Goldtrack Records is a new, emerging record label in the Heavy Metal scene. From their office in Madrid, Spain, they are releasing a lot of interesting releases. We got in touch with the label and Lucky took time out and answered our questions.



1. When and where was Goldtrack Records started ?

We started in Madrid in September 97 when I decided it was time to create a new label, different from the other one I have and try to export the Spanish heavy to other countries. At first we started as many other labels, using some free rooms of our houses and a few months later we moved to a proper office where we started working full time in the label projects.

2. What is your experiences in the shark- infested music industry so far ?

I've been in this bussiness for quite a long time, always dealing with extreme music, first with Drowned Productions and when this label dissapeared we create Repulse Records some years ago, so my experience is so wide. The other people in Goldtrack come from the industry but working in other levels, radio, press, promotional departments...

3. What is your release policy and the music styles you deal with ?

When we started we wanted to deal only with Heavy and Progressive acts and so we are doing until now, but that doesn't mean that we are not open to other styles (always into metal) in the future. Now we have heavy, progressive and crossover bands. Most times are the own bands who contact with us in one way of another and after listening a recording we make an offer if we are interested in working with them. We look for quality and hardworking bands who are interested in cooperate 100% with us.

4. Please tell us more about your releases.

Until now we have 8 releases and as I said before they all are into heavy, progressive or crossover metal. We have bands from different countries, in fact we don't care about where the band comes if they make good music, Spain (Allison, Overlife, Is Pain, Skunk D.F.), Uk, (Seer'S Tear) Lithuania (Ruination), Sweden Gooseflesh)...Nowadays we are about to release the 2nd Ruination album and we have some more for autumn, Overlife and Is Pain. And sometime in september we are going to release a double compilation CD with our bands, new songs, and some other unsigned european bands that we think are very interesting.

5. Please name the release/releases you are most satisfied with.

We are satisfied with all our releases, each one is unique and different so I couln't say which one I like more. Some of them have sold better than others or had a better support from the media. When we release something is because we like it a lot and we are gateful to all the bands who believed in us.

6. Which release/releases do you regret you released ?

With no doubt Knell Odyssey. We like the music and we don't regret to have this release in our roster but we had a lot of personal problems with two of them, who suddenly thought that they were the new rock starts just because in Spain the record had a great acceptance. This stupid attitude made the other members leave the band and created very bad situations for both of us. I repeat, we don't regret to have released the Cd, we regret to have met this kind of people that is not worthwhile.

7. Please tell us about the metal community in Spain. Any other labels ?

Yes, there are many labels here although they don't go out of Spain. Most of them only work with Spanish band and for the Spanish market. That could be the reason that many people outside thinks that there's not a heavy scene here, and here are many heavy bands, magazines, radio stations and a lot of fans of this kind of music.

8. How is the distribution of underground metal in Spain these days ??

For heavy metal there are some big distributors working all over Spain. We work with Mastertrax that is the bigger and most important one in Spain. All the important labels are distributed by them here. This is the usual distribution channel here for the kind of metal we work with. There are not small distributors for heavy metal.

9. Do you have any plans starting a distribution service in Spain yourself ?

No, our releases are distributed here by Mastertrax and we are not interested in that by the moment. What we have is a mailorder here, we send about 2.500 every two months and have a lot of customers. We are increasinly the number of customers and we offer from the most important bands to bands almost unknown released by other small labels. We have some Cds in our catalogue that no one else in Spain have. People likes to buy all, from a big band to a small one and we offer that at good price. We even had to get a person just to work on the catalogue.

10. What is the advantages and disadvantages for a record- label, being based in Spain ?

There are many disadvantages, people has a very distortioned view of the Spanish, when we have been in other European countries or simply speaking with people everyday we see that our reality has nothing to do with the ideas they have about Spain. Many people don't take you seriously just because you are calling from Spain or because the band you are offering is Spanish. Luckily this is starting to change.
I don't see any advantage.

11. What is your view on the MP 3 revolution ? Do you regard this as threat to your livelihood ?

Sorry but I don't know what you are talking about.

12. In which CD factory do you produce your CDs ? What do you think about the production costs in the music industry ?

We work with Sony Dadc in Austria. They offer the best quality for a good price. There are other factories that don't offer good prices at all, the relation cheap-expensive depends on the kind of artwork you make, the colours you use, the quantity you manufacture.... By now we think that the price is fair at least in our factory.

13. What is your future release plans and other plans for GoldTrack Records ?

Our plans now are to release the Cds we have in our schedule, to improve our catalogue and of course to get a better distribution in some places. We got good distribution in some countries, in others we work with small ones and make trades. Being a small label we got a lot of things since we got distribution in Europe, South America , Japan and Israel, but we need a better one in some places to get bigger. We'll keep on working hard and time will tell. Sometimes you release something that was not planned or cancelled something for any reason.
In short we'll release RUINATION "XURA", IS PAIN "1999" (september), OVERLIFE"2nd album" (november), SEER'S TEAR "RAMDOM" (2000)....

14. Do you have any plans of re- release of old Baron Rojas releases ?

Not by now. I like this band a lot but now there are new bands and they deserve a chance, but who knows what we'll do in the future although I think the possibility is zero.

15. Where can GoldTrack Records be contacted ?

We can be contacted at our office by telephone/fax or e mail, or by snail mail to our P.O. Box.

P.O. Box 37062
28080 Madrid - Spain
Tel /Fax:++ 34 91 669 40 45
E mail: goldtrack@arrakis.es

16. Any final comments ???

Thanks a lot for the interview and for the interest showed to our label. We hope that all your readers have the chance to hear our bands, and of course we hope they like them !!