Indigenous Robot Drummer Launches Non-Profit Record Label
by Tim Wenger
In the true spirit of independent music, local music luminary and Indigenous Robot drummer Ryan Longenecker has turned his own self-started business Rainless Records into a registered non-profit organization. The object of the not-for-profit label is to put out compilations featuring local acts both physically and digitally, spreading them into the hands of as many eager music fans as possible.
“I turned my company into a non-profit in April of this year,” says Longenecker. “It is part of a parent company called RL Audio.”
Currently, the label has an active Indiegogo campaign to fund its first comp and spread the word of the artists. “We’re raising money to create a compilation album, there are thirteen artists that are helping to create the record label.”
“It all started from an idea I had last February and March when I went on tour,” Longenecker says. “I wanted to create a compilation album and help independent artists and the best way to do that is to be a non-profit.”
Longenecker, originally from Seattle, has a background in audio engineering after studying at CU Denver, and has had a passion for music and supporting independent artists for a long time. Creating a legit non-profit takes a lot of motivation in addition to a fair amount of work, and in a true demonstration of his anti-lethargio work habits Longenecker started loading up on research a couple years in advance. “Mostly this year,” he says, “but I’ve been doing it the last couple years after being out of college. All the bands thought it was a great idea and wanted to hop onboard.”
Getting his label to where it’s current state was quite a process, from registering with the state to selecting and contacting the artists. The organization will hopefully continue to grow to the point where it can solicit grants and provide tax write-offs to donors as a nationally recognized organization. “It’s very, very complicated,” says Longenecker. “We’re in the very beginning stages of getting it all developed right now. In Colorado, we’re registered as a non-profit, but we are not a 501 c-3, which is a federal non-profit.”
Donations to support the project and get the first compilation album underway can be made at the Rainless Records Indiegogo campaign, igg.me/at/RainlessRecords. Bands can find information on getting involved with the compilations at rainlessrecords.com. “The goal would be to release (a comp) every six to twelve months,” says Longenecker. “In the grand scheme of things that is a long stretch in the music business, but it’s really a doable situation to build that community. I started talking to the bands in July, and now it’s December and we’re still working towards the first one. I think once we get the kinks worked out on the first one it will be a much easier process.”
The goal of the project is to put 100 discs into the hands of each band for them to distribute to their fans for free. “It’s all going to be free to help build the community,” says Longenecker.
Online: rainlessrecords.com
Category: Local News
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