Meet Justin McCauley | Record Label CEO & Music Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin McCauley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I was in my early 20’s I was working for a couple of talent agencies and touring internationally frequently. I was signed to quite a few different record labels at the time and producing a ton of music to keep the shows coming in. It was a great and productive time in my life and I was very thankful to be traveling and performing my music globally. When I got a little older, I started to realize that most of the record labels that were pressing my records and distributing them were taking advantage of me and not paying me honest royalties for my releases. On top of that, some record labels were pushing me to make certain styles of music that they felt would sell more records. These two circumstances were the catalyst in starting my own record label Avocaudio. I wanted to have complete creative control over my music and make whatever I was feeling at the time. I also wanted to be able to track my sales and statistics and take a more do it yourself approach to the music biz.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Avocaudio is a safe space for creative musicians supporting positivity. I made a conscious decision when I started the label not to project any negativity in any of the music that gets released on the label. The name Avocaudio comes from my love for the fruit and it’s many healthy attributes, but also because of it’s link to the golden state. For instance, in many restaurants if you ask for something California style it’s usually referring to adding avocado to the food. I really wanted to embody my birth state and try to capture what I think Cali sounds like in my minds eye. So with that in mind I tend to gravitate to more tropical, beachy groovy type sounds. Some of the genres we have released over the years are: funk, reggae, dub, surf, exotica, ska, dancehall, indie rock, tropicalia, cumbia, house, dubstep, jungle and drum and bass. We are not a genre specific label which makes us different from most other record labels. If I think something is produced well and has a good and fitting vibe for the label, then I’m all ears.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m an outdoorsy, beachy, dive bar, record store type of dude. I absolutely love camping and some of my favorite local spots are Point Mugu, San Mateo Memorial Park, Jalama State Beach, Joshua Tree, and New Brighten State Beach. Some of my fave bars and restaurants are: Big Bar, Drawing Room, Frolic Room, Power House, Tam o Shanter, Dresden, Mirate, Thirsty Crow, Shortstop, Millie’s, Condor, Goldline, Jumbos Clown Room, No Vacancy, The Mermaid, Arts District Brewing, Tiki Ti and Paradise Cove. As for records stores I love: Amoeba, Record Safari, and the Record Parlour. My fave local beaches are: Hermosa, Seal, Venice, Ocean, Mugu, El Matador, Zuma and Santa Monica.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shoutout all the amazing worldwide artists that have released music on my record label Avocaudio since it’s birth 13 years ago. Building friendships through music, collaborations, shows and releases has really enriched my life and I feel gratitude for it everyday. Some more specific shoutouts would have to go to: Erich Fields, Lions Den Recordings, Dub Siren HiFi, Tom Kremer, The Shortstop, Darkwing Dub, Victor, Sub.Mission, Sun Collective, James Loomis, and my supportive family. It’s been one hell of a creative and fulfilling run!

Website: https://www.avocaudio.com

Instagram: @avocaudio.california @roommizzle

Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/avocaudio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Avocaudio

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/avocaudio

Image Credits
Daijin Jah
Chris Arson
Martin