Pedro Roxo, researcher at INET-md, authors the chapter “Clean Feed Jazz Label: ‘Wrong but Strong.’ ‘Independent’ Music Production and the Continued Commercialization of CDs in the Global Twenty-First Century”, included in the book Independence in 21st-Century Popular Music: Cases from Beyond Anglo-America (Bloomsbury, 2025), co-edited by him, Pedro Nunes (INET-md) and Shannon Garland (Univ. Pittsburgh).
Abstract:
In the 21st century, globalization and the massive accessibility to technology implied a reshaping of the various industries associated with music. One of the most evident characteristics of this reformulation was the possibility for individuals to master all the steps of composition, production, and marketing of music, making it easier to adopt DIY processes at a local or regional level, but also with the possibility of disseminating the products at a global level. This trend also explains the global emergence of small independent labels (because they were formed with small budgets by aficionados without a connection to broader industry structures or even through the association of musicians to promote their own music). The overwhelming majority of these labels never went beyond local or, at most, national influence, but some of them managed to acquire influence at a global level in their specific field of action. This is the case of Clean Feed (CF), an independent music label founded in Lisbon in 2001, and dedicated to editing contemporary jazz styles. Through the examination of CDs (sound, music, artworks, liner notes), the analysis of published articles and interviews, and the prosecution of interviews with CF members and musicians who recorded for the label, Clean Feed’s strategy will be analyzed, which allowed a small local independent label in the Lisbon area (built initially solely with minor funding from its founders) to become a global reference label for contemporary Jazz. The research will highlight how a well-conceived commercial and music strategy, anchored in the establishment of a good network of foreign distributors and publishers and a very close relationship with musicians (supporting collaborations between Portuguese and foreign instrumentalists), allowed the label to reach an international projection. CF’s commercial strategy also encompassed other fundamental features: a) the creation of a jazz record store, Trem Azul (Blue Train), which also worked as a meeting point and performative space for rehearsals, concerts, and showcases; b) the close collaboration with jazz critics and the Portuguese jazz magazine, Jazz.pt, which provided for the promotion of records, musicians and the label’s activities – an essential approach for the formation, the maintenance and the expansion of a fan base/consumer segment; c) the commercialization of music both in physical formats and via music streaming platforms; d) the connection to different forms of contemporary musical expression through the creation of a subsidiary label (a vanity label?), Shhpuma, for the edition of experimental musical projects (‘experimental’ in the sense of using music materials in new and groundbreaking ways, experiencing unusual approaches) not directly associated with contemporary expressions of jazz. It will also be suggested that CF’s activities and success also stem from the general trend of changes in labor relationships in the music field during the neo-liberal era. The fact that some musicians and groups invest in their own recording and production, allows the establishment of more favorable deals for the publisher from a financial point of view. On the other hand, the very division of work at CF implies a mixed configuration in which each element is capable of multitasking. Overall, the analysis of CF’s processes is a case in point for understanding some of the main forms of so-called independent music production in the 21st century and the potential for the global dissemination of music brought about by the globalization of communications, technology, and practices of work division.