Comedy Producers Abso Lutely Debut Record Label With Tim Platt release
Abso Lutely Productions, the corporate behind the Eric and Tim Awesome Show, Good Job!, Moonbase 8, The Eric Andre Show and quite a few stand-up comedy specials, unveiled its Abso Lutely Records label on Sept. 30, with the release of stand-up comedian and musician Tim Platt’s debut album Teeth Like Beak. The label intends to capitalize on the present recognition of stand-up comedy specials by way of audio recordings that will probably be launched on vinyl (amongst different codecs), and producer and Abso Lutely associate Dave Kneebone says, give comedian artists extra artistic management and the chance to personal their work.
“Abso Lutely Productions has always thrived on giving the ultimate creative control directly to the artists and helping to shepherd their vision to their audience. Trust the idea – it’s at the core of what we do,” Kneebone says. “We created Abso Lutely Records in order that we can assist push performances and performers that we love, however who won’t shortly discover an viewers on their very own.
Although the label gained’t restrict its releases to musical comedy, Kneebone says Platt — who has written songs for Sesame Street and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — is the perfect alternative for Abso Lutely’s first album, partly, as a result of vinyl will probably be a key element of its marketing strategy. Teeth Like Beak, which was recorded at Brooklyn’s Union Hall in February, is a mixture of songs, character work, one-liners and confessional tales.
Abso Lutely has produced initiatives for Netflix, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, HBO, and Showtime, and labored with such break-out skills as Andre, Nathan Fielder and Hannah Einbinder, in addition to comedy veterans Scott Aukerman, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross and Andy Daly. It’s more moderen stand-up particular productions embody Einbinder’s Everything Must Go, John Early’s Now More Than Ever and Brent Weinbach’s Popular Culture. In 2023, Abso Lutely — — which was fashioned in 2007 to provide the surreal sketch comedy present, Adult Swim‘s Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! — partnered with the comedian improv establishment, the Upright Citizens Brigade, which minted such modern comics and actors as Amy Poehler, Aubrey Plaza, Donald Glover, Kate McKinnon and Nick Kroll.
Kneebone spoke to Billboard about his love of comedy albums and vinyl, Abso Lutely’s enterprise technique, which incorporates giving comics extra management of their work, and the rising position of social media in breaking expertise, amongst different topics.
I’ve received to ask you — is Kneebone your precise surname?
It is. It’s an previous Cornish identify — English miners from manner again.
I cursed it on a regular basis rising up. What a dumbass identify. But as you age and also you develop into it, particularly on this enterprise, it doesn’t harm to have a considerably distinct identify connected to you.
Why begin a report label at this era in time?
It’s one thing that we — notably Tim Heidecker, who’s a musician and a comic — have been speaking about for a very long time. But it was by no means our core competency. We didn’t know find out how to run a label. As time went on and we began spending extra time capturing standup specials — it’s an enormous second proper now for standup specials — we had been like, why not us? Hannah Einbinder, who simply did her particular for Max, was eager on getting a report product of the particular. I used to be like, that’s a fantastic thought. I went house that evening and thought, there’s no motive that we will’t give that outlet to those people that we’re working with.
I grew up listening to comedy data: Bob Newhart and Steve Martin and Bill Cosby and Bob and Doug McKenzie’s Great White North report. It’s a fantastic expertise and a fantastic reward to offer your self. It’s theater of the thoughts. I’d reasonably sit house with a beer and take heed to it on a report than be in a membership generally. We had been like, why not do that and provides an opportunity to the parents who are usually not Hannah Einbinder and John Mulaney and Nikki Glaser? Our inventory and commerce at Abso Lutely Productions is discovering off-the-radar comedic voices. Here’s a manner to assist amplify that. And it doesn’t value as a lot as making a tv sequence.
Will you be digital solely?
No. Digital is very easy that clearly it’s digital first. But a part of the love that I’ve for comedy data is the report — the paintings, the liner notes, the bodily. I like going by way of report shops, and I feel the renaissance vinyl data are having is incredible. We wish to be part of that, and we’ve got extra choices than ever due to buddies of ours who’ve customized vinyl urgent homes. Why not make one thing lovely to start with? Something nice to take heed to and likewise nice to carry in your arms.
Listening to a fantastic comedy album is the equal of listening to a fantastic album or track. Every time you hear it after that, you’re in a position to say, “I was at this place, doing this, feeling this when I heard it.”
It’s a core reminiscence. You create the image of the bit in your thoughts, whether or not it’s Bill Cosby or Bob Newhart or Steve Martin. I’ve very vivid reminiscences of the best way my eight-year-old mind conceived of this joke. I nonetheless see it. You don’t get that from watching [stand-up] specials. The solely restriction is — I like silent, bodily comedy, however that doesn’t translate properly.
You’re not going to do a Billy the Mime album.
Actually, that will be a fantastic joke. I’d love to do this. Here’s the world’s biggest mime.
In selecting Tim Platt, who does quite a lot of musical comedy, for the primary album, is that going to be a theme of your label?
