A Human and his STDs wanted more exposure
So the underground, punk-rock band based in Santa Maria paid $100 to Dark Sky Records, owned by Rich Macke and his business partner, Greg Santori, to be on a compilation CD that was distributed to college and underground radio stations and Internet radio stations. The band received 10 CDs of their own, which they could sell back to others if they wanted to.
Human (who said he won’t reveal his real name to anyone) owns his own record label based in Santa Maria, Back Door Records, so you’d think he wouldn’t need the help of another label. But Human said at the local level, the focus is more on collaboration than competition, because bands need all the exposure they can get.
Dark Sky Records specializes in underground music, which is mostly hard rock and metal, with other sub-genres like thrash and punk, and even alternative forms of rap and hip-hop. According to Macke, underground music, unlike mainstream music like country or pop, is rarely played on radio stations.
