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Moonzoo Records: Independant Label searching for Belgian talent
Interview with labelboss Mario Guccio of Moonzoo Records by Patrick in January 2009
Mario Guccio is not only the vocalist of Machiavel but also runs a small record label called Moonzoo Records. The label only signs Belgian talent. We took the opportunity to talk to Mario Guccio, the driving force behind this label. Influenced by Virgin Records and with the true independent spirit, the label is trying to survive. Mario talks about his love for good music, his search for talent and his will to succeed in this “mission impossibleâ€.
 Who came up with the idea to start this label and what was the final goal?
It's an old dream that has always been floating in our heads. The final goal is to make this dream come true. The label was founded 2 years ago. We are moving, slowly but surely.
What kind of bands fit into the label's policy?
The Aim & Vegas.
We only sign Belgian rock bands. All styles are welcome. Bands from any part of the country. Music has no boarders.
Can you tell us something about the people behind the label?
There is my partner and friend Roland De Greef, who plays bass in Machiavel and 3 other people. They prefer to remain unknown. They do a lot of work behind the scenes. And we have a promo man called Chris Prouvé, he plays in a band called Shock.
Please tell us something about the bands which are currently working for Moonzoo music?
None of our bands scored hits so far. But they all are very talented. We keep on trying, even if it's very difficult at the moment. There still is a lot of work to be done.
I know that Universal Music is responsible for the distribution. How did this cooperation start?
It was very difficult to convince Universal to take one more label on board. The market is very bad. We could convince them of the talent of our bands and finally they decided to work with us.
What is the reason the label is less know in Flanders?
It's always the same thing. We have to convince the media. We are getting little airplay. I think we also have to sign more Flemish bands. This will surely help us to do better in Flanders. Lots of people like our bands but the distance between the French speaking part of Belgium and the Dutch speaking part is still big. That’s a pity…
I must congratulate you for the fantastic releases so far.
Thanks a lot. We work more than 500 hours on an album. That's the reason why the quality is very good. You can discuss about the music. Lots of people have different tastes of music. But we always want the album to sound good. This can never be an item of discussion. We do not want to get bad remarks about the sound of the album. Our label stands for quality.
 What makes you decide to sign a band?
It has to be love at first sight. But all our bands have to be able to produce the music live on stage. We only want talented and skilled musicians. Craftsmanship is very important!
Is it still possible to "survive" in the music business, even big companies are facing dramatic losses?
It's nearly impossible. But we do our best. I think it is very important to get a really big band on your label. Even big companies need huge sales. Some labels just depend on big names: Coldplay, Radiohead… Also downloading music makes it even more difficult for us to survive.
Which "Moonzoo music-band" will have a breakthrough in 2009? And why?
I don't know it's up to the listeners to decide, sometimes you put all your hope in a band and it's another band that becomes popular. If I would be able to know in advance which band will be big, I would be a very rich man by now.
Mario, it is always nice for our readers to come up with some "best of lists". Can you please give us your top ten of "all time best albums"…
MY TOP TEN
1/ Led Zeppelin ‘4’: the best singer of all of the times
2/ Pink Floyd ‘The Wall’: the compositions, lyrics and sound are great
3/ Genesis ‘Selling England By The Pound’: great album, probably the best Genesis album.
4/ Peter Hammil ‘Silent Corner’: fabulous lyrics
5/ Simple Minds ‘Real To Real Cacaphony’: musically very strange and fascinating
6/ Radiohead ‘OK Computer’: very clever band
7/ Yes ‘Close To The Edge’: technically Brilliant.
8/ The Beatles ‘White Album’: fabulous album, pure pop, never done better
9/ The Beatles ‘Sergeant Peppers’: No Comment- Masterpiece
10/ The Rolling Stones ‘Sticky Fingers’: Pure Rock and Roll, raw and pure.
Many thanks Mario for the interview.
We wish you all the best.
Geplaatst door Vera op dinsdag 03 februari 2009 - 09:21:59
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