Who owns the label?
Kendall Jane Meade, aka Mascott, aka "Head Panda"
Provide a brief history of the label.
I worked really hard on the last Mascott record and was feeling very Type A about letting another label release it. I approached Darla about an exclusive distribution deal. They gave me one, knowing my rock history from all my years on Le Grand Magistery I guess, so I started Red Panda.
Credit cards, inheritance...how do you manage your debt? Explain the problems with funding a label.
Red Panda is like a co-op with the artist. When you release an album on Red Panda, it's like releasing it yourself. So if the band pays for their publicity and promotion, they get it all back right away. This way, I don't have to give too much up front and my expenses are minimal. What I give is my energy, organization and cheerleader qualities.
I wish I had enough funding to give advances. Maybe Mariah Carey will cover a Mascott song I can be a big-time record mogul.
How many demos do you get a month, and what do you do with them?
I don't get that many. But being an artist myself, I always write people back. I know how it feels to send your music out there and feel like it's being ignored.
Please share one disaster that you overcame and what you learned from it.
I didn't realize I had to repay my manufacturing and production costs to Darla each quarter. When the Naysayer record came out, it was right at the beginning of a quarter, and I had to come up with a lot of money quickly before we could move forward with production on Jennifer O'Connor's album. At the time I had maxed out my credit card and was so screwed. Luckily, my sister got me out of the hole. I'm lucky I had someone I could borrow from! I'm still paying her back...
I like so much bad stuff. Seals and Crofts, Keith Carradine. Lots of weird, dorky folk stuff. I'm not even embarrassed about it. Bring it on!
Who's the most overrated band in the world? And who's the most underrated?
I think lots of R&B and emo rock are so cheesy and lame-no mystery. Underrated is the story of my life. That's another reason why I started a label, to give my favorite lesser-known bands a home.
What does the future hold?
Jennifer O'Connor's album is doing great. She's a star, just you watch. There will hopefully be a great new Naysayer record, a Red Panda Bamboo Sampler, a fall release from a Chapel Hill band I am obsessed with. I can't say who it is, as it's still top secret. Then, of course, I'm going to record a new Mascott record. Hopefully in Detroit, my hometown, with some old Motown dudes. It's a dream, but we'll see if I can make it happen.