Creating Community Sells Music for Red Grape Records

By B.L. Ochman
Red Grape Records' -- home of Hafdis Huld and my favorite Indie record label -- has discovered that appealing to people's softer side can spur both community and sales.

Benny Bix Ochman Labradoodle Puppy is the London-based label's first International Pet of the Week.

"I had no idea what a bunch of softies everyone in the music business is!" Kerry Harvey-PiperI told me in an email.

But think about it. They've created a little community of people who love music and pets. Those are two things people feel passionately about. And there's nothing else like Red Grape's pet of the week feature.

Says Red Grape's Calum MacColl "Like most independent labels, Red Grape is driven by passion. ... And because we believe in karma rather than DRM, we make some available as free downloads. So feel free to download, pass on and spread the word. It’s only human.”

I'm sending you there. You can bet everyone else whose creature is featured will send their friends too. You get there, you play a sample of the music, and next thing you know, you're a Hafdis Huld fan too.

But here's what Red Grape really needs -- dogs who sing and cats that play the piano.

Related: Brooklyn New York Understands Social Networks