The Union’s record label celebrated its launch with a night of music and bands at Club Academy last Tuesday night, headlined by Manchester band, Dutch Uncles.
“The fact that the Union doesn’t own the amps in our own venue, and that’s why we are being charged to us them, is ridiculous. We have to pay for them,” said Alex Lynham, second year student in Modern History and Economics, and one of the Chairmen of Biko.
Lynham added: “What’s the turnover of this place? How do we not own that equipment? That equipment is in our venues. We should own this Union. If someone wants to put on University bands at one of these venues, they should be able to do it for free. They should be paying the sound engineer, the lighting engineer and the bar staff: that is it.
“All these student bands come out of Manchester. You look at Dutch Uncles, Delphic, bands that are getting big at the moment. There are tens of Manchester bands every year, every decade, redefining music. A lot of them are coming from the University.“
Jake Hartnell, member of Biko Records and head of the Film Production Society said: “We want to help Manchester students’ bands develop and record their music, and make a little money for Student Action.”
The venture is the first of its kind: a student-run and student-led record label. Members of Biko Records receive none of the profit. Instead, 75 per cent of the profit is given to the artist, and 25 per cent donated to the University of Manchester charity, Student Action. Biko digitally distribute artists to major online outlets, including Spotify, iTunes, and HMV. Before the label was even officially launched, a band distributing through Biko, Kulucci March, made it to number 55 in the download charts.
“We could make so much more if we get the ability to host gigs in the Academy venues without paying to pay outrageous amounts for the rooms,” added Hartnell.
Lynham continued: “The Union is content to say, ‘The city will cater for them.’ Well, the city is pretty crap to students and pretty crap to young bands. So why aren’t students supporting students?”
“The Union is geared to being a business, rather than looking towards the people it is supposed to support. It’s not being done properly.”
He added, “There is a city full of venues out there, but they prefer us to use Union venues because we are a Union society. And because the funding system for societies is broken, we can’t get the money up front unless we really have them on side to do that. Even if we do, they say ‘You have to do it at the Union.’ They can’t have it both ways.”
“A good portion of the cost of the launch night was just the venue. They take it out of what we make for the night. If we don’t make enough, I guess they have to write it off.
“It’s part of a wider movement of reclaiming the Union in general. People are beginning to realise that students aren’t involved in their Union. Something clearly must be broken for that to have occurred. The students are beginning to stand up and say ‘Here’s what’s wrong’.
“It’s stuff that people often right of as irrelevant or a minor issue. It’s a symptom of a wider problem, which is non-participation. Students have this reputation of being lazy and rubbish. We are not lazy and we are not rubbish.”
Andy Proudfoot, drummer of Dutch Uncles and University of Salford student said, “I was talking to my dad, and he said that when he was a student, universities would be the first port of call for small touring bands. No other venues were available. The Union was so much more involved with bands touring. And it’s nice to see a label bring the music industry back to students unions and universities.”
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