Emerging Aussie label finds a heavy niche

Dark Escapes Music

Coming off the back of a big debut year in 2021, Aussie startup Dark Escapes Music is already developing a solid reputation in the local music industry.

Founded in 2020 by three experienced musos, Dark Escapes signed its first artist at the start of 2021 and has since added several emerging and established heavy artists to its roster. The most recent signing, Adelaide’s Echoes In Eternity, features ex-Double Dragon vocalist Lee “Liggy” Gardiner and guitarist Aiden Cibich of Apophis. They join Aussie doom legends Virgin Black, emerging Vietnamese slam deathcore outfit Diarsia, melodic hardcore legends The Killchoir Project and a host of others in the Dark Escapes family.

In addition to indie-label type services, Dark Escapes Music also offers a competitive DIY distribution package, where artists can get their music distributed to over 100 streaming platforms for under $20 per annum.

Dark Escapes is the brainchild of unapologetic metalhead Paul Leonard, who long dreamed of starting a hybrid music business that provides songwriters and artists with a better, more flexible deal when it comes to music publishing and digital distribution. Leonard joined forces with singer/guitarist/songwriter and technology nerd Michael Lobb and producer and recording studio owner Ian Miller. Together, they set up and registered Dark Escapes Publishing and Dark Escapes Music in Australia.

Leonard states that his vision for Dark Escapes became clear when COVID first swept across the globe. “Performers can no longer rely on income generated from live shows. With the continual rise in streaming numbers, artists need a flexible platform with added support to maximise royalty collection,” he said. “The Dark Escapes team believes that every songwriter deserves the opportunity to be heard and to collect the full royalties owed to them, without having to navigate the incredibly complex world of music business.”

By Christmas of 2020, the Dark Escapes lads had struck a deal that provides them access to in excess of 100 streaming platforms globally, allowing them to compete with the likes of CDBaby, DistroKid, Tunecore, etc. The team has also developed their own online MP3 download store where they can showcase any of the artists signed to their label, while also providing artists with a secure online platform to sell their music in high quality digital format.

Dark Escapes artists retain 100% of their rights and have access to an admin publishing service to collect additional royalties from over 100 territories globally. Dark Escapes also offers a number of premium “Artist Solutions” to help artists boost revenue opportunities, including digital marketing, playlist curation and more. Now, a little over 12 months since forming, Dark Escapes has over a dozen artists on their roster from Australia, Singapore, USA and Vietnam, with more announcements coming in 2022.

Artists who are looking for either indie label-type services or simple DIY distribution can get in touch with Dark Escapes via their website, www.darkescapes.com, or via email: hello@darkescapes.com.