Running an Indie Record Label with Loney John Hutchins

Author

Anna Zeitlin
January 25, 2024

Hey Friends,

I recently spoke with Loney John Hutchins, who runs Cleft Music and Appalachia Record Co out of his Wedgewood-Houston studio.

Loney in front of the building he owns near downtown Nashville that houses his studio and Julia Martin Gallery.

He was so open, sharing details on how he funds his label, how to curate a catalog, and gets into the weeds on deals he makes with artists. If you’re at all interested in the music industry, you’ll want to read the whole interview here.

❝

Make sure that if you're curating something, that even if you don't make money off of it when you do it, that you have made art.

Loney John Hutchins

He lays out practical advice for running a label that could be applied to any creative business. One piece of advice, that people aren’t always so open about is, if you want creative freedom, you have to have other sources of revenue coming in. Art often isn’t as monetarily valued as it should be, and if you want to work on passion projects, you have to figure out how to make money on the side. You also have to be smart about finding ways to cut costs.

❝

Don't say yes to things that you don't really believe in. Don’t spend money pressing a record or promoting something you don’t believe in. There's a lot of really wonderful, nice people in this town. And I don't listen to their music, but I love them as people.

Loney John Hutchins

❤️ What I’m Digging

🛍️ Shopping - Lefrik Handy Backpack. I’ve been searching for the perfect backpack I can carry my laptop in while biking, and I’ve finally found it. Made from recycled plastic bottles, and it’s PETA certified!

📚 Reading - Currently reading, Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life. The basic premise is go to bed by 10:30 and wake up by 6 for optimum energy and wellness, which is all well and good, but it gets into the science of why this works.

🍬 Treat - Miss Jones Brownie Mix. Clean ingredients, tastes as good as homemade.

-Anna