frequently answered questions

Hello. We get a lot of questions from interested fans about our label, and in an effort to reduce the size of our inboxes, we put together this page to answer some of the most frequently asked. If you don't find what you need here, please contact us.

Bar-suck? Bar-stool? Bar-what? : BARSUK is a Russian word meaning "badger", and the correct way to say it is <bar:SUKE> — accent on the 2nd syllable, rhymes with DUKE, not DUCK.

Why did we name the record label after a badger? : We didn't. We named the record label after our beloved friend, Barsuk, who is sadly no longer with us. You can read about him here.

Do you accept demos? Where do I send them? : While we love and appreciate new music, we are not currently pursuing new signings or accepting demo submissions.

How do I order cds/shirts/etc. from you? : Please visit our online shop, or read the shop FAQ. If you have further questions, please send us a message.

Do you have a printed catalog? : Sorry, we don't have a printed catalog — things change and get added so often, that it's better just to update the website catalog.

Who distributes Barsuk releases? How do I purchase your cds for my record store? : Our US distributor is Redeye; please contact them if you're a retail store in the US wishing to purchase our product. Otherwise, please contact us, letting us know where your store is located, and we'll help you out.

How do I get promotional copies of your releases for my fanzine, magazine, newspaper, or website? : Please understand that we have a limited supply of promotional copies, and are unable to send out cds to everyone who requests one. With that said, if you'd like to receive promo cds, please send us a sample of your publication (to the address listed here), and we'll see what we can do.

How do I get promo copies of your releases for my radio show or station? : Please contact our radio coordinator, and send us a copy of your most recent playlist. Make sure you indicate which artist(s) you're interested in, and understand that we're unable to send out promos to each and every radio station in the world.

How do I go about licensing a song from one of your artists for my film, TV program, or commercial? : For a gratis or festival license, please contact us here. For film and TV licensing, please write to our licensing department. If you can, answer the following questions in your email:

• Which song do you wish to license?
• Which artist performs the song?
• On which record does the song appear?
• Briefly describe your film, TV program or commercial:
• Briefly describe the scene in which you want to use the song:
• Where will the film/TV program/commercial be shown?
• What is the budget for the film/TV program/commercial?
• Can you send us a clip of your project?

How do I go about licensing a release to manufacture and distribute records in territories outside of the U.S.? : For information about all of our international business outside the United States, please contact our international department here.

How can I get a job at Barsuk Records? : We don’t hire very frequently, but when we do, we'll post a link to the job listing here.

Do you have intern positions? : Not presently.

Where do I get tickets? : Tickets are also usually available through the club where the show is scheduled (when we have information about clubs, we'll post a link to their website on the shows page). Otherwise, you'll have to resort to the old-fashioned method of looking up the club and calling them.

Why isn't my hometown on your tour schedule? : Again, most of the time we don't have a definite answer to this one. Shows are almost always set up by the band or their booking agent, and we have nothing to do with it — and the reasons why they choose the cities they do are many. Sometimes, there was no venue available on the date that they might be passing through your hometown. Sometimes, there just isn't time to squeeze in another show. And sometimes, there isn't enough "indie rock" support in towns to make the trip worthwhile.

But there's a gap in your schedule where my town would fit right in! : Most of the time, we won't post show information unless it's been confirmed by the booking agent. So, when you see a gap in the schedule where your hometown might fit, it just may be that a show is in the works, but hasn't been confirmed yet. Or, maybe the band needed the time to drive the sometimes long distances between venues. Often, the best thing to do is wait until the schedule is confirmed.

I want to book one of your artists in my club/city. Whom do I contact? : We list email addresses of artists and their booking agents (when they have one) in the artists section of this website. Take a look there, and if you don't find what you need, write to us and we'll point you in the right direction.

How the ?&#! do you open the Jessamine Houdini 7" ? : This single comes with a padlock and key; the key, however, is kept in a small pouch inside the packaging. In true Houdini fashion, you must pick the lock in order to get at the contents. We recommend bending a paper clip into an 'S' shape and using the smaller, rounded end to pick the lock. Usually works like a charm.

Death Cab's Transatlanticism was released in the regular CD format, as well as Super Audio CD. What is a Super Audio CD (SACD)? : Super Audio (SA) is an alternate way of putting music on CDs, resulting in high-resolution, superior fidelity sound. You need an SACD-compatible player to hear the difference between a regular CD and a Super Audio CD. SACD actually has two layers of data, one of which is read by regular CD players, the other by SACD-compatible players. Most regular CD players should have no problem playing the SACD, although the high-fidelity sound will only be heard on SACD-compatible players. The SACD layer is not 5.1 multi-channel surround sound audio — it is simply a very high resolution digital remastering of the stereo (2-channel) analog master tapes. And it sounds really really good.