Board the ship!
Life is great, thank you for asking! The past year has been one hell of a trip! We have accomplished a lot, but it is only the beginning of a much greater journey. We are just building our ship as we prepare to leave the harbor. The Rexius Records’ family has grown into a crew of strong, driven and passionate sailors who are ready to set sail toward the horizon; into the open sea, in hopes to discover what new opportunities the world has to offer!
With Rexius Records as our ship, the musicians as our pirate crew, my companion Magnus as navigator and myself as captain, we set off on a journey comparable to that of a gang of bloodthirsty pirates on the seven seas. A ship doesn’t get very far without a crew to man the sails (tools & knowledge), the wind (music) to push it forward and the waves (music industry) to carry it. When the captain works diligently with his crew, we have the power to make the wind blow in the right direction and cut through the waves of the music industry. With a combination of knowledge, drive and passion we keep the fire burning in our hearts in hopes to find our treasure. Sailing the high seas with the Rexius Records banner as our skull and crossbones, swaying in the wind to mark our way. Welcome aboard, ye landlubbers!
The love and the hate for being in the metal industry
Working alongside people who all love the distinctive sounds of metal, made up of distorted guitars, loud drums and wicked vocals. Temporary insanity may come with the territory, but don’t get me wrong; I love the music! I can’t even come up with the words to fully describe the enjoyment of working with music every single day of my life. Playing guitar started as only a hobby, and now has resulted in playing as a profession. This makes me feel like I don’t have to work a single day. Nevertheless, recording and producing can sometimes be frustrating and has its ups and downs both in and out of the studio; but we are overall having a great time together! I think I speak for all of our artists when I say that we have found a successful balance between work and play within the studio. Working in a business where music is our toy and the world is our playground. I am lucky to be surrounded by the music I love and with people I have accepted as my family!
Leadership and why bands needs a Records Label
In the past year, Rexius Records has had the opportunity to work with very talented musicians, amongst other people in the industry. Success makes no excuses! This company was founded on blood, sweat, and tears. But who am I to be talking about myself?! We are absolutely nothing without our musicians. The industry isn’t what it used to be twenty to twenty-five years ago, back then you were nothing if you didn’t spend millions of dollars on gear and signed a major record deal. Basically, all you need today is a room, a computer, a microphone, instruments and an interface to record a decent sound. So, why do bands and artists need us today? I’m here to tell you why! You can have endless resources and access to top-of-the-line gear, but what good is all of that when you don’t know how apply it? We have knowledge of music and specialized gear, but most importantly, we know how to use it! I’ll let our music speak for itself. We also have enough contacts to compete with other labels and possibly the most driven staff I have experienced in almost thirteen years in the business. Unlike major record labels, our primary goal is to work together with the musicians to develop contracts that everyone can enjoy. Don’t get me wrong but I have heard endless stories about bands and artists who sold their souls to major labels. It actually hasn’t been that far away from that I almost found myself caught up in a major labels web. Luckily I came to my senses before signing any papers! What I’m trying to say is that Rexius Records will not be playing any magic tricks on any of our bands and artists. We’re not in this to trick anyone, we boarded this ship together and we plan to reach our goal together as well. Mainly we’re in this because of the love we all share for music. We are able to understand the musicians’ needs and guide them in the right direction so that everyone doesn’t have to get off this ship walking the plank.
Taking on a leadership role is a responsibility within itself. Being a leader takes both time and practice. You aren’t born knowing how to collaborate with people of different races, ethnic cultures, gender & backgrounds; you have to learn. A leader’s responsibility is to guide with confidence and knowledge towards a goal in the most efficient and profitable way. A leader needs to know when to surpass limitations and push people to accomplish what they never thought was possible. To work together successfully musicians and leaders need to establish a relationship based on trust. Trust is further developed with every gained experience. Gaining experience is gaining knowledge. I’ve spent countless hours rehearsing with bands, practicing, taking classes, traveling, and sleeping in questionable places just to spend less than an hour in front of a crowd, having no idea whether it would be just twenty people or thousands. All the time that I have spent struggling has made me more aware of the musicians’ needs and where they are coming from. It’s a constant war to stay in the business, but for now we are surviving the battle. We have absolutely no plans of being left behind! We are determined to succeed for all of those who believe in us. Deep down, this is what it is really about – Love – Family & Friends. As human beings we are capable of complex emotions and if we can translate just one of those emotions into music that someone else can understand and feel, we have succeeded! Standing alone, we may be good, but together we can make this world a better place for everyone, everyday. So set the sails my friends! Ship ahoy!
Thank you for reading!
Captain Mathias Rexius, CEO and Founder
Oct 23, 2014
