XL Recordings boss Richard Russell: The secrets of surviving in the music industry
Unless you're an obsessive fan of Kicks Like a Mule's 1992 rave hit the Bouncer – and let's face it, that leaves about three of you – then chances are you won't recognise the man sat sprawled across a big brown leather couch in his Ladbroke Grove offices. If, however, you are a fan of innovative new music, then you probably should. For this is Richard Russell, the boss of XL Recordings, a label that has bucked the trend for gloomy music industry stories over the past decade by breaking a stream of commercially successful yet critically drooled-over artists.
The Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal and MIA have all made music on XL, showcasing exactly what the label does best – taking innovative music into the mainstream. Whether it is Dizzee's success opening the doors for the current grime/pop success of Tinie Tempah et al, or Vampire Weekend heralding the indie scene's recent obsession with Afropop, XL likes to break new artists and build the foundation blocks of an emerging scene as it does so. ...
