Students start new independent record label

When IU juniors Matt Garbis and Frank Kalman met, they found they had one thing that would ultimately bring them together: music.\nThe two decided to start a record label, Hoosier Daddy Entertainment Group, for students that offers recording, managing, booking and promotion for free.\n“I really don’t even foresee there being that much cost in this whole thing,” Garbis said.\nHe said the group will enlist students studying audio recording who have required recording hours and students with any kind of “novice expertise” who want to get in on the business side of music.\n“The main thing that we’re trying to push is we’re trying to get involved more with the University,” Kalman said.\nGarbis said the label will try to emulate the success of other on-campus labels at major universities and will try to recruit large fanbases and book shows for bands.\nWhile mainstream pop rock inspired them, Kalman said there are “no boundaries” to what kind of bands and artists Hoosier Daddy Entertainment Group plans to promote. The label has already signed a hip-hop group.\nThe pair met through the Business Careers in Entertainment Club music committee. Kalman wanted to start a management and booking agency for local bands while Garbis was interested in the recording process, Kalman said. \nThe duo saw that Bloomington wasn’t lacking in talent, but was lacking in industry, Garbis said.\nEach had some experience in managing and booking bands – Kalman in Chicago and Garbis in New York. Kalman said he learned the most valuable thing to have in the industry was experience and “going through it first hand.”\nGarbis said the two also saw a demand not being filled that wasn’t necessarily so obvious: “real life experience” for students who are interested in music business.\n“A lot of the kids involved (in BCEC) are looking for … a way to get involved with the music community,” BCEC Music Committee Co-Director Nicole O’Neal said. “Everyone’s looking for something new to do.”\n“We’re connecting people – and I think that’s the most important part of (Hoosier Daddy’s) success,” Kalman said.\nHoosier Daddy Entertainment Group was founded through the BCEC to meet needs for students interested in music business and the IU music scene.\nO’Neal said members of the committee remained somewhat “skeptical” until Garbis and Kalman came back with lots of research and guidance from former BCEC Music Director Greg Hasty.\nO’Neal said BCEC will help the Hoosier Daddy label grow through “getting the name out there,” which includes everything from making posters to coordinating events.\nRight now, the group will focus on managing and booking bands, Kalman said.\n“We hope that the climax (for the label) is going to be after we graduate,” Kalman said. “So by the time we leave, we are doing recordings for groups.”\nThe goal of the record label is staying power, and after Garbis and Kalman graduate, the hope is that it will continue to grow, said BCEC Music Committee Co-Director Scott Hubiak.\n “It would be great if Matt and I 10 years from now could look back at IU and say ‘Wow, we started that,’ you know?” Kalman said.