Last month saw Westwood Recordings celebrate its 10-year anniversary and we were lucky enough to chat with Nick Middleton, the CEO and Founder of the record label. He is also well-known and respected in the music industry, especially as one half of the duo The Funk Hunters who have had incredible success over the years.
In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, Westwood Recordings dropped a month-long schedule of special releases. This all started with the release of the awesome compilation album “10 Years of Westwood Recordings”, which features tracks from The Funk Hunters, Defunk, Moontricks, K Theory, Stickybuds, Kotek, LIINKS, and SugarBeats.
We were ecstatic to be able to talk with Nick Middleton about this 10-year anniversary. In our exclusive interview, we asked him about Westwood Recordings, the huge success of The Funk Hunters, and what else we can expect from him.
Congratulations on Westwood Recordings’ 10-year anniversary! Looking back, how does it feel to have reached this significant milestone, and what are your reflections on the label’s journey and achievements over the past decade?
Thanks! Yeah, to be honest, it’s kind of surreal to be celebrating a decade. To have this kind of staying power in such a difficult industry and to still feel so excited and energized with what we are building every day is a testament to the whole ethos of the label. I’m really proud of our team, all our artists, and especially the community we’ve built over the last 10 years.
What inspired you to start Westwood Recordings, and what were your initial goals and aspirations for the label? How have they evolved over time?
Westwood was really born out of frustration of not having a more supportive and transparent infrastructure to release my own music. Through the early 2010’s, I was just starting to release music but my genre at the time felt pretty underrepresented in North America so I was signing singles to labels mostly in Europe and Australia. I was constantly faced with difficulty getting paid, little to no transparency with accounting, very little help with marketing etc. And, when I went around and heard similar complaints from a lot of my friends, I felt like this was a problem I could take on myself. Back in those days, labels really owned the pathway to distribution. It was a lot more difficult to self-release compared to today, so I knew we still needed the infrastructure of a label with proper distribution and a team to help with marketing, so in 2013 I finally said I’m done with this, I’m gonna start my own label and build our own team here in Canada and the US. The first-ever release we put out on Westwood was in July of 2013. It was a Funk Hunters release and from there the word just kinda spread organically. We very quickly had an amazing roster of friends from around the world all asking for help and wanting to get involved. And a number of those artists are still working with us today, 10 years later!
As the founder and driving force behind Westwood Recordings, what have been the most rewarding aspects of running an independent label, and what have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced?
Definitely working so closely with artists I love. At the end of the day, it’s all about the music and supporting artists to achieve their goals, so being able to work so closely with artists I look up to and admire and am genuinely of fan of is the best feeling.
On the flip side, the industry can be hard to navigate for a small independent company. In those early years, it really felt like we were in the trenches every day, fighting for placement and exposure anywhere we could. So much of the industry is dominated by a few big players, so I really have the utmost respect for independent music companies and labels that have forged their own path and found a way to service their own catalog and roster.
The anniversary celebration included a month-long schedule of special releases, which started with the album “10 Years of Westwood Recordings”. Can you tell us more about the album and the selection process for featuring tracks from label artists like The Funk Hunters, Defunk, Moontricks, and others?
We really wanted to showcase both the breadth of diversity on the label but also some of the artists who have been with us since the very beginning. Many of these artists – Defunk, Stickybuds, LIINKS etc. – have been working with us for years and years and so this album really shines a spotlight on those specifically that have been such an integral part of our story.
Westwood Recordings has developed a reputation for its diverse and party-ready sound. How would you describe the label’s musical identity, and what sets it apart from other electronic music imprints?
I’m really proud of how diverse and eclectic, yet thoughtfully curated our sound, catalog and artist roster has become. In the early days, the label got its start working on Glitch Hop, Midtempo and Funky Breaks – all kind of underrepresented genres in North America at the time – and from there it just really grew in all directions. Part of that growth has been the focus on signing artists we believe in and giving them the confidence and support to explore new sounds in their own musical journey. The other driving factor has just been my own love for all styles of electronic music, as well as Hip Hop, Pop and other non-electronic music-focused genres too. I’ve always tried not to pigeonhole us into one sound and build a team and outlet that could work on anything we believe in.
