Who is W. Minc?

W. Minc is not a person, at least not one that we've met. If you are W. Minc and you've stumbled across this site by narcissistically Googling yourself please get in touch. W. Minc is a record label from Melbourne, Australia run by Steve Miller and Graham Lee. Here they are if you're curious:

Steve

Graham

You can gather from the photos that W. Minc is run by a couple of musicians. Guilty as charged. Graham was a member of the legendary 80s band The Triffids and Steve was in The Moodists, equally legendary and still playing the odd gig just to show upstarts how it's really done.

Why the strange name?

W. Minc began in 1994, when Steve ran the Standard Hotel in Fitzroy with his business partner, Dave Walsh. Dave is the brother of Chris, pumping bass player in the Moodists. Graham came to visit for a couple of weeks and ended up staying for five and a half years, helping out by organising the music. There was so much great unsigned talent performing at the pub that Dave and Steve, in a fit of idealism, decided to begin a record label. They believed, somewhat naively as it turns out, that good music would automatically sell. This notion was quickly dispelled when WMINCD001, Mark C Halstead's Before And After Love failed to attain gold status. However it's still a great record that stands up today (and is available from this site).

To cut a long story short - W. Minc stands for Walsh Miller Inc.

Why the wide variety of music?

When W. Minc began, some thought we were a roots music label. An easy enough assumption to make as our first few releases could be pigeonholed in that way. The truth is we only really wanted to release music we both loved and, though we're fans of country/ roots/ folk we also like dirty rock, classical, obscure acid rock, almost any music can get through our thick hides if it's got that special spark we can't quite put a finger on. So you'll find roots music here but you'll also find almost anything else too. We can warrant that it will at least be interesting.

Why bother?

We've asked ourselves that. Anyone who's tried to put out their own record knows how difficult it is to complete the basic process of recording, mastering, art work, pressing, promo, distribution, posters, touring. It's never ending and we're disregarding completely the creative side - writing those songs, rehearsing, putting your heart and soul out there for people to pick at like vultures. In a country with a population the size of this one there are few musicians who can manage to sell enough records or pull enough people to their shows to make even a meagre living. We know because we've released their records. My point here is not to directly answer the original question but to suggest that these artists deserve your support. In the shiny skyscraper that is the music business there's an astonishing range of superb music that may slip through the cracks up on the golden penthouse level, but glitters no less for that. If you need proof, go to the audio pages and listen for yourself.

Where can I buy W. Minc CDs?

Glad you asked. In Australia we're distributed by MGM Distribution in Sydney, and that means that, theoretically, you can find our records in any record store (if you're in Australia). Of course, in practice, they'll only be there if the buyer has read the great reviews, heard that catchy track on JJJ or RRR and put them on the shelves. But don't despair - ask them to order it in if it's not there. Tell them to call MGM. They'll know what you're talking about. Don't settle for second best and buy something else, go right up to the counter and order it there or rush home and buy it from us. Right here. We have online shopping, a secure server, speedy credit card processing and almost instant dispatch to anywhere in the world through CD Fulfillment Australia. So, no excuses - follow the links to Catalogue/Shop up there on the left and all will become clear. And if you were unable to buy something in a bricks and mortar store let us know so we can rectify things.