R.E.M.’s recorded legacy: the band’s manager Bertis Downs speaks - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

R.E.M.’s recorded legacy: the band’s manager Bertis Downs speaks - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

After 27 years, R.E.M. are once again an independent act. The band broke up in 2011 - and - as you will read in this exclusive interview, sadly is not about to reverse its decision. However, managing the band’s legacy continues to be important even after the end of its active career: there is an extensive catalogue to manage that sold tens of millions of copies, one of the most important bodies of work in the American rock-pop genre. 

The band, who has complete control over the masters of the albums recorded between 1988 and 2011, has made the decision to partner with the historic independent label Concord, leeaving its home for 27 years at Warner Bros. 

Its deal with Warner Music comes to an end in 2015 - a partnership that lasted from the release of “Green” in 1988 - and R.E.M.has made the decision to trust the services of an independent label, just like at the beginning of their careers. The first five records by the band were in fact published with a small independent label, I.R.S., whose executives included Sig Sigworth - now at Concord. 

R.E.M.'s manager Bertis Downs explains over the phone from Athens, Georgia,  the day after the announcement: “It is not really a  'back to the roots". Today the situation is very different, and it’s all about being curating of the legacy of the band.” 

We asked him about the process of managing the band's heritage and his next moves in that regard.The first will be the re-issue of “Out of time” in 2016 to celebrate the album’s 25th anniversary, Downs confirms exclusively to Rockol. 

(Gianni Sibilla)

R.E.M. is once again and indie band. How does it feel?
I guess you could say that, yes. Our records will be distributed on Concord, which is a large, American-based independent label. It’s a solid label, with a classy catalogue that handles names like Vanguard and Rounder, and they have a very good international presence in most of the territories we had a lot of fans in. It’a good team with the right size to represent the band’s legacy through reissues and the material that’s in the vaults.

This is the first time a big name hands its past catalologue to an indie label, after being with a major. How did it happen?
I don’t know if it is a first. Pearl Jam, for example, did something like this, going from a major label to self distribution in different situations. Everybody’s just trying to figure out the best way to do things now, in an ever-changing music world, with different dynamics. There’s no fixed formula, it just seemed the right time to do a switch. The guys had different options, and we decided to go with a label we feel very good about.

What kind of input did you have from the band, in handling this situation?
It’s the guys’ decision. People like myself and our professional team gather the information. But ultimately, it’s their property, their music, and their band. So it’s their decision.

You already released several reissues, the last being “Green” in 2013, the first album of the Warner era. What will change in your approach to the whole thing, with this new deal?
I think the approach will be the same: try to to the best with what we have, try to find creative ways to come up with things that people will value and find interesting. To try to represent the guys the way they want be represented, and do it in classy ways without being exploitative. And I think that won’t change.

R.E.M. has had a different approach, compared to other major names. No “official bootlegs”, for example, and and a cautious use of the band’s live/studio vault. And no celebratory box sets - something many bands do whilst still active...
We talk about these things all the time. At some point we might do it, the live shows, for example. We don’t make a pre-emptive judgement and say some things will never happen. We didn’t do it years ago because we were busy doing new albums and live shows. Now we’re in a different phase of our career: this is the 5th year after the disbanding, and it’s the first one in which we hadn't something coming out.

2016 marks the 25th anniversary of the band’s breakthrough “Out of time”.  Should we expect a reissue?
Yes, the next two project will be reissues of “Out of time” and “Automatic” in the next couple of years. 2016 and 2017 will mark the anniversary of two of the band’s most famous records, especially in Europe.

Your last contract renewal with Warner, in 1996, was the most lucrative deal of that era, so they say.
Reportedly: that was what was reported in the press. We never talked about that, we never gave a figure, but there was a number that was reported by the press and was described in that way. We still don’t talk about it.

What will you remember about those Warner Brothers years?
Those were busy years. Touring and making records, and sometimes doing it at the same time, as in “New adventures in hi-fi”. Those were hectic years. I can’t say it was all wonderful, all perfect or all sucky, but there was a lot of activity, for sure.

If you should sum the band’s legacy in a few words, what would they be?
It’s a really strong body of work, song for song, album for album. There are not many artists over the years with such a strong presence critically, with fans and in the marketplace. This is something they should really be proud of.

The new deal does not cover new recordings, should they ever happen, right? So, should we keep on going having a little faith?
The band broke up. This a deal about its recording history, about the catalogue, and not about the future.

We’ve already asked you this question some years ago, but we have to update your answer: are R.E.M. still comfortable with the decision they made in 2011?
They still think the decision to stop was a very good one. And I agree with them: it was the right time. They had a couple of years to think about it it, and they had a very mature approach to announcing it, being sensitive of all the people involved, people that would be sad about it. They all have their projects, now. They’re all still creative and they're all still good, if not better, friends than when the band was active. It settled the way it should, in a very healthy way.