By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
When Dan Marter is not helping to make laws as a member of the Englishtown Borough Council, he is making vinyl records.
Vinyl record label intheclouds is owned by Marter, 32, who joined the borough’s governing body in January. Since founding the record label in 2011, Marter has helped musicians and bands put their music on vinyl.
“I cut each record one at a time by hand and if I can pat myself on the back a little, they sound great,” he said.
The freshman councilman developed an interest in music at an early age.
“I just always loved music,” Marter said. “As a kid, I would sit around listening to the radio with my sister, trying to record songs we liked on cassette tapes.”
As his interest grew, Marter took note of the business side of music.
“I learned at a young age there was a business side to music,” he said. “I started playing in bands when I was in high school and I was the guy scheduling rehearsals, designing the T-shirts, booking shows and selling tickets.”
When Marter created intheclounds six years ago, he was working for Sony Music. His time at Sony Music spanned seven years and he worked as an assistant in the graphic design department, as a retail marketing manager and as an account manager for digital services Spotify and Vevo.
“It seemed like a dream job, but the commute to New York City was a killer,” Marter said. “With changes in life over the years and a growing family, I couldn’t see myself doing it anymore.”
Marter did not expect to make a career out of intheclouds when he launched the business. Nevertheless, the label began to grow as he built a website, found bands, worked out deals, designed packaging, processed orders and shipped out records.
Marter initially used different manufacturers to press the records, but he found it difficult to continue to justify ordering the manufacturers’ required minimum number of units when he sought to work with more local bands.
After discovering a machine that cut vinyl, he decided to start making the records himself.
The machine was developed by German engineer Ulrich Sourisseau. Upon contacting Sourisseau, Marter learned that in order to purchase the machine he would have to travel to Germany, which he did in 2014.
“(Sourisseau) said the only way to get a machine was to come to Germany with cash in hand and take a class with (his company) in person,” Marter said. “The class itself was long, a little over 14 hours straight, very thorough. But going in, I was told the class would not end until I knew all the ins and outs of the machine. If they did not think I could use it correctly, they would not sell it to me.”
Marter completed the class and was able to acquire the machine. He estimated that he spent $12,000 for the trip, the machine and shipping costs.
“It was a relief after passing (the course) to know that I didn’t fly out there for nothing, but the machine was way too big and heavy to bring on the flight back,” he said. “So I had to give a guy I had just met all my money and just walk away. It was not something I was super comfortable doing, but everything worked out. (Sourisseau) is a stand-up guy. Even now, he always makes himself available to answer any questions I have.”
Since purchasing the machine, Marter has personally made vinyl records.
“(Cutting vinyl) is sort of a strange thing to describe without getting too technical, but what we do is take the sound and run it through different processors and make a few adjustments to optimize what you are hearing, then push it out through a stereo amplifier that is connected to a small diamond stylus that cuts the vibrations into the blank disc that mirrors the sounds from the music,” Marter explained. “It would be like your body vibrating into the seat of a car that is shaking from a loud stereo system.
“Our machine cuts the vibrations on a microscopic level you can play back later,” he said. “A 30-minute album takes 30 minutes and set-up to create one record. It can be very time consuming with larger orders, but it is all part of the quality control process.”
As intheclouds expands, running his own vinyl record label is a career Marter looks forward to.
“I started intheclouds as a way to try to do some cool things with bands I love listening to,” he said. “The longer I have been doing it, the more interesting and creative people I meet. The community of musicians is inspiring, so for me it’s never a boring day in the office.
“For a long time, I thought that if I ever wanted to work in the music industry again, I would have to go to New York City, but if you aren’t afraid to put in the work and have a little faith in yourself, you can make your own path,” Marter said.