We caught up with Tony Ereira from the Come Play With Me single club over coffee and cake to delve into the motivation behind his project to promote those artists trying to make a name for themselves in today’s music industry.
Come Play With Me is a social enterprise spearheaded by Tony Ereira, involving a ‘Singles Club’ which releases 7” singles quarterly to promote and celebrate musical diversity within the Leeds City region.
As I walked into Cafe 164 it was already evident how local and personal this enterprise was, with Tony chatting to the barista who just happened to be in the band ZoZo, previously featured on one of the singles this past year. Tony, who had become “despondent” with his career in banking, set up the record label ‘Hatch’ here in Leeds after “meeting young musicians who said they were really struggling”.
CPWM is recognised as a ‘Singles Club’, a concept orientated around the release of feature tracks for bands and artists who want “to create a sustainable career within music”. Tony explained that at the moment, the singles are “coming out quarterly and can be purchased both physically and digitally”, thus offering an outlet for new bands to push their music out to the masses. I felt the choice of Vinyl was potentially commercial, tying in with the so called ‘Vinyl Revival’ brands like Urban Outfitters have latched onto; however, Tony said although this hype helps the popularity of the singles, the real intention is to “give artists a copy of the single” to act as a fee and a memento.
It’s undeniable that there’s no shortage of talent in the good old North, with Tony joking “everyone in Leeds seems to be in about four bands”, therefore it was the perfect location for this enterprise. It was however also circumstantial, with his partner a faculty member here at the University of Leeds. Nevertheless, it was clear Tony was enthused by the passion and creativity emanating throughout the streets of Yorkshire, admitting he loves how “everyone is so open you know, everyone is like pull up a chair and tell me what you’re about”. He went on to note “the wealth of music going on in Leeds, so much of which doesn’t even get heard”, with his intentions clearly rooted in creating wholesome music with a “cross-genre” of artists in the region.
Though in its early stages, CPWM is an artist development initiative and any profit gained is reinvested into the artists. Something really integral to this movement however is the focus on the artists’ ethos, with what Tony coined as a “Britain’s Got Talent idea of ‘here’s my track it’s great go and enjoy the work’” being the downfall of so many talented musicians. He mentioned artists like Esper Scout and Team Picture who are “particularly switched on” and show a real “mark of progression” every time he sees them play, this personal involvement demonstrating how this is a unique opportunity for any young artist. Careful to not get ahead of himself, Tony made it clear that rather than “diving in and pretending we’re going to fix the world”, he wants to hone in on “what it means to make it in music, because everybody has a different definition”.
Through CPWM he aims to set up a mentoring system between the artists who have come through the process and new artists, thus giving them help in areas they need it whether it’s “getting a crowd following, signing to a record label or making a bit of money”.
This personal approach is what separates CPWM from other mainstream commercial labels only interested in profit, with the launch of events around representation in music something Tony seemed really passionate about. It is very clear these singles aren’t meant to “be about white boys playing guitars”, though Tony agreed there are a lot of great bands doing that, but instead a beacon of light if maybe “you’re a young black girl or guy making music in your bedroom with no obvious access point into the industry” with the hope of creating “diverse role models” for musicians. In addition to this, Tony has plans with his business partner Kate Zezulka for events for “LGBT folks in music” and “women in music” to “celebrate good stuff that’s gone on in the past” but also to provide an opportunity for new talent to get their voice heard.
It’s undeniable that Tony is invested in the idea of “identifying bands that have a bit of ambition” and providing a helping hand to artists who are maybe “making music that’s not for everybody and need a bit of momentum”. CPWM probably isn’t the step for you if “you’ve only rehearsed twice in your mum’s garage”, but Tony was eager to attract any students who have the ambition but no access, requesting that “if any of your readers feel they’re at a point where a single release would really benefit them or their band and they’re in the Leeds region, pop us a submission and we’d really love to hear it”.
Come Play With Me is a really wholesome, organic enterprise, at the heart of which is a truly decent guy focused on reviving diversity within the music industry one 7” vinyl at a time. Personally, as someone who has the musical abilities of a spoon, I would encourage any young musician with talent, focus and passion to contact Tony at www.cpwm.co.uk for the opportunity to join this incredible movement 20 minutes from your doorstep.
Andrea Loftus
(Image: Pledge Music)