We Are Underused The Moving Image Collection of Matador Records by Seth Anderson
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 New York University
Tisch School of the Arts New York, NY
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation May 7, 2012 Table of Contents
Appendix A: Workflow 58 Appendix B: Vendors 59 Appendix C: Videography 61 Appendix D: Inventory 79
I would like to thank the staff of Matador Records and Beggars Group, especially Gabe Spierer, Patrick Amory, Robby Morris, and Jesper Eklow, for their time and assistance with this project; Nils Bernstein, Brett Vapnek, and Chris Lombardi for indulging me with interviews; Peter Oleksik, my advisor, who provided encouragement and guidance; the faculty of MIAP, and Alicia, for their constant support; my fellow Crazy Eights, we did it; and finally Ingrid Ostby for her love and support.
Since the record label’s founding twenty-three years ago, Matador Records has and continues to accumulate moving image materials for the promotion and documentation of the label’s artists. As a subsidiary of Beggars Group, an umbrella company that owns or distributes four independent record labels (including 4AD Records, XL Recordings, Rough Trade Records, and Matador Records), Matador continues to release new albums, generating more promotional media with each one. Matador’s growing collection of moving-image materials, now predominately born-digital, is in need of organization and runs the risk of loss if preservation policies are not enacted. Addressing these issues, the goals of the assessment were as follows:
An item-level inventory of materials stored in Matador Record’s Manhattan storage space, at the Voltage Video post-production company, and in the Beggars Group American offices was completed to provide an understanding of the content and number of Matador’s holdings. In addition, a box-level count of the label’s holdings in deep storage at Scanio Moving’s Secaucus warehouse was completed to determine the amount of moving image materials at that location. An item-level inventory of Matador Record’s digital materials on Beggars Group’s servers was also completed and has been updated as the label received new moving-image works. This assessment will provide Beggars Group with the tools to ensure the valuable promotional materials they create will remain available and useful in the short- and long-term.
Founded in 1989, by Chris Lombardi, Matador Records found success in the mid-1990s releasing records by popular independent music artists such as Pavement, Guided by Voices, Liz Phair, and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. By the end of the 1990s, after two partnerships with major record labels (Atlantic and Capitol records) Matador expanded internationally, with offices in London, pursuing a more diverse musical direction with releases by electronic (Solex, Matmos), hip hop artists (Arsonists, Non Phixion), and international acts (Pizzicato Five, Belle & Sebastian) while continuing to release records by American independent rock artists. In 2002, Beggars Group purchased a 50% share in the label, an agreement that expanded Beggars Group’s US operations and allowed Matador increased distribution internationally.1 During the era of sleek, major label videos created for broadcast on MTV, Matador’s music video productions were atypical. Made on small budgets by up-and-coming directors,2 or friends of the bands, the label’s videos of this era display a rough-hewn artistry that befit its independent persona. Yet, Matador’s videos from 1990s are remarkably diverse, including the oddball antics of Pavement’s “Cut Your Hair,” the satirical bent of Yo La Tengo’s “Sugarcube,” the vulnerability of Helium’s “Honeycomb,” and the retro-futurism of Guitar Wolf’s “Jet Generation.” Regardless of the label’s contentious relationship with the form,3 Matador’s music videos are a visual history of the label as it became an established entity in independent music. The progression of the label’s music video from low-budget efforts to full-fledged production pieces parallels the development of the label, providing valuable insight into the various directions Matador has pursued throughout its history. With backing from Atlantic and Columbia Records, Matador was able to provide larger budgets and produce more videos per release. Funding for videos was split evenly between the label and the artists, whose portion would later be removed from their royalties, so that artists could essentially ensure the label’s investment in their record’s promotion.4 Budgets for videos during the major label partnerships reached upwards of $250,000 and some records, despite lower sales numbers, were promoted with two to three music videos. These years are contrasted by a sharp decline in production following the dissolution of the Capital Records partnership in 1999; a period in which independent labels had less presence on MTV, and its ancillary channels. With the rise of online independent music news sites and blogs in the early 2000s, the music video’s value as a promotional tool was revived for independent record companies. Lower production costs, due to affordable digital cameras, and the multitude of Internet presentation platforms allows Matador to generate more promotional moving image materials for less. As part of Beggars Group, the development of promotional productions is completed in collaboration by Matador and Beggars Group staff. If the promotional staff determines a need for a music video, a brainstorming session is held with the band or artist to determine the style, tone, or narrative of the potential music video. The label solicits treatments from directors, and in consultation with the artist, selects the appropriate direction. Production is in the hands of the director or production company, but the artists and label provide input throughout the creative process. Collection of moving image content has never been standardized at Matador Records. The strategy in the 1990s was to retain the majority of moving image materials that made their way to Matador’s office.5 This included television appearances, news reports relating to artists, and amateur live recordings as well as production materials from music video shoots. Around 2001, an attempt to catalog the contents of the video collection resulted in a number of tapes receiving labels that provide information about the video, but no comprehensive cataloging or inventory of the label’s moving-image holdings was created. The majority of Matador’s current video productions are born-digital and distributed digitally. Beggars Group’s video delivery protocol does not include any definition of the “final output,” whether this is the entirety of footage from a production or the final edit of the video is not specified. For this reason, Matador’s digital materials range from complete storage card outputs to final edits. With each new release, a new promotional cycle sees the creation of new moving image works. If Matador and Beggars Group wish to retain these materials into the future, a new approach to their preservation is necessary.
