The Return of Dekema

Ed Dekema started his own record label, Dekema Records, in 1991. He said he “ended up” in Seattle just when the music industry was taking off here. “It was easy to jump on the ship,” he said.

The label was noteworthy for releasing an EP by the group The Fire Ants, which included former Nirvana drummer Chad Channing. The legendary grunge music producer Jack Endino produced the EP, which was named “Stripped.”

Ed abandoned the label a few years later. “I put things on hold because I started having kids,” he said.

Recently, Ed decided to start the label up again. Right now he divides his time between his family, his day job at ShareBuilder, an online share-trading Web site with offices in Bellevue, and the label.

“In the 90s I had to work with the local scene,” Ed told me, contrasting the earlier work he did with the label with what he’s doing now. He said he now prefers long-distance relationships with his bands.

“It’s time consuming to have a personal relationship with the band,” he said. “Now there’s no pull to go out to the clubs.” New technology allows him to promote and distribute music from bands from all over the world without leaving his desk.

“Promonet” is a software package that independent record labels can use to promote their music on internet radio stations, online magazines and online music stores such as iTunes and Rhapsody. Ed said he’s been using Promonet, but since he’s had a lot of trouble getting anyone at the company to return his phone calls or emails he’s looking into some of their competitors, such as Tune Core.

Full disclosure: Dekema Records is releasing a single for my band, White Helicopter.