia services. Sain’s own studio spaces have been central to the label: “Although tech- nology has made it easier for the cottage recording industry, we believe that there will always be a need for the professional studio and trained, experienced engineers.” The business has been actively involved in video, TV, web and digital concerns since the ’90s.
Traditional music has also always been a mainstay of the Sain catalogue – from 1980s bestsellers like Ar Log to current stars such as Georgia Ruth and Calan. Harpists of all shapes and sizes – Celtic, triple and the full concert harp – also feature in the catalogue: the likes of Catrin Finch, Gwenan Gibbard, Osian Ellis, Nansi Richards, Robin Huw Bowen, Delyth Jenkins amongst many others.
“The arrival of Womex 13 in Cardiff last year gave Welsh artists a huge boost and raised the profile of Welsh music interna- tionally. Since then we have seen a huge interest in artists such as Georgia Ruth, Calan and Gwenan Gibbard reflected in the sales of their albums.”
Changes in the production and consumption of music have been both “a blessing and a curse,” according to Roberts. “Sain has always adapted to changes in format, from vinyl to cassettes to CDs and digital downloads, but now the whole marketing and sales techniques have changed. It’s about added value and direct contact with the fans and customers; it’s about Google analytics and tweet- decks; it’s about monetising streaming. On the other hand, the product is available worldwide in an instant, and, whereas before we had a niche market, we now have a global niche market.” Sain also has its own retail shop, Na-Nog, on the Caernarfon Maes which is “Wales’ most successful specialist Welsh shop”.
www.sainwales.com
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