Roger on the Radio
Capsicum Records CEO and A&R Director Roger Meltzer was recently interviewed by a number of Hartford radio deejays in conjunction with the release of the label's debut album, "Reggae-In-Fusion."
One of the album's principal songwriters and producers, Meltzer has been the guest of Busy 103.3-FM (www.busyradio.com) deejays Andrew Matrix, Black Ice, Sasha and Lady J, all of whom regularly play songs from the album by Sal Anthony and Hartford-based artists Sledge, Cuban Cohiba, Misteree, Mayyah Stuart, Burnie Terrell and Natasha Redding.
"I'm always asked when our CD's will be in stores, and I explain we are going strictly digital with downloads from our website, www.capsicumrecords.com." says Meltzer. "You can listen to all our songs and download the entire album or just the singles you like. Also, there is always one featured song you can download for free, and since we change the featured song every few weeks, you can get them all for free if you check out the website regularly. The website also has bios for each of our artists, how the songs were produced, the lyrics to the songs, and a link to send in fanmail" he said.
"I'm also asked why I'm writing in reggae now after starting out at the Sound of Philadelphia and have a history in R&B, Pop, Country and Gospel. The short answer is that I love reggae, and find it so easy to infuse it with all my other favorite genre's - it's the perfect base for me to express my full range - and that's where we came up with our unique 'reggae-in-fusion' sound - roots on the bottom and pop on the top."
In his latest interview with West Indian Rhythms deejay Magnum at WWUH 91.3 FM (www.whuh.org), Meltzer explained how Capsicum is a song-driven label that gives artists a great deal, "They sign up for one or more songs - they don't have to sign an exclusive contract and they don't pay any production costs. Best of all, they get roylaties from the first song we sell; other labels typically pay artists an upfront fee to cover the recording costs and then they never see another dime." Meltzer also explained that he started the label to control his songs and to get his own copyright and production royalties as well.
Another question asked is what's next for Capsicum? Meltzer explains, "Incredibly we have been invited to perform in a series of mega concerts this summer, after promoters heard our album. Our main job now is to finalize sponsors for each concert to pay our share of the advertising and venue costs, since it is the established headliners like Beres Hammond who are filling the seats. Hopefully we will take off and become part of the draw for next year."
To contact Roger Meltzer at Capsicum Records, visit the www.capsicumrecords.com website or just send an email to roger@capsicumrecords.com.