Bonza Records

This week BONZA RECORDS made their latest addition to their artist roster when they signed Sydney based BLACK LABEL. The name is always synonymous with “top shelf”, “extra special blends” & that’s exactly what you get with this act being touted as Sydney’s hardest working rock band.

BONZA RECORDS has been working with the band for some time and was attracted by their awesome live sound which is best described as pure Oz Rock the likes of which hasn’t been seen since ROSE TATTOO.

With their pumping selections of tight riffy guitar tunes, BLACK LABEL blend awesome high energy performances with master musicianship to create a big smooth sound & slick show.

Already sponsored by Woodstock Bourbon & Cola + Live To Ride magazine and fronted by Steve Mulry, brother of the late great Ted Mulry, BLACK LABEL has supported some of Australia’s greatest rock acts such as ROSE TATTOO, THE ANGELS, THE RADIATORS & DIESEL.

Earlier this month Director of Bonza Records, Geoff Weule flew to Berlin to showcase the bands upcoming release SEVEN DEADLY SINS at Germany's POPKOMM Music Trade Show with some very positive results.

Black Label joins an impressive and diverse roster of Artists now on BONZA RECORDS with the bands SEVEN DEADLY SINS DVD / CD to be released in November through Rajon Distribution /Sony-BMG.


For further information contact
Rob Smith Director
Bonza Records, PO Box 24 Frenchs Forest, NSW 1640
Email: rob@bonzarecords.com.au
Mobile: 0414-235-000

26th September, 2005


- 26/09/05

Contracts signed with artists

Artists with whom contracts were signed at Popkomm included the Dutch band Stuurbaard Bakkebaard and the American singer Karen Jacobsen. Stuurbaard Bakkebaard, who were the support act for the 2004 tour by Kaizers Orchestra are now under contract to the German indie label Hazelwood Vinyl Plastics. Karen Jacobsen signed a contract with Bonza Records from Australia at Popkomm. Karen Jacobsen: "Popkomm far exceeded all my expectations. I am very happy." Geoff Weule, Director of Bonza Records, is pleased that "Popkomm has enabled the label to acquire such a successful and well-known artist".

- Business Wire

With artists as varied as Heifer, Hey Da Vinci, Michael Hope and David Beniuk, Aussie label Bonza Records has an extremely diverse roster. We catch up with owner Geoff Weule to find out more...

Could you tell AMO about when the idea of starting up a new label first raised its head with you, and why? What were some of the things you were wishing for in launching Bonza Records?

In 1990 I decided to return to the music industry as the various marketing consultancies that I was engaged with at the time began to take me further away from the ‘music’ so I decided to set-up a new strategic business unit as part of my marketing consultancy, Walsingham Pty Ltd, and I registered three labels, Walsingham Classics, Kakadu Country and Bonza Records.

As I began to push buttons, Warren Fahey the chief larrikin at Larrikin Records offered me the position as General Manager of Larrikin Entertainment and at the same time he also wanted me to proceed with Walsingham Classics as he also had a few classical artists, including Winsome Evans’, Renaissance Players whom he thought would be better placed on Walsingham Classics. So in 1991 Walsingham Classics was born and Kakadu Country and Bonza Records were both put on hold.

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then so it has taken 14 years to finally give birth to Bonza Records. Kakadu Country will have to wait just a while longer.

I have always been adamant that the ‘music business’ should be ‘artist driven’ not label driven, Warren Fahey and I shared this view back in 1990 as we do to this very day.

The future for our artists lies in ‘live performance’, both at home and abroad, with the full support of their record label. The artist (the product) needs to satisfy the wants and demands of the consumer (the audience).

Since I first became involved with the music industry, now 48 years ago, I have watched the slow metamorphoses take place as the ‘bean counters’ moved in and slowly took over from the ‘music men’. They have been responsible for reshaping the business taking the focus away from the music and placing it fairly and squarely on the ‘holy dollar’. The industry is now more ‘dollar driven’ than ‘artist driven’.

I am very conscious of the bottom line and the need to grow the business and at the same time to get a respectable return on one’s investment but the financial decisions taken in recent years, not only here in Australia but overseas, have not been done towards growing the business through developing and supporting the artist. In many instances it has been anything but that.

In my own quiet way I want to change this back to how it was.

When looking for acts to sign to the label, what are some of the criteria you’ll be looking for?
The artists already signed, together with the ones we are still negotiating with, all have something ‘remarkable’ to offer. They are all driven to succeed and are fiercely passionate towards their music.

We are certainly not wishing to establish a label of industry clones.

We are establishing a sound support mechanism that will allow the artists to give of their best at all times and we want to see them financially secure in their pursuit of excellence.

Can you tell AMO readers about the day-to-day of your job – what it involves, the different aspects you face each day…
My days are very long, lecturing three days a week at the Contemporary Music College here in Sydney certainly puts pressure on me to maximise the remaining four days. However, I am able to delegate and share a lot of the work load with two fellow directors, Nigel York (Ex Festival Mushroom Records – 15 years) and Robert Smith and together with our sophisticated computer system and the internet I am able to get through my work without too many difficulties. We spend every Friday together planning the following week and attending to other matters that require a consensus of opinion. Bonza Records is very democratically run, that is for sure. We also preview submissions and discuss marketing strategies and opportunities at our Friday meetings.

What would you say are some of the most important lessons you’ve learnt over your time with labels such as EMI Music, as well as your other roles within the industry?
‘Important lessons’ reminds me of college. In the environment in which I teach, we call them ‘learning outcomes’. To look back on almost 50 years in the music business, I have seen many changes and have seen the introduction of so many technological innovations, and still they come. I have not only seen but been part of ‘how it was’ right up until today and now trying to steer my path into ‘how it will be’ These are exciting and challenging times, in fact the industry has never had so much to look forward to.

EMI Records was a great training ground for me and having worked for them for almost 20 years both here and overseas was a truly awesome experience.

I guess then in trying to answer your question I would have - Australian Music Online AMO 27.04.05