The majority of Matador Record’s analog moving-image materials derive from the label’s twenty years of music video production. Materials in the label’s storage spaces are mostly from a period between 1994-1997. The wealth of material from this era is understandable considering the increased production at this moment in the label’s history. Videos from 1998 to 2005 are present in the Secaucus warehouse storage and the label’s video duplication house Voltage Video, but number fewer tapes than the 1994-97 period. Among the analog moving-image holdings are elements from each phase of video production, from camera original film rolls to release copies of music videos. Matador retains camera original film elements for fourteen videos on 16mm, Super 16, Super 8, and 35mm. Receipt of the entire production output was not standard practice during the 1990s, and these collections of original production materials are an exception in the collection. The film rolls and dailies, video transfers of the film footage, will likely contain the entire output from the various productions, including outtakes. These rolls of film are silent; sound would be added during the editing process or synced to the video dailies. In addition to the original film elements, the collection contains alternate edits from throughout the editing process for a few videos. Alternate and working edits of Pavement’s “Painted Soldiers” and Guided by Voices “Auditorium/Motor Away” were viewed during the assessment and display little variation from the final edit. There are many copies of artists in performance on television programs or at concerts. The television clips include appearances on MTV shows such 120 Minutes and The Jon Stewart Show, as well as performances on college television channels. These tapes were previously mined for their content, with clips appearing on the Pavement DVD The Slow Century and in the between-set compilations of the Matador 21 celebration. Among the live show recordings is footage of Yo La Tengo in Chicago in 2000, a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion show from 1996, and footage from Matador’s 10th anniversary celebration in 1999, featuring David Cross (who acted as emcee of the proceedings), Bardo Pond, Come and Yo La Tengo. The digital materials contain a similar mix of footage from music video productions, live performances, television appearances, and promotional videos. There is a high level of redundancy throughout the digital collection, due to reformatting for various presentation websites. Video duplicates, or derivatives, are often stored in different file directories, having likely been dragged and copied to a different server for storage purposes but never removed from the original directory. The majority of the video collection derives from productions completed within the last five to ten years. A central part of the digital collection is the various footage from the recent Matador at 21 anniversary celebration in Las Vegas. This footage includes multi-camera edits of full-length sets in ProRes and DV formats, single song selections in master and derivative files, stock footage b-roll footage of the desert, and the full production output from Guitar Wolf’s performance. The event was originally webcast live via MySpace, with a multi-camera setup that was edited during broadcast.6
Analog materials are stored in four locations within the New York City area: the Manhattan Mini Storage at 260 Spring Street, the Beggars Group Manhattan office, the video duplication house Voltage Video, and in deep storage at the Secaucus, NJ warehouse of Scanio Moving. Each storage location presents unique risks to the long-term preservation of the analog moving image materials. 5.1 Manhattan Mini Storage This storage room is home to the second-largest portion of videotape and film materials in Matador’s collection. Items are housed in cardboard boxes of various sizes and were recently placed on new metal shelving. A few items are stored inside plastic bags that had been taped together to group associated tapes and film elements. Previously, boxes of moving image materials, audio masters and test pressings, and other Matador-related ephemera were packed tightly into the space. Recommended archival storage conditions for videotape are between 50° F and 68° F at 20-50% relative humidity.7 Proper storage conditions prevent tapes from succumbing to chemical deterioration over time. According to a representative from Manhattan Mini Storage, the storage areas remain at a temperature of 55° F with no humidity control. Despite the air circulation of the facility’s HVAC system and a vented opening in the top of the room, the environment within the storage room is dusty due to poor ventilation and circulation. The boxes are covered in a layer of dust that was circulated during the reorganization of the storage space. There is no lighting within the storage room and the hallways of the Mini Storage facility is lit by fluorescent bulbs. The building is equipped with a sprinkler system for fire suppression. A padlock secures the door to the storage room and entrance to the storage center requires a key card. Currently, the only key to the storage room is held by Jesper Eklow, a former employee of Matador, who is working on the organization of the label’s multiple storage rooms at this location. These rooms are not located next to one another, and the contents of surrounding storage spaces are unknown. If possible, it would benefit Matador to find out the contents of neighboring spaces to determine whether they contain items that could harm their moving image materials. The arrangement of the visual materials varies by box. Some are relatively well organized with videos stacked neatly; others appear to have been packed with no regards for organization. Tapes are stored horizontally or vertically on their spines, in the orientation that makes the most efficient use of the box. Some boxes contain packing supplies, such as bubble wrap and newspaper, to pad the contents.
5.2 Beggars Group Office—Manhattan The few items stored in the closet at Beggars Group’s Manhattan office were shipped from the UK office of Matador Records. The closet is filled with other boxes containing promotional materials, such as t-shirts and tote bags. The videotapes, also housed in cardboard boxes, are stacked amongst these items. The temperature of the office is regulated by the buildings HVAC system, often at an average temperature between 68-72 degrees F. There is no known relative humidity control in the building or office. The closet has a lighting fixture, with a fluorescent bulb that is rarely turned on. Security at the entrance of the building requires identification for visitors but no confirmation of appointments with the Beggars Group office. The office doors are often locked during business hours and require a code to enter.
5.3 Voltage Video Voltage Video, located in Manhattan specializes in post-production duplication services including broadcast duplication, closed captioning, video encoding, and digitization. Beggars Group and Matador use the company’s services for duplication of music videos for distribution to broadcasters. Matador currently stores a collection of 151 videotapes with the company. Voltage Video is currently in the process of moving to a new location and was unable to report on the storage specifications of their new facilities. Beggars Group’s agreement with Voltage Video was not available for review. Prolonged storage with the company is likely contingent upon continued use of the company’s services, but Voltage Video is not liable for the long-term preservation of the tapes in its possession.
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