Observer asked Erv Karwelis, owner and operator of Dallas-based label Idol Records since 1993, “How'd you manage to survive the financial apocalypse of the label industry?” referencing the label’s ability to outlast the disaster the record industry faced staring down file sharing sites like Napster.
He responded, “I've always kept my overhead low and try to keep everything as lean and mean as possible.”
Today, while explaining how Idol Records weathered this pandemic, Karwelis responds in the same comforting tone a near-decade later, “I've always, always kept overhead low and tried to be nimble.”
Karwelis has certainly seen a drop in revenue due to the collapse in the live music industry for international and local acts alike.