How to Save Hydra Head Records

I think I have a great idea on how to save Hydra Head Records. This posting started as an email to MetalSucks in hopes that they might publish it, but then I put myself in their shoes and thought, "Why they hell should we publish this?" So, I thought I'd finish the e-mail that I had started here so at least someone might see this.

Background
Last Monday, Hydra Head Records announced they would be closing shop. This kind of came as a huge shock, but at the same time they hadn't really been signing bands or putting out very many new things. For the last two years it has mostly been vinyl reissues and limited-edition merch.

I have genuinely been in a horrible mood since Hydra Head announced there would be an extremely high probability that they would be closing shop this coming December. I never thought I would be so negatively affected by a label closing, but after sifting through my collection and realizing only Hydra Head would have the balls to sign some of the most bizarre and experimental yet incredibly artistic bands who have been incredibly influential, I was deeply saddened.

Solution
Apparently, and according to their farewell statement, HH is in debt to their publishers and distributors, and need a lot of cash and fast. Well, I have an idea on how they could quickly raise some green: a benefit concert featuring some old and new HH bands where all proceeds go toward saving the beloved label.

Picture this line-up: reunited Botch, Isis, Jesuit, Discordance Axis and Daughters. Pepper in a few active bands who started on HH like Jesu and Torche, and then top it off with some current bands like Cave In, The Austerity Program, Old Man Gloom and Pyramids. I know HH has a pretty diverse roster, and there's probably some more obvious choices that I'm missing, but these are the ones that come to mind.

Now, I just paid $40 to see Refused's reunion show--just one reformed band. If all these bands were on the same bill for ONE NIGHT ONLY, I'd probably drop $100 EASILY. And by easily I mean I'd have to save up for a month, but then I'd totally be down.

If HH could find a 2,000 person capacity venue, that's $200,000 (minus the cost to rent the venue and pay the staff, which I have no idea how much that costs) earned instantly. Then what if HH sold some exclusive merch where all proceeds also went to saving the label? Set up a booth with nothing but LPs? There's a few extra thousand dollars right there.

How much debt could HH possibly be in? Surely this could cover their asses.

However, if HH were to go this route, they'd probably also have to have a more extensive bail-out strategy than just one little show. They'd have to figure out how they got into so much debt to begin with, have some prospective new acts to sign and quickly release new music from, have some current acts quickly put out new music, and re-evaluate the whole $30 LP business model.

It sure would be a waste to throw such an amazing show only to end up right back where they started a year later... though, it would be one hell of a way to go out.

Other labels have thrown concerts with retired groups before...
According to Wikipedia, Touch and Go Records threw a 3-day 25th Anniversary event in 2006. The label even got some golden oldies like Big Black, Scratch Acid, Negative Approach and Killdozer to reunite for the performance.

Steve Albini of Big Black was quoted as saying, "It's not about Big Black wanting to get back together or even an audience wanting to see Big Black," he said. "It's that ... to not honor Touch and Go would be an insult by way of damning with faint praise."

This year Revelation Records also a 25th Anniversary show, which got Quicksand to reunite (among others, I'm sure).

My point here being it's not entirely implausible to think something like this might happen, however...

How to make this happen
It would look extremely desperate if HH threw this and proclaimed it to be their idea. People would see right through it as some sad way to collect a few bucks no different than a panhandler, except most panhandlers don't sell the souls and use the names of bands they've signed to make that quick buck.

Something like this would have to come from HH's roster, and the roster would have not only pitch it to them and to the public, but they would have to be completely genuine about it.

I'm only one man, but what if the entire social networking world came together and tossed this idea around? And eventually Daughters or Botch heard about it and thought it was a great idea to forget why they broke up just for one night to support a great label?

Wishful thinking? Yes. Impossible? Never.