Label Feature #6: Carpark Records

Not many independent record labels reach their 20th anniversary. Even less do so with the kind of catalog that Todd Hyman has managed to amass.

At 21 years old, Carpark Records is the most established record label that we’ve featured in our series so far. When reading up on the label, it’s easy to be awestruck at how organically it has grown since the first release in 1999. Birthed in the heyday of the CD, the label has maintained relevance throughout multiple era-defining revolutions in the music industry. Todd Hyman’s ability to spot burgeoning talent is unmatched among many of his contemporaries and he continues to elevate his artists to new heights year-after-year. Earlier this month we caught up with Todd for a short reflection on the label’s journey so far and what’s coming up in 2020.

I read in a previous interview that your first foray into music was on college radio in Chicago. Was starting a record label always the goal?

I was into music before college but college radio was my introduction to the music industry so to speak. I was music director for a couple years and fielded phone calls from college radio reps etc, it was before email ha! I always liked the idea of starting a record label but told myself I shouldn’t start one. My musical tastes were changing so quickly I didn’t want to get stuck putting out a particular kind of music.

You pressed your first vinyl records for the label in 1999, when CDs were at peak popularity. How has the role of vinyl records changed for the label in the past two decades?

That’s a hard question to answer! We have been making vinyl since the beginning, so we continue that. I guess one of the biggest changes was that in the first few years of the label we would do small releases as digital/CD and then I think at some point in the 2005-2010 area it switched over to LP/digital.

As a young label you put out early projects by bands like Beach House and Animal Collective, who have since cemented their place as cult favorites. Did you know you were on to something special at the time?

You know you have a great band when the hangers-ons and managers and bigger labels start circling around. That’s the down side!

In 2009 I stumbled upon a track online by Toro Y Moi (aka Chaz Bear) and had my first introduction to Carpark Records. How did you become connected with Chaz?

I heard a Toro Y Moi song on a blog, Chaz actually commented on the site with his email address… I really liked the song and emailed him I think pretty soon after.

Toro y Moi’s first release on Carpark was the song “Blessa”, taken from the debut album “Causers of This”:

This month Carpark released the latest album by legendary artist and producer Sonic Boom (Peter Kember). This is his first solo Sonic Boom LP in twenty years, how did it come about?

I met Pete through the Panda Bear “Tomboy” release on Paw Tracks and he played in the live show with Noah so I met him on that first north american tomboy tour. He also did some production work on the first TEEN LP we released. I’ve always been a huge fan of Pete’s work and we got along pretty well. We have always kept in touch since then and last fall he mentioned he had finished a new LP. I asked him if I could take a listen, thought it was really great and asked him pretty quickly if we could release it on Carpark.

“Just a Little Piece of Me” is taken from the new album “All Things Being Equal” by Sonic Boom:

The music industry landscape is constantly changing, with trends and consumption habits changing year-on-year. What do you think the biggest challenges and opportunities will be moving forward?

I think survival is the biggest challenge now. Many sources of income are now gone. For instance music licensing was a big part of our annual revenue and that has currently ground to a halt. Obviously no touring also affects our bottom line.

What’s next for Carpark Records in 2020?
We are currently working on records for Madeline Kenney, Dent May, Rituals of Mine, and Fat Tony.

For more information about the label and releases visit carparkrecords.com.