Victory Records head Tony Brummel has the music industry on red alert

It seems slightly incongruous, but an independent record label headquartered in an unremarkable building in the West Loop has the music industry scrambling to copy its success. Tony Brummel started Victory Records 15 years ago as a hobby, releasing vinyl by his favorite hardcore punk bands. In 1994, when the label released its first CD, it became a full-time venture for Brummel. The growth since has been staggering, with several Victory bands selling upwards of 100,000 records without much radio, MTV, or mainstream media support. When Taking Back Sunday’s second album for Victory, Where You Want To Be, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 in the summer of 2004, Victory firmly established itself as one of the most powerful independent labels in rock music. It goes beyond that, though, as Victory’s website dictates: “We do not consider ourselves a record label. We are a lifestyle company.” Next year could be Victory’s biggest, with high-profile albums from Hawthorne Heights and Atreyu that could debut at or near the top of the Billboard charts. As 2005 wound down, Brummel spoke to The A.V. Club about Victory’s success and why Chicago is integral to it—and keeping his Petri dish sterile.
The A.V. Club: Some label owners who have been in similar positions discovered that quick growth can be as destructive as it is constructive. Are you mindful of that kind of thing?
Tony Brummel: No, we’ve grown every year, so this isn’t anything new for us.
AVC: But it seems like it’s really taken off since about 2001, when Thursday started getting big.
TB: I don’t see it like that. I see everything happening as the natural course that I’ve always expected it to travel on. Nothing seems unnatural. You’re in my office; do you see stacks of paper on my desk? We’re very organized and well-run; and when you’re organized and well-run, you don’t have those problems.
AVC: Victory’s grown while record sales on the whole are down, and the music industry’s in a tailspin. What’s making the difference?
TB: We’re in the Victory industry. Fuck the record industry! [Laughs.]