Not essentially, though I’m drawn to that. When Tim Platt and I began speaking about us releasing his report it was a pure match for that motive as a result of he’s so proficient musically as properly.There’s one thing about Tim Platt that’s evocative of Steve Martin early on. Martin jumped so seamlessly and deftly between weird, high-concept joke constructions after which taking part in an alluring melody that was a joke. Tim does such a pleasant job of navigating between these two issues that it felt like yeah, this desires to be a report. But we’re not going to be unique to musical comedy.
Given that an absurdist menace runs by way of the comedy of your companions and Tim Platt, will your label supply quite a lot of that?
That’s my style and Tim Heidecker’s and Eric Wareheim’s style — one thing that’s stunning and bizarre and recent. That’s all the time been the guiding mild for our firm. Let’s discover one thing we haven’t heard earlier than. Somebody saying one thing in a manner we haven’t seen earlier than.
Comedy that you could hear and can’t be defined.
Without query. That’s often, to me, the hallmark of one thing that’s particular and good.
What phrases are you negotiating with the comics who release albums on Abso Lutely? Do they maintain their masters?
This continues to be a piece in progress, however our guideline is — and one of many issues that spurred us to do that — is that the artists ought to personal their work. We’re not doing this as a charity. We’ll break up it with them, however so lots of the offers that get made lately are, hey younger man, I do know you’ve been touring this hour that you simply’ve been engaged on for 5 years. Come right here to this big mega streamer service and right here’s your little sum of cash. You can brag about it and ship the hyperlinks to folks, however there’s no lengthy tail of income. It’s good promoting, however the work that you simply crafted for therefore lengthy, kiss it goodbye. It’s heartbreak.
I used to be shocked to listen to how little a Netflix performs for identify comics to shoot specials for them.
Obviously, that is common. The economics aren’t what they was once. And it will get to some extent the place, particularly in the event you’re youthful or not a mainstream comedian, the place the upside just isn’t that far up anymore. So, why not go craft the report with the paintings that you really want, with the sound that you really want, with the fabric that you really want and get it out to an viewers and immediately take part from greenback one in the good thing about this factor?
We’re doing the identical factor with capturing specials right here. We’ve completed it beneath a partnership with [Upright Citizens Brigade]. We’re like, “We can make good specials without them costing a million dollars. And the focus is artist-first. Let’s do it for a lower budget and share the control and ownership directly with the artist in a more substantive and genuine way. We’ll make a record of it. We’ll get it on SiriusXM, we’ll create merch.” Being in a position to present a number of streams of income to those comics is one thing that we will do now. This expertise didn’t exist for us 20 years in the past, however that is one thing that we will do now and we will do it rattling close to nearly as good as anybody else.
Who’s going to distribute your data?
We’ve talked to some folks. Right now, we’re doing it ourselves, however once we’re up on our ft a little bit bit extra we’ll prolong the dialog and attempt to discover a associate.
Social media has turn into an necessary instrument for comics to develop fan bases. What is extra necessary at present – touring as a standup comic or social media?
I feel they need to go hand-in-hand now. You need to study to make use of them collectively. But I additionally know comedians who select to disregard social media as a result of they don’t wish to burn good materials. Everybody goes to see it, after which they arrive to the membership with preconceived notions, and you must try this bit once more. It’s a double-edged sword.
Can you reveal any future releases?
We have a pair extra. I can’t offer you any particulars as a result of we haven’t closed the paperwork, however they’re nice, bizarre comedians who I like and who’re acquainted within the comedy world. Those and a minimum of yet one more this 12 months or early subsequent 12 months. Then subsequent 12 months I wish to do a full slate — our anticipation is that we wish to do half a dozen a minimum of a 12 months.
Will there be a video element to the Tim Platt report?
Not from Abso Lutely. He filmed the present that as a part of the recording at Union Hall that we’re releasing, however that is solely a report release for us. That stated, lots of the upcoming initiatives we’ve got there will probably be a twin element, the place we are going to make a particular and we are going to do the report model of that particular as a tandem piece for that challenge.
What are the most important challenges or headwinds that the comedy enterprise is going through within the coming 5 years?
In the present media panorama — movie, tv and data — there may be not a lot of that center degree of tastemaker on the customer facet that there was once. People with sufficient rope to hold themselves creatively to say, “I’m willing to try this. This might not be for me but there’s something in it. Let’s make a pilot.” Or, “I’m not sure what this is but let’s check it out. Let’s do a season of this show because that’s how it finds its legs.” That course of goes extinct in quite a lot of methods — and it’s the most important problem that I face, as somebody whose job it’s to attempt to get an thought, a comedy bit or a joke or a bit of expertise in entrance of a purchaser.
It’s so fascinating as a result of there are an increasing number of streaming platforms that want content material. Is it only a concern of danger?
Yeah, to a big extent it’s danger aversion, as a result of the competitors is so fierce. You don’t wish to be on the market taking funky swings at loopy little initiatives whereas your competitor over right here is making large big-name initiatives — massive bankable IP. If you fail in your endeavor, then lights out. Which is unlucky, as a result of with comedy, one of the best s–t is made when persons are like, “I don’t know what this is but let’s try it.”
That’s what Mike Lazzo — who we owe a lot of our skilled success to — was nice at: taking dangers. He was the top of Adult Swim, and quite a lot of that [programming] was born from, “Well, let’s give it a shot. Let’s build a boat as we’re sailing it.” It appears like dangerous enterprise recommendation, however it’s good for comedy.
