We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Ryan, what is the most important factor behind your success?
We have 30+ years of experience as musicians and artists in the music scene. So, we understand the experiences and needs of most artists. We also have decades of experience in professional offset printing, web development, media production, and marketing. That work has afforded us a lot of essential connections as well, which has helped us to present the Record Plug brand in a manner that’s fitting for the underground music scene.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We try not to pander to readers to get the most eyes on the magazine. For instance, we tend not to feature major label artists or even bigger indie label artists who already soak up most of the journalistic focus. Instead, we trust our readers to be open to new/unsigned artists and developing music scenes. What most excites us is when a band that previously got little attention features in the magazine and then sees a significant increase in their fan base and better-resulting gigs. We by no means take responsibility for that success, but it’s nice to think we may have been a part of it.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’d go to a lot of shows at the EARL, InnerSpace, 529, The Star Bar, Boggs Social, and Eyedrum. We’d go record shopping at Wax ‘n’ Facts, Disorder, Comeback, Criminal Records, Wuxtry, and Mojo. We’d go get drinks and food at Trackside Tavern and Victory Sandwich. And we’d go hang out in EAV and West End.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We’ve been influenced by many of the local print music and art publications that came before us. But, beyond those, people like John Peel of the BBC, Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover, and Larry Crane of Tape Op Magazine significantly influenced our tone.
Website: https://recordplug.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recordplugmagazine/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/recordplug
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@recordplug
Image Credits
Photos by Jimmy Ether