A Musical Ride in Merrick

The big cities tend to dominate the music industry scene, but there's always some undiscovered talent just waiting to be found off the map.

In Merrick, the man on the hunt for the Next Big Thing is Ross Shotland, a 24-year-old who is rolling the dice with his own indie record label called "Enjoy The Ride Records."   

The label was established in 2007 after a tragedy.  Shotland had been managing his friend's band and as they were all returning from a studio session, they were broadsided by an oncoming vehicle. Shotland suffered a torn ligament and broke a few fingers. He went through more than a year of physcial therapy to get back to normal. Following a lawsuit, Shotland took what the court awarded him and created Enjoy The Ride.

Shotland, a 2003 graduate of Kennedy High School, always had the ambition to develop his own record label. He was influenced by another indie label "Drive- Thru Records," which was a strong force in the industry in 2001.

"They never got too big when they put out a record," Shotland said of Drive-Thru. "You knew it was going to be of good quality. You knew the name and respected it.

After high school, Shotland developed his own music business curriculum at the University of Buffalo which led to an internship at a major label. In 2005, he worked at Columbia Records and an online music station, Break -Thru Radio.

Shotland went on to manage his friend's band, but he was determined to run a label on his own.  All he needed were the funds to make it a reality.  Eventually fate stepped in even though it came at a steep price.

Shotland's label is open to almost all genres yet it primarily focuses on underground "scene" rock bands such as "Brand New," "Taking Back Sunday," "All American Rejects" and "Glassjaw."  Shotland presently runs the label on his own which is not an easy task.  He needs to be sure his artists are all on the same page to keep them on the right path.

Shotland said his favorite part of representing the artists is setting up any press coverage since it provides instant results. Currently, he represents the band "Harvard," which has already been featured in Alternative Press, Amp Magazine, and Substream and is a member of absolutepunk.net's absolute 100.

"I basically control the entire public image of the band," Shotland said. "Although I give the band full control of their art and images because of the type of band they are."

Shotland has also come across other local bands that have potential in Nassau County. But he admits that the local scene has been dying since 2002. The only band he can think of that has currently made a mark is "Envy On The Coast".

Harvard, Shotland's only current client, recently released its first album ("The Inevitable and I") and it has already received some great feedback. Besides being on sale, it streamed live on AOL Music earlier this month.  

Shotland is on a mission to make the most of his record label. He plans to release at least two to three titles a year.

The industry may be dying in the traditional sense as new forms take its place, but Shotland is not deterred and said he will stand by his motto: "Our philosophy is that music is a community. If you treat us right then we will treat you right."