Soul Jazz Records Case Study

Soul Jazz Records is a British record label formed in 1990 produces and distributes a multitude of different precise genres of music, unlike modern labels SJR produces a lot of music deemed "underground" by social conventions, it distributes many genres that people would be unfamiliar with or maybe have never heard before. Horizontal Integration occured when SJR forged an association with Studio ones founder Clement Dodd in the 1990s. There is also many sub labels - Universal Sound and World Audio Foundation Also the label produces music globally unlike many big named labels such as WMG who typically only produce western artists (i.e. English speaking European, Cuban and American artists), SJR produces music from many years ago.

It also recognizes the Black rights movement especially in the music industry (there was a certain stigma about a black artist during certain periods- Freedom, Rhythm and Sound) in which the music itself wouldn't have sold very well, SJR has attempted to re-release this music into circulation.

Soul Jazz records produces the following genres of music:

- Electronic
- Reggae
- Dub-step
- Jazz
- House Music
- Funk & Soul
- African
- Deep Cult and Roots Music
- Punk
- Hip-Hop
- German Rock & Electronic
- Latina/ Salsa
- Brazil
- Funk and Soul 45's
- Soundtracks
- Compilations
- Ska
- Rock Steady

This is a diverse yet very focused variation of genres, its not typical nor is it what we would call mainstream music (Pop and certain Rock). The artists under the SJR label are primarily composed of black artists (this adheres to the social convention in that stereo-typically society tends to think of black artists when the genre is Soul or Jazz). The age of the music varies as well but is typically music from 1920-1990s that has been remastered and re-released to the music industry. This is music that may have been overlooked at the time and that may appeal to a desired audience. Other featured artists are from Jamaica Haiti and Brazil amongst others; these are not typical artists that mainstream society would tend to listen to, this is mainly due to ignorance and a lack of knowledge on the subject and genre. But not all the music is aged, many tracks and albums are brand new, some released in 2013 such as Hieroglyphic Being. it's also worth noting that there is a large biography on nearly every artist and album. This is unlike many big name producers today who only have (minimal) information on big named artists under their label such as iTunes.

The range of music is not the only thing not following the typical conventions society holds towards the music industry, the way the consumer interacts with the website in relation to purchasing content is also conflictive The consumer has the ability to purchase CD's, 7" or 12" vinyls, LP's and Mp3 versions. This appears to be very pre digital era, it appears to focus more on hard copy vinyls rather than digital downloads, but its till allows for the purchase of mp3 data. Music can also be pre ordered for release and can be left as a reminder to SJR if the content is currently out of stock. Merchandise is a key element on this website such as T-Shirts, clothing, bags, posters, tooth brushes, stickers, fliers, vouchers (the premise is to get the audience to spend money on their content). They also use promotion methods through the selling of the likes of books (Rare out of print books), signings, DVDs and videos.

There isn't a distinct audience for SJR, there is a range of underground genres that appeal to many audiences who enjoy electronic or Reggae for example. The name Soul Jazz may appear to many admires of that genre and might attract their attention as well those who enjoy aged music or classics that might not have had any play time or minimal circulation. The gigs and such also allow many new consumers (a new audience) to be exposed to the music. SJR focus more on remastering music and this might adhere more to the preferences of the older generation.

Soul Jazz Records is an independent labels with many sub labels and a partner company, it tends to deviate from the social conventions of the mainstream music industry. SJR attempts to re-release music into circulation which has almost been lost, aged music especially and of various countries and genres, this is opposed to mainstream music industry which tends tot to relaunch aged music. The prices of tracks and albums on SJR are significantly lower than that of the mainstream music industry as is the prices of concerts. In a sense SJR is a platform for the consumer to acquire underground music as well as fresh unique music artists in contrast to the fame attained by the various artists under more renowned labels.