Adam Reifsteck has been involved in the music industry for many years watching it develop and change dramatically. At first he was involved as a contemporary classical composer, recording engineer and producer. While working in this genre he had the opportunity to collaborate with various international ensembles. His work was recognized by key organizations like the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, among others. Adam had managed to receive grants for his work from these same cultural organizations. Yet Adam was opened to adapt to different genres of music.
He would soon begin to dabble with electronica while still working in the contemporary classical music scene. Adam began to produce and perform under the alias Sonic Fear, which is electronic based. He studied music technology as an undergrad and was always interested in electronic music. When he moved to New York he was actually focused on writing acoustic music. But he soon found himself transitioning from classical to electronic. Even though both are drastically different he has enjoyed working in both genres and fusing the two.
Only a year ago Adam found the label entitled Teknofonic Recordings that so far has signed over forty artists from ten different countries. It is a major investment but so far it has been building at a good pace. The label’s goal is to offer listener’s a different space to discover non-mainstream music. This is evident with the label’s recently released compilation “Teknofonic Essentials Vol. 1” (https://soundcloud.com/teknofonic/sets/teknofonic-essentials-vol-1) that highlights some of the various diverse artists on its roster. “Teknofonic Essentials Vol. 1” offers cutting edge tracks that go against the grain and deliver unique sounds most would never hear anywhere else. The track-list flows from chill-downtempo to pure dance.
But the label does not only release music but offers many services. There are three distinct services they offer to the independent artist. The first being Master Rights Management then SoundCloud Promotion and DJ Promos. Each one caters to a different area of the industry to get the artists music noticed and played. The industry has changed so much that it is even harder for any artist to monetarily profit from sales. While performing live seems to be the primary source of income for musicians, Adam realized the need to help artists tap into additional revenue streams that are available from the music they create and perform. Through the label, he has created additional services that are artist driven, not label driven.
“Recognizing this problem myself as an artist creating electronic music, I wanted to provide a different way where artists can stay independent and explore their creativity while getting some of the benefits and support you would have by being on a record label. Artists really want a better way to get their music out there to fans and putting their interests first is what really separates us from the thousands of other independent record labels out there.”
Adam has realized the switch, from CD’s to digital to the now growing streaming service. The best way he seems to keep up with this growing change is to offer his artists a competitive edge so their music could be heard in the current marketplace. One area is using Youtube more with its ad revenue sharing tool that generates monetary value for his label and artists. The Teknofonic Recordings (http://teknofonic.com/allartists/) falls somewhere between a digital distribution service and a record label.
The label has been busy releasing new music every week and are looking to release “Teknofonic Essentials Volume 2” later this year. Adam’s alias Sonic Fear is also working on new music to be released with the label featuring a remix project with Mana Saxophone Quartet. The remix will combine classical music with electronic dance music. Sonic Fear is also looking to plan several performances across the States. Teknofonic Recordings may be the next best thing for independent artists worldwide.