At the end of the day, it’s all about finding music that moves you. I have to feel some connection to it, it’s got to have some soul and a story to it. That’s really the common thread to all the music and artists we work with. We’re looking for authenticness, originality, and both the ability to rock a dance floor but also make something memorable that people want to return to listen to again and again. I think that’s really important as we see such a prolific rise in new producers. We should all be pushing artists to find their own sound and not copy something else already out there that might have been redone and replicated a million times already. What is your sound and your story that you want to share with the world? That’s the question new producers and artists need to be asking themselves. If they can answer that they’ll find their own lane to live in.
Over the years, Westwood Recordings has secured notable sync placements in various films, TV shows, commercials, and more. How has the label’s ability to secure these sync opportunities impacted the artists and the label as a whole?
It’s a huge deal. There is nothing sweeter in my week than to call or email an artist to let them know we just got their music into a new TV show or Movie or Video Game. As the role of our company has grown over the years so too has our goal in expanding revenue streams for the catalog, and so sync licensing has become a massive part of that. Artists trust us with their music and so our goal is to maximize the potential upside for them with that music. And we’ve had some many amazing successes with syncs over the years and it continues to be a big focus for us.
Can you share some memorable moments or success stories where Westwood Recordings’ artists received significant exposure or recognition including any specific or notable sync placements and/or collaborations?
One of the first big syncs we ever landed was the official theatrical trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming with Sony Pictures. That was a big deal for us at the time, it gave us the confidence to know that our artists and catalog could compete with the majors and it really reinstated for us that our goal of working more on syncs – which most independent labels around us weren’t doing at the time – was the right decision. We’ve helped our artists tap into a whole new revenue stream and get their music in front of some amazing mainstream audiences. Most recently, what comes to mind is some of our songs in HBO’s White Lotus just for example.
Westwood Recordings has collaborated with renowned festivals and organisations like Monstercat and Shambhala Music Festival. How have these partnerships contributed to the label’s growth and provided opportunities for the artists on your roster?
Again, it just goes back to this idea of trying to expand the role of what a traditional label used to play in an artist’s career into something far more impactful. Today we really think about all sides of the industry. How can we maximize the reach of our artists and their music? And a pivotal part of that is live – both touring and festivals. So it’s been a big part of our journey, we’ve been running label showcases and stage takeovers at festivals for years which over time has led to us being asked to curate our own stage lineups at some really iconic festivals. So it’s a huge win for us and the artists, to be able to offer to plug them into all these events and touring opportunities is also a big value add for our mission and ability to offer artists more than what other labels who are only focused on releases can offer.
Westwood launched Westwood Sounds in partnership with Splice, delivering coveted sample packs from its artists. How has this venture benefited both the label and aspiring producers, and what motivated you to delve into the world of sample packs?
Opening up more revenue streams and marketing opportunities. A number of artists we work with are incredibly talented sound designers and producers, so this was a natural next step for us to be able to offer them another outlet to “release” content that wasn’t just focused on music and streaming. The sample pack industry is booming and Splice is undoubtedly leading the charge with its own marketplace, so partnering with Splice directly to launch Westwood Sounds was the perfect fit for us. We can work with our artists on developing a sample pack after a big album campaign (i.e. with sounds from the record) or put together a unique pack with new content (like a vocal pack, drum pack, or serum presets etc.) while an artist is in between release cycles. As a producer myself, I saw how fast Splice was growing and I wanted to be a part of that. Now, a few years into running Westwood Sounds, it’s super cool for us to hear music released by artists around the world with sounds from our sample packs in it.
You co-founded Midnight Agency, a boutique music and arts agency focused on building new revenue streams, harnessing new technology, and supporting artists. Can you tell us more about the vision and mission behind Midnight Agency and how it complements your work with Westwood Recordings? How does your involvement with Midnight Agency enhance your ability to navigate the ever-changing demands of the music industry and provide unique opportunities for the artists you represent?
