Shawn Milke: Alesana, Integrity & Revival Recordings

Bridge The Atlantic

Joining us this week is lead singer of post-hardcore band Alesana and founder of Revival Recordings, Shawn Milke. To date, Alesana have released 2 EPs and 5 full length albums, and have recently brought out a novella - Annabel, which is what inspired their Annabel Trilogy.With Revival Recordings, the message is clear: it’s all about art and the people who create it. The team and artists signed to the label are a community where creative and artistic integrity are paramount. It's not just music, it’s good music by good people - and this is why we think Shawn is a perfect guest for the show. In this interview, we talk about Shawn's work with Alesena, the advice he'd offer to artists who want to sign to a label, and the importance of integrity in the music business.Highlights:- Shawn is ambitious and follows through on his ambitions- “When you first start out, you make decisions based on where you hope to go” - Shawn Milke- Shawn shares the tough decisions that Alesana had to make in the beginning- “We wanted to have artistic success, and if that ended up being commercial success, then great” - Shawn Milke- Shawn shares how dedicated the fans of Alesana are- We hear about some of the opportunities that Alesana was presented with, and how they handled those- “We made the decisions we wanted to make, which has benefitted our art and our fanbase” - Shawn Milke- We talk about the importance of maintaining your integrity- Shawn shares how he loves crazy challenges and has always wanted to offer more than just the music to Alesana’s fans- “Our fans’ devotion to what we’ve created has inspired me to keep giving it to them” - Shawn Milke- We talk about the importance of having a supportive team around you- Shawn shares how it was tough to be taken seriously as a label owner in the beginning- Shawn shares how being an artist has helped him earn the trust of the artists they sign- Shawn tells us what he looks at when considering signing an artist to his label- “The industry could use a lot more honesty” - Shawn Milke- “Our mistakes are just as important as our successes” - Shawn MilkeAdvice:- If you want to be signed by a label, you have to consider yourself a professional band- You can’t sell your product when your product isn’t finished- A label’s job isn’t to make your band good, it’s to give your band exposure- Social media is great, but going back to the grassroots is also very important- Fans want that real person interaction - be real, and physically interact with themGuest Links:- Website: http://www.revivalrecs.com- Facebook: Alesana / Revival Recordings- Twitter: @ShawnTheMilke / @Alesana / @RevivalRecs- Instagram: @Mr.MilkeRevival / @AlesanaOfficialIG / @RevivalRecordingsSponsors:- Chris Keaton @ Chris Keaton Presents- Christine Infanger @ Thirty Roses- Joe Settineri- The Rock/Star Advocate- Music Launch Hub- Bob Baker- Buck Naked Soap Company- Wendy Donaldson---For more episodes, visit http://bridge-the-atlantic.comFollow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bridge_atlanticSubscribe on iTunes: http://bridge-the-atlantic.com/itunesSupport us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/bridgetheatlantic

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