Music Biz Pros: I Heard a Whisper & Club Seven Records
Published 17 Decmeber, 2020
A man of many hats, Jas Mooreβs music industry career has spanned across various roles. After a move to Melbourne from Wodonga, Jasβ volunteer work at SYN Radio lead him to new industry opportunities and networks. Today, Jas runs I Heard a Whisper an music events booking organisation, and Club Seven Records, a new record label specialising in the 7" format. We talked to Jas about how he got started in the industry, what heβs currently working on, his new vinyl deposit scheme and what he hopes will change for the industry post COVID-19.
Please tell me a bit about yourself (how did you get your start in the music industry?)
I put on some shows at high school in Wodonga (with Kieran from the Sunset Pig crew - shoutout) and LOVED it. Moved to Melbourne, volunteered EVERYWHERE especially SYN Radio, which is where a bunch of my favourite people have also come through. Was very lucky to eventually have people like Bernadette Ryan, Neil Wedd, Tracey Wall, Anna Jacobs, Richard Moffat, Ben Thompson and Sally Mather take me under their wings and forever grateful - thank you, thank you, thank you π π π. I got involved putting on some of the first shows for the likes of Lorde, Aldous Harding, Courtney Barnett, Methyl Ethel, Hiatus Kaiyote and off we went (also, I FAILED a LOT and still feel like an IMPOSTER - can't believe I'm getting asked to do this π).
What inspired you to start I heard a whisper?
After meeting a bunch of people overseas at things like SXSW, Reeperbahn, Great Escape etc. I thought it could be a nice way to keep those people up to date with all the INCREDIBLE artists that were coming from the Land of Aus, so started the blog and newsletter π€
What projects are you currently working on?
I'm broadcasting at Triple R (Local &/or General), booking The Gaso (when shows come back!), and a cheeky little VR Live Stream (yes - virtual reality - we've made it to the future!) project which will hopefully help Aus bands get a foot in overseas while touring is off the cards - more soon! I also started Club Seven.
Tell us about your new record label (Club Seven Records) and how it came about?
I have always wanted to be involved in a label and had a small taste when I was involved in putting out Sampa The Great's first 7" back in the day and then again with A. Swayze & The Ghosts first tracks - loved it! I was at a loose end when everything locked down so had a chat with Remote Control and we got to work on Club Seven - embracing the magical 7" format. Excitingly, in conjunction with Program Records Thornbury, we think we've started the world's first Vinyl Deposit Scheme which we can announce via the VMDO π₯³ - see more below. Very very humbled to be able to work alongside Blisstake, Moon Rituals and Partner Look and support from idols such as Maddy MacFarlane, Vaughan Quinn, Karen Leng, Woody McDonald, Zan Rowe, Benny Montero and even Henry Rollins so far has been extraordinary. Big thanks to Creative Vic for their support as well πππ
Tell us about the new Club Seven and Program Records Vinyl Deposit Scheme?
I Heard a Whisper through the Club Seven project in conjunction with the efforts of Program Records Thornbury are super proud to announce what we think might be the world's first ever Vinyl Deposit Scheme. Much like container deposit schemes you may have seen in Europe and most places in Australia, the scheme will see I Heard a Whisper reimburse purchasers $1 for their used vinyl when they return it to Program Records Thornbury. The records will be recycled into new records, thus reducing the amount of new vinyl needed to be created and also reducing the the amount of vinyl that is sent to landfill.
Starting a label is something that I've wanted to do for a long time and looove DJing with records around town, though always had a bit of a funny feeling about what happens to records when they're no longer getting played. With this in mind we started asking Program Records how we might be able to reduce our environmental footprint when pressing records - from using recycled cardboard for the sleeves, recycling the vinyl that goes into the 7", even looking at ways to reduce the embedded energy that goes into the final 7" and carbon offsetting where possible. The cherry on top has been the Vinyl Deposit Scheme which Program Records have been so supportive in helping to facilitate - we couldn't be more appreciative.
If you were to make one major change for the music industry for 2021, what would it be?
Well, a highly effective ol' vaccine would be a dream wouldn't it! Just can't wait til itβs safe to go see bands again (and get back to Meredith π). If I could have a cheeky extra wish, it would be that we're able to be a lot more sustainable as an industry in future - some work in progress on this which is encouraging! And maybe one more to be real greedy... Work From Home Wednesdays (or Mondays for those taking OS calls all weekend) - we (usually) work so hard weeknights and weekends, could be good to have some midweek mental health time πββοΈ πββοΈ.
To learn more about I Heard A Whisper visit:
iheardawhisper.com
To learn more about Club Seven Records or the Vinyl Deposit Scheme email:
psss@iheardawhisper.com.