By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
October 20, 2023 Edition
Mount Pearl resident Robert Buck is this year’s recipient of the Music NL Denis Parker Industry Builder Award.
Buck’s career within the Newfoundland and Labrador music industry is long and involved, enjoying much time in distribution and manufacturing, but also design, print, and performance.
Buck doesn’t put “a whole lot of credence” into winning awards, but appreciates the acknowledgement all the same.
“It’s really nice to be recognized, especially an industry builder award, because that recognized the history and longevity in the industry,” Buck said.
He looks back to the early nineties, when he made the move from working retail at Fred’s Records to getting into industry work at Duckworth Distribution. Around this time, the owner of Fred’s Records, Fred Brokenshire, co-founded the Music Industry Association.
“That was really the beginnings of the industry from an industry perspective in Newfoundland. That was the first time there was something cohesive for distribution,” Buck said. “Prior to that, artists would have to sell their records on their own unless you had a major record company deal… but for independent artists in our region there was really nothing.”
Buck has seen the music industry change over the years, from the days when tours supported record sales. Now he says the situation has flipped, with streaming complicating things even further.
“It’s probably one of the most misunderstood industries in terms of how artists generate revenue,” Buck said.
In 2022, Buck formed Atlantic Music Store and Atlantic Merchandise to support independent artists with product manufacturing and e-commerce.
For him, buying records is a meaningful way to support artists in this current phase of the industry.
“It’s a tangible connection, and it’s a tangible way for artists to connect to their fans,” he said.
Buck notices a great deal of focus put on the number of followers and views young bands can accrue, while letting the grind of playing shows and building a tangible fanbase fall to the wayside.
“If I was measuring an artist's value in terms of supporting them financially, I want to know how many shows are you doing, how many tickets are you selling, how much merchandise revenue are you generating,” he said. “An extra thousand followers on Facebook won’t pay your rent, won't buy your groceries, won’t put gas in your car.”
Spoken like a true industry builder, Buck wants to see just that: more efforts made to build the infrastructure of the local music industry.
“If that was developed more, it would give artists with potential a better shot, a better opportunity,” he said. “It’s not right to expect the artists would understand the business intricacies of what's involved in music as a career, as a business. They understand the performance, the art… but truly successful artists have an infrastructure.”
Robert Buck is the latest winner of the Denis Parker Industry Builder Award.
