Who we are
Next Appointment Records is a D.I.Y. record label located in Pacific Beach, San Diego.
We are devoted to curating local and underground music, a reaction to the lifetime of music that inspired us through the realization that the most momentous moments, in music and life, are inherently local: Sing-alongs at house shows in dingy basements; music recorded on old laptops in rented-out storage units; scratch-track demos shared over a cup of coffee; feeling like the 50 fans of your band can’t possibly be wrong.
In our opinion, with the right people and the right mindset, these small moments are more powerful than anything that happens at Coachella or the Bowery Ballroom (even if we enjoy those, too). At NAR, we have puzzled over why these experiences are so important. It has nothing to do with a particular sound, or genre, but with a principle: Making music personal, hyperlocal, and transformative.
What we do
We record and produce records onsite in our studio. We release music, both digitally and as limited cassettes. We host shows with local and touring musicians at Next Appointment Studios. We facilitate the creation of musical devices (e.g., software, handmade instruments). Most importantly, we do whatever we can to promote the artists that we work with, regardless of whether they release music through our imprint.
How we do it
Finally, NAR is devoted to purpose, not profit. We self-fund the artists on our roster, proudly curating releases, shows, and promotion on a D.I.Y. budget. Any money we do earn is either funneled directly to the pockets of artists, or donated back to the community through high-impact charities identified by effective altruism organizations.