So who is Book 4 Inc.?

BOOK 4 INC. is a micro-label based in Pasadena, California.  Our goal is to bring you some of the finest experimental, dark ambient, and ethereal wave music that we have uncovered, along with whatever else strikes our fancy!  We are musicians and music lovers, and we are a part of the ever-growing group of artists that are taking advantage of new business models in order to reach and find our audiences.

Why does anyone even need a label anymore?

Music is still a business, and there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.  Not every musician necessarily wants to deal with licensing issues, ISRC codes, distribution tangles, copyright legalities and the like...in fact, most musicians would rather spend their time writing and playing music, and we can't blame them.  We believe that micro-labels can provide value to musicians and fans alike by shouldering much of this burden.

What is a micro-label?

It's no secret that the major labels that dominated the industry throughout the 20th century have found themselves increasingly at odds with not only their audience, but even with the very acts that they are supposed to promote.  Musicians around the world are finding new and innovative ways to promote their work.  A micro-label such as Book 4 is characterized by its reliance on 21st century means of promotion and distribution, and its willingness to meet the demands of both artists and consumers.

We are heavily reliant on social networking websites such as MySpace and music sharing sites such as Last.fm to promote our work.  We are taking advantage of new distribution channels such as CD Baby, which help us reach fans around the world.  Working on a shoestring budget, we devote as much of our personal time and resources as is possible, because for us, making music is a labor of love. We appreciate not only every fan that buys or downloads an album, but also those that help us spread the music to new audiences.

Why can't I buy or download directly from you?

We're working on it!  Right now, however, it easiest for us to use third-party websites for distribution.  We hope to offer direct sales and downloads on the Book 4 website in the not-too-distant future.  And we're also looking to deliver our music in a variety of formats, such as FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, and high resolution MP3.  If you have an immediate need for one of these formats, send us an e-mail and we can definitely work something out.

Isn't $9.99 a little steep for a CD in this day and age?

Well, for a physical CD, not really.  We utilize the highest-quality small batch duplication that we can find, and since we only print a small number at a time, we don't have access to the same economies of scale that larger labels do.   Keeping our batch runs to smaller numbers will allow us to print a wider range of albums than if we spent a great deal of money printing thousands of copies of just one album.  In the future, we hope to not only scale up production, but to take a greater role in distribution, which will allow us to drop prices.  Until then, we'll price our albums as low as we can. 

What about the price of downloads?

We do not set the price most of our digital downloads - this is up to the individual vendor, so you may see price variations between, say, iTunes and Amazon.  Again, as we (hopefully!) ramp up operations in the future, we'll take further control of our digital distribution, and we'll be able to pass along the saving to our customers.  In the meantime, we thank you for your understanding and support.

What is your position on file sharing?

We view file sharing as a mixed blessing.  We are in the business of selling music, so naturally, we'd like for listeners to obtain their downloads from Book 4 affiliated sources.  At the same time, we realize that obscurity is the greatest challenge that we face, and we are always looking for opportunities to promote our music.  While we reserve judgment on Creative Commons licenses, we'll always offer free music for our fans.  Most importantly, we absolutely oppose the strongarm tactics of the major labels and the RIAA.  We believe that the only business model that will succeed in the future is one that embraces mutual respect between the label, the artists, and the fans.

What if I'm not entirely satisfied with my purchase?

Hopefully, this will never happen!  We always allow full track previews at sites such as Last.fm, so you can listen before you buy.  But if you aren't satisfied with your download, send us an e-mail which includes your digital receipt, and we'll refund your money.  If you are unhappy with a physical CD, again, send us an e-mail and well provide you with instructions on how to return it for a full refund.  Keep in mind that we can't recoup our distribution expenses paid to CD Baby (or iTunes, Amazon, etc.) so please, preview before you buy!

I love you guys and I want to help!  What can I do?

We can use all the word-of-mouth publicity that we can get!  Tell your friends about Book 4 artists, make our bands your friends on MySpace, bump our bands at TheSixtyOne, and scrobble our music at Last.fm!  As we expand our web presence on to more and more social networking sites, we'll have more places for you to connect with Book 4.  Keep coming back and we'll keep you posted on the latest news and info!