For Harald Quendler music always comes first
One may not know Harald Quendler. But one has to know his independent music label, distribution company and small shop Extraplatte in Vienna, Austria. The label is the pioneer of the independent music movement in Austria and is owned by Harald Quendler for 28 years now. Quendler’s focus has always been on the creativity and the artistic work, not the business. Walter Gröbchen, CEO of music communications- and consulting firm monkey. called him the figure-head of cultural policy, for he exports extraordinary music from Austria to the world. Extraplatte has been founded in 1977 by musicians of the scene around the Folkclub Atlantis in Vienna. The musicians of the anti-nuclear power-, squatter- and protest- movements were frustrated because the major labels had absolutely no interest in publishing their music. Their do-it-yourself-attitude was something completely new in the music business back then and something new for the musicians as well. Now they had to take care of business and not only of their music.
Harald Quendler was fascinated by this idea from the beginning and resumed the sales and distribution of the label in 1979 with 6 LPs in his portfolio. Among these were future Austrian celebrities like Lukas Resetarits, the Wiener Tschuschenkapelle, Broadlahn, Minisex, Otto Lechner or the Vienna Art Orchestra. 2 years later he took over the company. In 1995 the repertoire of Extraplatte was already 40.000 titles strong - all beyond mainstream hits. Harald Quendlers label is still a haven for jazz, avantgarde, new folkmusic, worldmusic and the classical period. Especially Austrian jazz musicians would have no possibility to publish their work wouldn’t there be Extraplatte. Harald Quendlers business life is not easy as the market in Austria is small, so he has to export and cooperate with international specialists. But being open for new things is still his motto. In November 2006 he has been awarded with the honorary certificate of the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik.
Independent-Label Extraplatte feiert 30. Geburtstag - pressetext
Extrawürste, Extrawünsche - gröbchen
