Projekt Records

This is the article for the record label. You might be looking for Pro-jekt, ProjeKct, Project Pitchfork, or Projekt Revolution

Projekt Records
Parent company	Independent label
Founded	1983
Distributor(s)	E1 Entertainment Distribution
Genre	gothic rock, ethereal, darkwave, ambient, and dark cabaret
Country of origin	US
Official Website	Official Web site

Projekt is a Brooklyn, New York-based independent record label specializing in darkwave and ambient, started by Sam Rosenthal in 1983. Projekt bands are more likely to rely on keyboards and acoustic guitars than most other bands in the gothic genre, and their influences range from art and literature to ancient and world music. Projekt is also known for releases in the gothic rock, ethereal, shoegaze, dream-pop, and dark cabaret genres.

Prominent Projekt artists include Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Steve Roach, Voltaire, Eric Wollo, Unto Ashes, Mira, and Android Lust.

Based over the years in South Florida, Los Angeles, and Chicago, Projekt is now located in Brooklyn. Projekt has released 266 titles as of late-2011, with an additional 25 on the Projekt: Archive (formerly Relic) sub-label. Sam Rosenthal runs Projekt as an independent record label, privately owned and managed by Rosenthal.

The label has had many employees over the years who assisted Sam with his vision. Shea Hovey is the current assistant who handles the press contacts as well as the mail-order; she has been with the label since 2000. Other employees of note were Charles Clutter, Padraic Ogle (Thanatos / Precipice Records) and Sam's ex-wife Lisa Feuer. Briefly, Sam Fogarino of Interpol worked at Projekt for a few months in the late-1990s, although Sam has often commented, "I never really knew what he did." Constantine Maroulis, of American Idol fame, worked one afternoon (approx 2004), preparing catalogs. Rosenthal runs an e-mail list with regular updates and personal commentary, often about the state of the record industry^{[citation needed]}.

Label support of Digital Sales

Sam Rosenthal is in strong support of MP3 and digital downloads. While Rosenthal has ensured that digital files of his artists are available for legitimate download, in the early days of MP3s he went so far as to praise downloads even when not accessed legitimately. Editorials on the Projekt Web site (dating back to January 2001) countered the assumption that all labels oppose all unofficial MP3 downloads. While Rosenthal did not condone downloading entire albums without paying, his view is that those exposed to music, by whatever route, will ultimately purchase albums and support the artists they enjoy. In the ensuing years, his views have changed and now he speaks out against the rampant illegal downloading of albums.

After the January 20, 2012 takedown of Megaupload, Rosenthal stated "(this) is a small victory for creative artists. An early step toward reasserting our rights to control our creative work and to deny criminals from exploiting our art for their profit. You see, all those millions and millions of illegal files (music, films. p&rn, books) are not up there because of an utopian belief in open-source access to art. This isn't about paradise. This is about a new way to screw the artist." He went on to speak out about how artists can get their files taken down, and in support of the DoJ shut-down of sites hosting illegal music.

Projektfest

Projekt Records also presents Projektfest, a semi-annual festival of gothic and ethereal music, featuring primarily (but not exclusively) Projekt artists. In 1996, Projektfest ran for two days in Chicago. In 1997, Chicago was again host to two days of Projektfest and a few weeks later another day of performances were hosted in Mexico City. In 1998, Projektfest was a series of four one-day events in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York City. The 2002 Projektfest was held over three days in Philadelphia, at the Trocadero and other sites. Projekt hosted Projektfest '07 as part of the Blacksun Festival in New Haven, Connecticut, in August. Projektfest'10 was held July 30 & 31, 2010. . Projektfest'11 was held November 12, 2011, at The_Middle_East_(nightclub) in Cambridge, Mass, featuring the artists Voltaire, Black Tape For A Blue Girl, and WEEP.

Artists

Current Roster

• Alio Die
• All My Faith Lost...
• Android Lust
• Arcana
• As Lonely As Dave Bowman
• Attrition
• Autumn's Grey Solace
• Black Tape for a Blue Girl
• Dark Sanctuary
• Fear Falls Burning
• Forrest Fang
• Katzenjammer Kabarett
• Khvarena
• Lisa Hammer
• Lovesliescrushing
• Lux Interna
• Mark A Michaels and Patricia Johnson
• Mirabilis
• Revue Noir
• Sam Rosenthal
• Steve Roach
• Soriah
• Soul Whirling Somewhere
• Tearwave
• Thanatos
• The Twilight Garden
• Trance to the Sun
• Unto Ashes
• Vidna Obmana
• Voltaire
• Weep
• Erik Wøllo
• Every silver lining has a cloud

Past Roster

• Amber Route
• Arcanta
• Area
• Attrition
• Audra
• The Arms of Someone New
• Controlled Bleeding
• Eden
• Faith & Disease
• Jeff Greinke
• Human Drama
• Judgment of Paris
• Love Spirals Downwards
• Lovespirals
• lowsunday
• Lycia
• Mira
• Mors Syphilitica
• Mortiis
• O Yuki Conjugate
• Ordo Equitum Solis
• Shinjuku Thief
• Slap
• The Sleep of Reason
• This Ascension
• Peter Ulrich
• Tara Vanflower

See also

• List of record labels
• Projekt: The New Face of Goth

External links

• Official site
• Projekt MySpace page