There’s been a ton of consolidation in North America over the last decade in the agency landscape and, similarly, to the feelings I had launching Westwood 10 years ago. I was starting to feel like it might be the right time to explore starting a new independent agency to focus just on live bookings. Could we build something to compete with the bigger agencies here in Canada? And could we build something truly independent that could become the new home for artists who felt underrepresented at other agencies? Those were kind of the two big questions we were wrestling with and what I thought we could improve upon. Then, suddenly, COVID hit out of nowhere and all touring was halted. Live touring revenues went from all-time highs to instant zero. Everyone was stuck at home, agencies were laying off people and dropping artists, and I knew it was the right time to act. I really felt like we wouldn’t get another chance to build something new from the ground up when the chaos of touring was uniquely on pause. So that’s what we did, Grant Paley and I started building the blueprint for Midnight right away, we signed a ton of artists, hired and trained new staff and launched Midnight halfway through Covid. We were there with a team in place all ready to go to help our artists get back to to playing live the minute the industry and the borders opened up. Fast forward to today, we are now two years into the journey and already representing 50 live acts with an ever-growing team working behind the scenes at the Agency.
Being one-half of The Funk Hunters, a producer, an engineer, a talent buyer, an artist manager, and a Label and Agency Owner, you have many roles within the music industry. Can you share how your experiences as an artist in The Funk Hunters have influenced your approach to running Westwood Recordings, producing music, and managing other aspects of your career? How do you navigate and find the balance between these different roles and ensure they complement each other?
Everything I do, I go into it with an artist-first approach. I think being a touring artist and music producer, myself, it gives me a unique perspective that sometimes a lot of industry execs are missing. I’ve been in the trenches in every way possible, especially when it comes to the grind and toll that touring can take, the mental pressures of the demands of the industry, the never-ending focus on streaming and social media numbers, and so on. So for all my projects – the artists I manage or the companies I run – I have a unique perspective. I can truly put myself in my artists’ shoes and try and make the best decision that is going to benefit them the most and also ensure we are thinking long-term and not just chasing short-term success. This industry is about carving out your own lane and the focus should be on creating a lasting career, not chasing short-term clout or viral moments that don’t last, that’s not something I’m personally interested in. I want to build companies and artists’ careers that have long-term staying power and I honestly don’t think I would have been able to do that today had I not walked (and still do) the life of a touring artist first.
You and Duncan Smith met in 2008, bonding over your shared love for funk and EDM, ultimately forming The Funk Hunters. Your longevity as a duo and the creative success you’ve achieved is truly inspirational, with millions of streams for your music. How does it feel to witness this level of success, with your streaming numbers reaching millions?
It’s amazing, and I still don’t take it for granted. For so many electronic artists, myself included, you are often making music all alone in a studio somewhere and never have any idea who might hear it, how it will be received, or how many streams it will get. So to fast forward years later and see the actual numbers, to know people in all different corners of the world are listening to your art and connecting with it in their own special way is just so inspiring and rewarding. I think I’d still be making music regardless – that’s the love of creating and making art, if you are making it only for success I think you are on the wrong track – but to have songs reach people on a global scale, or have fans turn up to shows requesting specific songs or singing along to some songs, is just the coolest feeling for any artist, big or small. And I think what the internet has done is taken a very closed system where majors own all the access to studios and distribution and opened it up to literally everyone. If you are persistent and consistent enough there’s a niche out there for anyone who wants to find it. If you make music you believe in, if you stay true to yourself and just keep working, you are eventually going to find an audience and build true fans regardless of the genre.
The Funk Hunters became the first electronic act to receive the Canadian Independent Music Association’s (CIMA) Road Gold certification. How did this achievement impact the duo and the label, and what did it mean to you personally?
Awards aren’t something we ever factor into what we are doing at the time, we’ve always just followed our own path, but to find out you are being awarded for something later on is, of course, always a really special moment. The Road Gold certification was especially meaningful for us because it came from touring in our own backyard, from hard ticket shows in Canada. So it’s really a testament to the amazing fan base and following we’ve built here, to know we can bring out that many people and connect them all together on the dancefloor through the power of music and positive vibes is a really cool feeling.
