Sojourn Records' artists include Blues great, Danny Kalb, co-founder and singer-songwriter, Tom Laverack, NYC subway legend, Theo Eastwind, the world-renowned Jewish music superstar, Neshama Carlebach, and Americana rocker, Ken Will Morton.
These artists as well as many others in the wings have signed on with Sojourn and believe in Mark and Tom's vision of a new type of record/music company. Based out of Mark Ambrosino's Madhouse Studios in Queens, NY, Sojourn believes in working with artists who are passionate about their music, who want to make great sounding records, and are looking for a wider audience.
The studio is at the nucleus of the label and Ambrosino's commitment and passion for making and producing great music is one of the major driving forces behind the label's mission. As Ambrosino laments, "It pains me to see such talented artists work so hard on these incredible recordings only to realize that the general public will probably never get a chance to hear them."
With the traditional record label business model being irreparably broken, Sojourn believes technology provides an opportunity for independent artists and wants to leverage recent innovations to enable great independent artists to reach their respective audiences. Sojourn is promoting a new model that hinges on getting great artists out to the listeners who are eagerly searching for them.
As a proactive “Label", Sojourn is looking to emerging technologies that embrace community; such as the so-called 'Web2.0’ movement. In so doing, we move from the historically embraced competitive posture to a more collaborative stance. In so doing, efficiencies begin to emerge. No longer must a “Label” be the sole driver of promotion and marketing from an inside-out perspective. Instead, the artists themselves become the evangelists.
Sojourn is also looking to technology to handle the demand for physical goods in a new and unique way. Sojourn is using on-demand/JIT manufacturing that allows customers to order a “one-off” CD, made on the demand of the customer. This allows artists to make recordings available without incurring the costs of manufacturing, creating a wider selection of available recordings for their listeners, including home recordings, live shows or collections previously recorded but never released. On-demand manufacturing also incorporates the handling and shipping into the order so that there are no additional costs to the artist.
Most Labels are exclusive clubs. They don’t welcome contribution except from those carefully chosen artists that an A&R person deigns worthy of inclusion. Because of this, the growth potential of the community is axiomatically diminished. There is a far different community that emerges when participation is encouraged and expected, than when limits are placed on participation.
To Contact us, please email us at:
info@sojournrecords.com
or call us at 718-360-9925.
Our mailing address is 405 Kirkman Avenue, Elmont, NY 11003.
Mark Ambrosino
President & Co-founder
Mark is a professional drummer who performed at his first paying gig at the age of 10 years old. He has had the opportunity to play with many notable musicians and performers over the years, including Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston. His studio, The Madhouse, is home to many independent and major label recordings. Mark has recorded over one hundred full-length records at The Madhouse and has produced almost half of those projects.
Mark's extensive experience working with a variety of artists, both behind the drum kit and behind the console, has made him keenly aware of the great talent and promise that exists in the music world as well as the daunting challenges. Mark's inspiration for beginning Sojourn is in no small part due to watching artists walk out the door of his studio with a master recording that they had pored their all into - only for this recording to fall short of reaching a wider audience.
Mark has formed many long lasting relationships with artists and musicians, and some of those artists have joined on with Sojourn, including Danny Kalb, Theo Eastwind and Neshama Carlebach. Mark's belief in these artists, and in turn their belief in Mark, is representative of the hard work, trust and commitment that Sojourn values. Mark continues to interest artists every day in his new "vision" of what a record label can be; both a place of great community and artists' participation as well as a place where great records are made. Someday, Mark sees the Sojourn sound being identifiable just like the Motown sound, and the Sojourn brand being synonymous with the movement it began by fusing the "classic" record label's focus on making great records, with the progressive, Web 2.0 community model that encourages participation and evangelism among its members.
Tom Laverack
VP & Co-Founder
Tom is a musician and songwriter who has been writing and recording music for over twenty-five years.
Laverack, who is preparing to release his fifth record, Cave Drawings, produced by co-founder Mark Ambrosino and recorded at the Madhouse, released four previous albums, both as a solo artist and as part of the musical duo, Just Desserts.
Laverack has had his music featured in the films of Larry Fessenden, the other half of Just Desserts. The films include No Telling, Habit, Wendigo and most recently, the IFC release, The Last Winter. Laverack and Fessenden have also recently returned to the studio to complete their third Just Desserts offering, due out in 2009. In addition to his musical work, Laverack also has extensive management experience in the nonprofit world and a specific interest in entrepreneurship and socially/culturally beneficial outcomes.
Laverack and Ambrosino met while recording Cave Drawings which became a longer project than initially planned. During the several years it took to finish the record, Ambrosino and Laverack began talking about their vision of a record label that was passionate about music, and by the time Cave Drawings was almost completed in 2007, they had officially started the company.
George Howard
Director, Marketing & Planning
George is the former President of Rykodisc (one of the world’s largest independent record labels) and one of the founders of TuneCore. In addition he is an Advisor for DCS, Lala.com and Wolfgang’s Vaults. George is also currently a Music Business professor at Loyola University in New Orleans. George has worked alongside Mark and Tom for two years while they developed the label from the ground up. George's unique vision and ability to be several steps ahead of others in the industry has enabled Sojourn to position itself as more than just an innovative start-up, but instead as a potential leader for a lost industry.
