Rob Poland Interview, Part 2
AT LONG LAST! Here's the second of a three-part interview with CandyRat Records founder Rob Poland. In 2019, at the Fingerstyle Collective Guitar Festival in Arkansas, I met up with the founder of CandyRat Records, Mr Rob Poland. I was CandyRat's first signing, after releasing nine CDs on conventional record labels between 1989 and the early 2000s.In the second of three parts, Rob and I talk about the launch of the label and early signings and successes with such artists as Antoine Dufour, Andy McKee, Robert Taylor and Eric Turnbull. CandyRat Records has been the home of some of the world's most innovative solo guitarists and singer/songwriters since its inception. It has seen the staggering viral success of Andy McKee, and huge contributions from a range of musicians, from Antoine Dufour, Jimmy Wahlsteen, Stefano Barone and Mike Dawes, to name a few. With over a quarter of a billion views on YouTube (and countless more on other platforms) featuring styles of music that would definitely be considered outside the mainstream, CandyRat has been a 21st century success story. Nonetheless, it hasn't been immune to the changing nature of digital music distribution. We touch on many of these points throughout the interview's three episodes.Check out the CandyRat catalogue at www.candyrat.com to find CDs, LPs, T-shirts, music downloads and sheet music by CandyRat artists.