The Funk Hunters are set to release their biggest album yet, featuring high-profile collaborations. Can you give us a sneak peek into the creative process and the vision behind this album?
Yes, I’ve been hard at work on a new album for The Funk Hunters since COVID. I can’t share too many details about the album yet, but it will come out on Westwood in 2024. There are some dream collaborations on the album, some artists I’ve looked up to for a long time, so that’s been really neat to keep collaborating with more and more international artists. If all goes according to plan we’ll have the first single or two out later this year, so stay tuned!
Over the years, The Funk Hunters have collaborated with a diverse range of musicians and vocalists. Can you share any memorable experiences or insights gained from working alongside these talented artists and how these collaborations have influenced your creative process?
Collaborating with Chali 2na is always the first and most meaningful collaboration that comes to mind. I grew up listening to “Jurassic 5” and have always been a huge fan of Chali, so to be able to call him a friend today and get to travel the world with him and perform shows together and make records with him is just amazing. We’ve toured all over the world together and been to some crazy festivals – we’ve even done Burning Man with him. It’s really just the best vibes combining our two sounds. Every time we get back together it kinda reinspires us and we start making new music again, I feel like it’s a collaboration that will last for as long as we are both making music. We are actually working on a new single together right now, it will be on the new forthcoming album!
As both a producer and engineer, you have worked on remixes for world-class talent like U2 and Imagine Dragons. What has been your approach to remixing these iconic tracks, and how does it feel to put your own spin on such well-known music?
I love working on remixes. It’s what got me onto my path as a producer and engineer many years ago and it still excites me today. I love the idea of taking a great idea and putting your own spin on it, your own artist stamp. I like the challenge of creating something new that pays homage to the original. Remixes are a key part of dance music culture and it’s been really neat to see that open up in the last decade to big major label pop acts too. I never would have imagined when I first started out I’d ever get a chance to work on a U2 record or Imagine Dragons or Selena Gomez or whatever, but here we are, remixing names like that and it’s kind of mind-blowing.
Looking ahead, what are your future plans for Westwood Recordings? Can you share any upcoming projects, collaborations, or initiatives that fans can look forward to in the near future?
As we set our sights into the next decade of Westwood, the goal is just to keep growing and adapting – constantly answering the question, “What else can we be doing to help our artists and their music?” I think part of our responsibility as a label is to always have a sense of what’s coming next, how the industry is changing, and what new opportunities might be coming so we are ready. We want to always be maximizing our chances for success with both future releases and catalog. A big part of that strategy moving forward is building a new distribution offering that we’ll be launching in 2024. Something that takes the best parts of running a label – and all the support we can offer our artists – and combining that into a distribution offering with increased flexibility and transparency for artists who want to manage more of the release process themselves.
How will this new music distribution service expansion impact the label’s operations and its ability to support independent artists?
Ultimately it will let us work with more artists and give those artists greater control over their own releases. We want artists to be empowered to create and release music at the frequency that’s right for them and in a way that feels most authentic to them. There’s no single model anymore that works for every artist or every release. So this will give us and our community of artists even more options when it comes to planning out their releases. We’ll be able to offer multiple pathways to getting music out, all with the same upside of what Westwood is known for and the chance to be plugged into our other networks and relationships in the worlds of syncs, events, branding and more. Artists will still have access to full-label deals under the Westwood banner with all the support and investment that comes with a boutique label and marketing team working on their release but they will also have a self-release pathway to choose from too, that’s flexible, transparent and competitive with new technology powering it. This will also let us start to work with more independent labels too, as we begin to plug other labels into our distribution network as label partners.
Thank you, Nick Middleton, for taking the time to answer our questions. We are so excited to celebrate 10 years of Westwood Recordings and we’ve been playing the album on repeat since its release. We’re also super excited about what’s to come for Westwood and for The Funk Hunters.
“20 Years of Westwood Recordings” is available to download and stream, right now, across all platforms, via Westwood Recordings.