Dear artists,

we understand you might be willing and wishing for working with us and releasing your music on Exile On Mainstream. But we need to point out straight and painful: we do not take any submissions and we do not sign any new acts. Please don’t send us applications, demos or just e-mails asking if we would work with you.

The label is much less a traditional label but more some kind of community or cooperative so to speak, involving artists and acolytes associated with the label and responsible for what it is now. Exile On Mainstream was build on a family-like structure with artists trying to find a common ground business-wise as well as artistically. The daily work is spread out over several shoulders and this makes it rather a circle of friends than a business model. We know this might sound and come across like an elitist club and it maybe is. It’s a great concept but it doesn’t allow much for new artists to come in as it’s mostly all based on self-promotion and self-exploitation with the label giving some kind of frame and a headline.

In fact we wouldn’t be able to do anything more for you than what you could do yourself. So we rather not want you to waste your efforts and get in touch with us. Instead we invite you to go the D.I.Y. route like we did over 20 years ago. Do it yourself – create and get public. Raise your own voice, play shows, travel, learn the business, the distribution. Set up a webshop and do it yourself. It is so much more rewarding.

Thank You for understanding.