Below you will find our frequently asked questions section. These should answer most of your questions regarding the label, but if they don't, please feel free to contact us using the web forms.

Frequently Asked Questions

• From where did the name Headphone Treats come?

  It's a term I've always used during the making (or specifically the mixing) of an album. A "Headphone Treat" is a quirk or accident in a recording that is usually only audible when you listen to a record with headphones. A good example is the cough at the beginning of "The Good Mr. Square" by The Pretty Things. They tend to lend a charm to a record, and I've always tried to go out of my way to include them (or not cut them out as is usually the case). Albums released before the mid-70's had all kinds of Headphone Treats... mainly because the technology wasn't around to easily rid the recording of these mistakes. Once multi-track punch-ins, automated consoles and, more recently, digital workstations came into use, recordings started to loose this charm. Home recordings thankfully brought a lot of these quirks back. We try to keep them in even our highest fidelity recordings.
  
  Credit for the label name should also go to my drummer, Chris Pollette (aka Freddy Ether), for suggesting it after hearing the term tumble out of my mouth during a session for the 100th time. :)
  

• I have a PodCast and would like to play some songs by one of your artists. What do I need to do?

  We are huge supporters of PodCasting. If you are doing a PodCast and want to use the music of any of our artists, please feel free. All we ask is that you tell us what you are using, and send us the info on your cast so we can link to you.
  
  There are downloads available in our Music section, and you can also preview any track on any album using our streaming jukebox. If you hear something you would like to use and it's not available for high-resolution download, shoot us a message and we'll temporarily post it for you.
  

• I'm an artist and/or have a band and would like to be on your roster. What's the best way to get Headphone Treats attention?

  While we generally find our artists through word of mouth in our music related social circles, we are always interested in what you are doing. You can mail us a demo if you like, or contact us via email with some links to MP3s. The best thing you can do is add us to your MySpace friends, and keep us informed of any shows you will be playing in the Atlanta or Athens, GA area. We are currently focused on bands and artists who are based in the southeastern United States, or at least tour here regularly.
  

• How would you define the Headphone Treats sound?

  I think defining anything with regard to the music we release would only serve to limit its creative potential to go somewhere new. Honestly, all we require is that our music be melodic and (if vocal in nature) be well constructed from a lyrical standpoint. We have a profound love and respect for the "craft" of songwriting, and we expect the same from our artists. So, instead of defining our "sound", I'll take the cheap route and make a list. What follows is a list of artists who, if were young upstarts today looking for a home, we would be happy to take in:
  
  The Kinks, The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, The Beatles, Paul McCartney, Wings, John Lennon, Big Star, T Rex, Jon Brion, Beulah, Cheap Trick, The Clash, Donovan, Electric Light Orchestra, Elton John, Brian Eno, dEUS, fIREHOSE, Minutemen, Pinback, Pixies, Grifters, Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard, Daryl Hall, Hall and Oates, Peter Gabriel, The Green Pajamas, Helium, Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, Brad Jones, Led Zeppelin, Pavement, Stephen Malkmus, Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, Willie Nelson, Apples in Stereo, Jim O'Rourke, Wilco, Jeff Tweedy, Van Dyke Parks, Sebadoh, Queen, Al Green, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Stax/Volt catalog, Motown, Stevie Wonder, Todd Rundgren, Silver Jews, Sloan, Elliot Smith, Spoon, The Who, The Zombies, Neil Young, Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, Jellyfish, Bikeride, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, John Vanderslice, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Quasi, Michael Penn, The New Pornographers, Buddy Holly, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday, Nick Drake, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Chuck Berry
  

• What other label catalogs have had the greatest influence on Headphone Treats and its artists?

  Heroes? We have a few. Here's a list of our favorite labels and stylistic pioneers:
  
  Phil Spector, Barry Gordy (Motown), Jim Stewart & Estelle Axton (Stax/Volt), Ahmet Ertegun & Jerry Wexler (Atlantic), Alfred Lion & Francis Wolff (Blue Note), Brother Records, Apple Records, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff (Philadelphia International), Greg Ginn (SST), Gerard Cosloy (Matador), Mac McCaughan (Merge), Dan Geller & Ryan Lewis (Kindercore), Hidden Agenda Records, SubPop
  
  We try to learn from the successes and mistakes of all these folks... and anyone else.
  

• How important is sound quality to Headphone Treats?

  We are borderline audiophiles here at Headphone Treats, which is to say, we love high fidelity recordings when the music is as good as the recording, but we aren't turning our noses up to sonically inferior recordings if the material is good. Sonic perfection is never more important than the quality of the music itself. Often, the imperfections in sound and performance are what make a record interesting.
  
  That said, we strive to create records that are unparalleled in audio quality. Often, budget restraints might force us fall just short of that goal, but we are confident that our releases still stand up to the best sounding recordings out there today.
  
  Whenever possible, our artists come down to The Ether Lounge to make a record where we have a pretty solid facility and setup. We record largely to wide-format professional audio tape before going into a high resolution digital system for mixing and mastering. At the very least, all Headphone Treats releases are mastered at our facility where we can take the time and patience to get the most out of the recording. From a mastering perspective, we are huge fans of people like Steve Hoffman, so we strive to equal that level of quality. We are even considering the move to high resolution releases like SACD and DVD-Audio in the future if there is enough interest to justify the huge cost. We will likely even start doing 5.1 surround recordings in the near future (the new facility in Athens will be set up with a 5.1 miking matrix for capturing the natural surround ambiance of every performance). In our opinion, that is the future of audio, and we want to be on the cutting edge from the perspective of a small indie label.
  
  Still, all that is not going to stop us from releasing a lower fidelity recording (typically recorded by the artists themselves) if we feel the record is inventive and charming. We're pretty flexible when something excites us.
  

• Who distributes Headphone Treats releases?

  Currently we distribute through Carrot Top Distribution, Ltd., ToneVENDOR, NotLame, Kool Kat Musik, CD Baby and soon Amazon.com. We are always working to expand these as our roster and catalog grow. If you are a distributor or catalog interested in Headphone Treats releases, please contact us.
  
  Headphone Treats releases can also be found at the Apple iTunes Music Store and soon will be available through Emusic.
  
  And, of course, you can order from us directly through our on-line store!
  

• I'm a DJ, music director, music journalist, etc. How do I get on your promotional mailing list?

  Just ask us. We do all our own promo and PR (or at least closely manage the campaigns when farming that out), so we are your direct contact for that stuff. We are little guys, and we like other little guys. If you have a small 'zine, MP3 blog, podcast, radio show, etc., we would love to be involved. Just let us know!
  

• How do I set up an interview with one of your artist or the label itself?

  Again, just ask us. We handle all our own PR. Interviews and features make us smile.
  

• What is/was subReal Songs?

  It was my first label... really more of a vanity label for my own projects. The first two Ether Family releases came out on it. Then, I decided to broaden the scope and allow other artists on the roster and go with a more eye/ear-catching name. We still carry the subReal Songs releases though. They will eventually be re-mastered (possibly even re-mixed), repackaged and re-released as Headphone Treats releases. That will be a while from now though... maybe for their 10-year anniversary.