Maybe you want to get into the music industry but don't know where to start because you don't have the time or expertise. Or maybe you're in a band and you need a way to record your music. We get it. It seems expensive. But it's possible if you know someone with a little experience with the right kind of technology and software. And some of it is free or available on your smartphone.
A good place to start is Alex Gonzalez, who runs a small business in Oxnard. Pleasant Valley Records specializes in indie music and the technology needed to share it, including recording, sound engineering, and mixing. Gonzalez has been in the business since 2020, releasing his first vinyl compilation, Neighborhood Watch Volume 1, on his Bandcamp website last year. He is currently preparing his second vinyl release with an indie rock band, some samples of which can be found here: https://samply.app/player/OH4Wa09CocEGUfcFQDCd.
Gonzalez recently spoke to the Ventura County Reporter about what it means to run a record company.
“For me, it's about putting out music locally, like records,” he says. “I have friends who are in bands, and I have people I don't know who are contacting me wanting to release tapes.”
While Gonzalez is a relative newcomer to the industry, he has been performing music for many years with his band, The Late Bloomers, and his experience and expertise are growing rapidly.
“I started in 2020, so it's been mainly tapes for the last four years. Last year I released my first vinyl record with my band. Basically, I provide a lot of services to local bands that cost money, like pressing the media. I try to give local bands a way to get their music on physical media. I do it for a very low fee and also give them the opportunity to make a little money.”
It's a true garage rock experience. He actually records in his bedroom. He records with his band and he invites his friends to record with him. He also releases their tapes. So if you're looking to start an indie music project and you're looking for a place to start, Gonzalez is a good friend to get to know.
“If someone asked me to produce a record or a song, I could probably do it,” he said.
By today's standards, the equipment needed to record isn't all that complicated: Gonzalez uses a laptop, an audio interface (including a program called Reaper, available for free on the Internet), a four-channel mixer, and an attached microphone, as well as a mixing app on his iPhone called Garage Band.
“The technology is advanced enough these days that you don't need to go to a fancy studio,” he said. “My experience is that at the end of the day, you don't need a lot of stuff to get a good sound.”
Though Gonzalez has a day job, he enjoys having his own label and producing songs for Pleasant Valley Records: “My main interest is producing as much physical media as possible, because I like the idea of ​​there being hundreds of tapes out there that say Pleasant Valley, that will survive and that our fans will be proud of.”
Gonzalez has found his own little niche in the record industry: it's his side hustle, music is his greatest joy, and it's great to be able to work from home and still be a part of that long-standing legacy.
He is set to release his second record on July 13th, which will also feature a release concert.
For more information about Pleasant Valley Records, visit the Band Camp website at www.pleasantvalleyrecords.bandcamp.com/music or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pleasantvalleyrecords. Contact Alex Gonzalez at pleasantvalleyrecords805@gmail.com.