Student-run studio Brick City Records: Q & A with president Maya Nauriyal
Brick City Records creates an area where students can know what it is like to work in a music and recording industry. I had a Q&A with Maya Nauriyal, who is the President of the organization.
Q: How long has Brick City Records been on campus?
A: Brick City Records is five years old.
Q: When did the organization start hosting concerts?
A: Immediately. All the artists are on a roster and we have a showcase for them at the end of the year. It’s like we always want to do something to promote the label and to show off the artists.
Q: Where are the concerts usually held?
A: We usually have concerts at The Union.
Q: How many members are in the organization?
A: We have around 28 members including our supervisors.
Q: What sort of real-life experience are you giving your members?
A: We’re teaching our members important core concepts. One thing we talk about is communication; it is so important to make sure people are getting things done. Making sure that everyone has a full understanding of their role and responsibility is a huge part of the work itself. I can't so much speak for the production side of it just because I've never had that experience with the technical aspects, but just more so...making sure things are organized. It's like when you are reaching out to venues, they could be other students, or they could be other adults in surrounding cities. Having that communication, it's just so important, and I feel like that's so valuable to be able to learn now.
Q: What are examples of your promotion strategy?
A: This week we're starting the release of all the artists that we signed. So we're going to be releasing some videos throughout the [next] few weeks, each just being a different one revealing who the artists [are and what] is their sound. We have a few promotional shows coming up. We had one about a month ago at Jackie O's, and have a few more in the works.
Q: What made you become president?
A: I wanted to be the Director of Artists and Repertoire (A&R), because this past summer I had an internship and I felt that I gained a lot of really valuable experience and going into something like this, I feel like I would be prepared. I could relay aspects of what I've learned to Brick City.
Q: What are your future plans for the organization?
A: I want to grow as a label and there are a lot of creative people within the organization bouncing off ideas, and just being able to work with all of these different types of Ohio artists feels like we’re progressing in the right direction.
Q: Has running the organization taught you any lessons you can use in your future?
A: It’s definitely pushed me in a lot of ways. I've never had this type of leadership role before, especially in school. It is a very cool experience and I’m so honored about it. Yeah, it's taught me a lot about more so communications and overseeing things as a whole, more so than just focusing on one little department. I feel like that's been really cool. And I think being able to see and be involved in essentially all different aspects of the label is something that's eye-opening that I feel like will serve me well once I graduate. So, just like having a better perspective on things when it [comes to] dealing with the record label.