Stokes, for example, creates postcards for his own recordings. Diffuse and suggestive, they’re meant to assist with the overall label promotions, but he also leaves stacks at area record stores next to the rave ads. There’s a strong visual theme with much of Hypnos - from the practical psychedelia of the website to the distinctive, consciously artistic album covers. Griffin handles every aspect of the label’s design and, from the beginning, concentrated upon a unique look for their releases.

Imagery from the Hypnos label at www.hypnos.com

If there was a specific influence for Hypnos, it was the experimental jazz label ECM. "They had a consistent presentation, a consistent sense of what the label was about. People found that whatever ECM recommended, they'd trust. They had a simple, austere visual style that didn't get in the way, and it set a tone for the music which would tend to be simple and restrained. The same with 4AD, visually. Looking at early 4AD albums at the record store, they were so beautiful and textured. You'd see an album in the store and want to touch it as much as listen to it."

That attention to detail, and an understanding of the realities of the marketplace, has kept Hypnos solvent through the implosion of similar imprints. "The number of labels [devoted to ambient] has shrunk, so a label that's putting things out there is in high demand", he explains. "There were a lot more before than there are now. It's not really lucrative. If you want to have a large business, there are a lot of other things you can do with better payoffs. Most were just offshoots of larger World or New Age labels, and they quickly realized that the more accessible music like Celtic or Choir or Trance would sell in huge numbers while a decent Ambient album, even for a huge label with promotional muscle, would only sell ten or twenty thousand albums. They felt like their resources were being wasted. If it takes the same time and effort to promote something that sells ten thousand as something that sold a hundred thousand copies, they ended up migrating away from that."

"It's kind of a diminishing return type of endeavor. A lot of people have trouble finding the balance with how hard to try. You could spend a lot of time calling DJ's and bugging them and calling magazine writers and trying to get them to do features, and not get a lot of bang for your buck. It's better to let the buzz push it forward without having to be too hands on. I don't want to tell people why they should like Hypnos, I want them to see why they should like it. If I put out a new CD, sent five thousand copies around the country and paid two people to promote them, I'd be out of business real quick. And," he smiles, "I get little enough sleep as it is. Have to try and keep things simple."

As well, Griffin has always limited his retail business to less than ten percent of total distribution and focused energies upon the website. "We had to tilt the balance toward clarity. A lot of people visit three times a week. It's helpful to update news and host a forum. If they're clicking on your site, they're only one button away from the store. If more and more of the scenes become interested in buying from the label directly or from Amazon, than Ambient music is far more likely to be exposed. It wouldn't surprise me if some of our artists started to gain a following. Jeff Pearce has an emotional expressiveness that's compelling. People are devoted to him. I can see how he'd cross over."

Does Griffin ever see himself crossing over into the mainstream? "Yeah, I've thought about that. It would be neat to cross over a little bit to work with other artists on some common ground. Maybe a jazz instrumentalist or vocalist, that would be interesting Even some strange rock project." He grimaces. "But not the next U2 album, nothing like that."

 

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