Today we’d like to introduce you to Teddy Spaghetty
Teddy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As long as I can remember I’ve always been a music fan. I couldn’t wait to work at my high school radio station (WCVH). I attended Seton Hall University largely because it’s amazing radio station (WSOU) and it’s proximity to NYC. Being close to NYC was ideal so that I could intern at record labels. I was lucky enough to intern at both Atlantic Records and Columbia Records while I was at Seton Hall. After graduation I landed at job at Columbia Records where I worked for 4 years. During this time the industry was changing, downloading was becoming a very popular, physical sales were in decline, then 9/11 hit and everything changed. Like many friends, I took a break from working at a major label and took a job working at a legal music download website and live music venue. Yes, two jobs at the same time. I was young and eager. Just learning as much as I could along the way. Life took a turn and I started dating an industry friend that lived in Atlanta. She owned her home, I was renting an apartment with little chance of buying, even with two jobs. So I packed up and moved to Atlanta in 2007. Honestly, I never thought I’d be living very far from NYC. Atlanta was a whole new world! Atlanta was so different. When I arrived I hadn’t owned a car in 10 years! The city has so many trees. The people were very friendly, everything was different. But after some adjusting, I started working at 11Alive, later BMI and then a media PR firm. Still the whole time diving into the local music scene. Atlanta had a great rock scene! I’d always wanted to start a record label and release the music that I liked. When I’d worked at major labels, I wasn’t always a fan of the music that I worked with. Here was my chance. I started Spaghetty Town Records in 2015! We’ve had over 60 physical releases and haven’t looked back!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Haha, is it ever a smooth road? When I started out I thought I knew it all, I very much did not. Looking back you see the missed opportunities, ways you could have spent money better and things you would have done differently.
Sometimes I get frustrated with myself when looking back. But have I see these learning opportunities and try not to repeat them.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I told someone once, “Spaghetty Town has released some of the finest rock records that you probably haven’t heard before”, haha. That being said, we’ve released so many excellent rock records over the years. So far we’ve worked with bands from four continents and nearly 10 different countries. Which is something that we are very proud of.
There are many other record labels out there that have great artist rosters. We’ve worked hard to find great bands and build a fanbase that is interested in what we do. A fan base that will order a record from us and then go support that band but seeing them on tour on a Wednesday night at the Star Bar.
Turning people onto new bands, helping artists grow and reaching a larger audience is something that we are very proud of. I haven’t sat down and counted, but at this point we have had millions of total Spotify streams. We’ve helped artists do international tours in Europe and the United States. We’ve also had multiple physical album releases sell out of the first vinyl pressing and go into second pressings. Which isn’t always easy in the days of streaming and downloads.
What makes you happy?
Seeing large pre-orders of our latest release. Watching our artists go from the opening band on a large bill to the draw act. When someone, that I don’t know, buys a shirt from us. I’m thrilled when imagining them walking around their town proudly sporting our brand on their chest. It’s years of hard work paying off. Sometimes the job can feel a little thankless, but those things make it all worthwhile.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spaghettytown.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaghettytownrecords/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpaghettyTown
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaghettyTown
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@spaghetty.town
Image Credits
Photos by Solomon Grungy
Grungeshots Photography
