I was fortunate enough to speak with Tatsu Suzuki, the owner of Bump Foot, a well established netlabel in Japan. Bump Foot has 267 releases available for free download, specializing in techno, house, ambient, and IDM music.

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SFM: What is your definition of a netlabel?

Tatsu: A platform collecting tracks of independent (not-signed) artists.

SFM: What is the primary motivation for starting/running a netlabel?

Tatsu: I wanted my music (alongside the music of others) to be heard by someone. Also, I was interested in running a netlabel.

SFM: What is the primary motivation for an artist to release their own music on a netlabel?

Tatsu: Getting more exposure than own website (getting music heard by the most possible people).

SFM: There has been an influx of new netlabels over the past couple years. Has this had a positive or negative impact on the netaudio scene?

Tatsu: I think it’s both positive and negative. Positive: it can be another place for promotion, or new discovery. Negative: it’s hard to follow the netlabel scene, especially for people following many labels.

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