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First of all, please tell us who you are.
Slim Moon.

When did your label start? (Don't panic; these questions will become more interesting soon. We're catering to the readers here.)
1991.

Let's go on with the predictable stuff. How did you come up with your label's name? What other names did you consider?
I almost called it "Pound Dog" but that was dumb so I named it after a painting.

Do you have a slogan or tag line? If so, what is it? We eat that shit up.
"Not losing as much money as Sub Pop."

Every label seems to have horror stories about would-be signees sending godawful, inappropriate demos, e-mailing MP3s or generally embarrassing themselves. Please share some of yours!
Dorik Perlman, the paraplegic whose record cover art has two girls in dog collars on leashes at his feet.

What does your label do that no-one else does? What's your niche, in other words?
Hmmm. I'm bad at this. We try to be the closest thing to putting it out yourself without actually having to put it out yourself. We try to put out meaningful music rather than just stuff that sounds nice. Profit is not our primary motive, bringing great music to the world and supporting important artists is why we do what we do.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when your label started?
That trying to mix business with friendship is trickier than it looks.

What would you do differently?
Be more organized with my bookkeeping and with business licenses and whatnot. Make written agreements with bands, cuz sometimes memories disagree after a lot of time has passed.

When it comes to dealing with bands, do you favor contracts or handshakes?
I favor both together in tandem. Contracts are just a way of making sure everybody understand what has been agreed on, and remembers later what has been agreed on.

Tell us, about the most painful lesson you've learned -- business, poor judgement, watch your footing on the stairs, whatever -- since the label started.
No matter how loyal you are, some people think loyalty is over-rated, so they don't appreciate your loyalty and they have no belief that loyalty should be repaid. Now that I think about it it seems obvious, but it was a painful lesson to learn.

Now, to cheer everyone up again, tell us about something good -- the event (or whatever) that made you realize that your label would be a long-term concern rather than a glorified hobby.
I told Jad Fair in 1991 that I secretly dreamed of making a living off of putting out music. He basically told me to not get my hopes up. That was just the fuel I needed to prove him wrong.

If you could pay half the rent you currently pay for office space (if you have it), or have twice the space for the same amount of money, which would you choose?
Twice the space for sure.

An independent label is, like any other operation, a business. What day-to-day aspects of business most get in the way of the fun parts of the job?
Charging bands for the CDs they buy to sell on the road. Negotiating recording advances with folks who think that how much money you offer is a reflection of how much you like their band.

How has your attitude toward music -- buying it, listening to it, seeing it -- changed since you've been associated with your label?
Constantly more excited about music as the years go by.

What are the secret perks of operating an independent label?
Lots of travel, lots of free records. Get into shows free. I thought you'd also hear about cool bands before everybody else, but nobody ever tells me about new bands -- I always have to go looking for them. Hmmmm.

We know you're proud of all of your bands, but who has been your proudest signing/biggest find? (If diplomacy prevents you from answering this with anything other than "I'm proud of all of our bands", we understand.)
Unwound was the first band on the label, giving us our start, so that's my proudest.

Of the artists/bands on your label...

a) Who would you most want on your side in a bar brawl?
Emily's Sassy Lime.

b) Who is most likely to get hopelessly lost while on tour?
The Gossip.

c) Who is most likely to record a two-disc concept album about elves?
C Average.

d) Who is most likely to be featured in Tiger Beat?
Har Mar Superstar.

e) Who is most likely to have a song in a Gap commercial?
Sport Murphy.

If you were given $10,000 to create a tchotchke/doohickey/promotional item to raise awareness of one of your upcoming albums, what would you make? And for which album?
This is too hard of a question. I'd leave it up to the band, that's the way we usually do things. I don't know which band. If I had $10,000 I'd rather spend it putting out five more records.

Which three of your releases, taken as a group, best represent your label's philosophy?
Ouch. These questions are hard. Bikini Kill - Pussywhipped; Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You; Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out.

If you had the funds and inventory to give just one of your releases to everyone in America, which would it be?
The second Juliana Luecking album.

You've been given the chance to take another label's entire roster and do with it as you please. Whose acts do you grab, and which bands particularly attracted you?
Mr. Lady.

We asked the previous question to a whole bunch of labels. Which of them, if any, named your label's roster as their most-wanted list?
Probably nobody.

Who would win in a fight -- ninjas or pirates?
Pirates, especially lady pirates.

How long has your label had a website? How has it changed over the years? How has it, and the internet in general, affected the way you do business? (This is a boring question that everyone asks, so please try to come up with an original and unusual answer!)
We totally sucked before we had a website. The internet made us what we are today.

What's your attitude toward MP3s? How (if at all) has it changed over the last few years?
They still don't sound as good as CDs or vinyl.

Would you sign a purely studio-based band? Why or why not? (And if you already have, how has it worked out for you?)
I try to avoid it.

The most surprising change in music in the last ten years has been...?
It hasn't changed as much as I expected, that's the surprise.

How many label profiles have you responded to before this one? Don't they suck?
About a dozen. It always makes me feel stupid, especially when I read the witty answers other people write. I am funny but I'm not witty.

I have $5000 in cash sitting on the desk in front of me. I could use it as seed money for a record label or spend a few months roughing it in Europe. Which should I do, and why?
Only you can answer that question, but I'd start a label if it was me. Or go to Europe and sign some bands.