It seems that lately people keep asking about whether wizard rock will die out. For some, this is a terribly sad and frightening notion. Paul DeGeorge of Harry and the Potters and everyone else at the Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club are dedicated again this year to making sure that our lives will be full of wrock from start to finish. Recently, I spoke with Paul about the past, present, and future of the EP Club.

When the EP Club started in 2007, there were over 750 subscribers, and they sold out completely. I asked Paul if this exceeded his expectations, and he told me, “This may sound a little overly-self confident, but I fully expected the first year to sell out. Wizard rock arguably reached it’s apex that year, particularly in the national media. We had a great roster of bands, all making exclusive CDs, and it was the year Deathly Hallows was released.”

In 2008, the number of subscriptions was increased, and so far they have sold over 800, but there are still about 200 subscriptions available. “Going into 2008, I knew we would have to work a lot harder to sell the subscriptions and that’s definitely been the case. And now in 2009, I’m more uncertain than ever about what will happen. Not because of a lack-of-interest, but more because of a very large shift in how people consume music. In just the last 2 years, digital music has completely overshadowed physical media.”

So, why not just make the EP Club available digitally? Paul thinks that something will be lost that way and describes digital downloads as “colder and more detached”. “I think we all really loved having, holding, and admiring the physical product, especially the whole set of all 12 CDs. The artwork from the first 2 years was all really gorgeous and 2009 promises to be just as great. From past experience, I think the subscribers really value the attention and care we put into the disc”. In 2009, the cases will be hand-stamped. Talk about a personal touch – hand-stamping around 10,000 CDs?

Yup, 10,000. With that number, the CDs are understandably pressed by a professional company. As Paul said, “That’s WAAAY too many CDs for us to burn. That would take all year!” Other than using Bellwether Manufacturing to create the actual CDs, the EP Club is run on a very small staff. Only two of them are paid anything at all – the mastering engineer and the art director, and Paul pays them “a small fraction of what they actually deserve.” The mastering engineer is a good friend of Paul’s and ensures that all the audio sounds great before sending it off. The art director changes every year and is in charge of creating the album covers and discface designs and sending them off to the printer. Paul deals with the general oversight and mailing. Matt Maggiacomo of The Whomping Willows helps with mailing. After seeing the piles of envelopes surrounding Matt and Justin in the video below, I have a new appreciation for everything the EP Club does.



There is also an opportunity to help out with promotion this year. Anyone who is interested should contact Paul at wizardrockepclub@gmail.com.

If you’ve subscribed to the EP Club in the past, you know that rather than the typical plastic jewel case, the CDs come in sturdy cardboard sleeves. These sleeves are 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, and they come with the added bonus of being cheaper than jewel cases and also cheaper to ship. Less overhead cost means more money for the EP Club.

In 2007, all of the proceeds went to First Book. The amount totaled over $13,000. 2008’s proceeds were split between First Book and The Harry Potter Alliance, for a total of $16,000. This year, all the proceeds will go to The HP Alliance. Why the change? “Two years ago, First Book was a sensible choice because obviously all of the bands and the subscribers shared a common source: a book. That is what brought us all together, and donating money to First Book allowed us to share that gift of literature with other kids. But now, with all of the Harry Potter books published, I feel like the Harry Potter Alliance has given us a common purpose, and that is where I’m placing my hopes for the future of this community. The work of the HP Alliance not only keeps this community active and vibrant, but continues to promote the messages of love and friendship from the books by way of real world applications. I think this is something we can all be proud of.”

To choose the 12 bands each year, Paul actually looks at each and every band on the Wizrocklopedia list and then goes back and forth with Matt until they have narrowed it down. “We always want to have a few well-know bands because they help us to sell subscriptions, but we also want those artists to be people we believe in and who represent our community well. Beyond that, we look to find bands that we think are great and under-appreciated or flying below the radar. Each year we really hope to expose our subscribers to a few excellent bands that they’ve maybe never heard of before.”

2009’s bands exemplify that, with EPs from Harry and the Potters, The Whomping Willows, The Moaning Myrtles, Tonks and the Aurors, Peeved, Swish and Flick, Mary and the GrandPres, Danny Dementor, Riddle™, MC Kreacher, and Shrieking Shack Disco Gang. The 12th EP will be a surprise.

Subscriptions are available to the general public to order as of today, so head over and place your order. As Paul says, “Subscribe!!! Subscribe TWICE! Seriously, I know the economy sucks, blah, blah, blah, but if you love wizard rock, this is seriously the best $60 you can [spend] in 2009!”