Mission Statement: Icehouse Music is dedicated to identifying, producing, distributing, and promoting top-line Texas talent to a statewide, national, and international audience. To that end, we have fashioned what we feel to be an innovative methodology that moves beyond the static practices of the contemporary “record label.” Icehouse creates enduring partnerships between the artist and the label that focuses on the specific services each individual act requires; we establish a direct link between the artist and the consumer through point-of-purchase retail displays; and we harness the vast resources of the twenty-first century Internet with a unique and personal approach.

History: Icehouse Music is a Texas based company created to deliver the artist's music directly to the consumer. When David Gardner founded Icehouse to produce and promote Texas music, he was quick to recognized one of the greatest deficiencies in the world of independent record releases: distribution. With a state of the art computer and the appropriate software, modern musicians can make world-class albums in their garage. They can design the artwork, have it “pressed” for a couple of bucks a CD, and then toss it—along with millions of other high quality CDs—into the black hole of the internet. The ultimate result is all too often the same: The CD, now packaged and ready for distribution, ends up right where it began: In the garage.

This of course, is a cynical and simplistic assessment, but David's thesis, “distribution, distribution, distribution,” lies at the heart of the Icehouse philosophy. David is a successful businessman with multi-generational Texas roots, he's a songwriter, and an enthusiastic advocate of Texas music. In 2002 he followed his passion and produced a Rusty Wier CD, had it manufactured, but in trying to secure “distribution” for the product, he readily discovered that there were very few, if any, good options. Not to be discouraged, he designed a unique point-of-purchase CD display, lined up a number of small retail outlets in Central Texas ranging from convenience stores along major highways to gift shops, BBQ restaurants, western wear stores, and countless other non-conventional music retail locations, and single handedly created a “directly-from-the-artist-to-the-consumer” distribution network.

The process grew from there. David continued to produce albums by rounding up and recording cuts from popular Texas artists to create exceptional compilation CDs, he contacted various independent record labels and included their Texas titles in the display boxes, and by 2004 the network was operating at a smooth and efficient gate. It was time to shift gears.

In a move to maximize the growth potential of his young operation, David reorganized the company into a Subchapter C corporation in December of 2005. This structural change enabled him to secure investors and qualified partners to maintain the upward momentum. He invited Charles Gallagher to take the helm as a managing partner and to build a comprehensive management and production team.

Charlie and David forged ahead and added K. Gus Vlahadamis as legal counsel for business affairs, Craig D. Hillis as director of music production, and long-time music business attorney, Al Staehely, as the conduit to the major entertainment industry centers around the world. These five gentlemen, as board members, have expanded the distribution network and created a specialized menu of professional services for talented Texas recording artists plying their trade in the twenty-first century. Icehouse Music recognizes that artists of this caliber may have their own record companies and simply need help with distribution, or with publicity and marketing. Certain venerable Texas talents may want to try a new production approach with like-minded music business professionals, or a popular young act may want to launch a truly unique and powerful website to complement their forthcoming CD release. The spectrum of customized services sought out by contemporary recording artists is as broad as the imagination and the hierarchy of goals embraced by Icehouse Music reflects that demand.

Short Range Goals: IMI has a clear dedication and goal to grow, be profitable, and generate attractive and substantial revenues and profit margins. We recognize the obstacles and challenges presented by the evolution and paradigm changes that are currently taking place within the music industry. In this regard, we are of the opinion that it is best that a record label have as much control as possible over distribution of its product. Today, a non-traditional distribution network goes a long way toward achieving that objective with attractive and functional music displays for physical product (mostly compact discs) in locations with heavy traffic such as selected restaurants, gift stores, convenience stores and others which shall include high traffic resort locations, particularly those with a Texas theme. The 2006 goal was to expand the CD distribution sales throughout central Texas. This was achieved by setting up a new regional office in New Braunfels, Texas that will manage the central, southern and western regions sales and distribution of point of sale systems.

By the end of 2006 IMI doubled its current point of sale locations from sixty locations to one hundred and twenty five. This enhanced the cash flow from sales to drive further expansion into north Texas by the winter/spring of 2007. The development of thorough inventory tracking, operations and accounting systems will be implemented during the ramping up of the new locations.

The organization will take advantage of increased cash flow to begin production of new CD projects and publishing. The recently completed projects are Kashmere Gardens Mud featuring Johnny Bush and Willie Nelsen and a compilation titled 'The Best of Travelin' Texas with twenty contemporary Texas artists projects in conjunction with Texas State University, Center for Texas Music History. Also under consideration are to develop series compilation music “super samplers” by recording talented emerging Texas songwriters and co-publishing their songs and distributing them to the key decision makers in the Country music and Americana recording industry. The “super sampler” will be sold through the point of sales locations through out Texas, as well, provide the opportunity for national recording labels to acquire the licensing rights for recording with their celebrity performers looking for fresh song lyrics. Icehouse Music and the “super sampler” song writers will share in the publishing revenues that would come from the national and international sales of the songs sold. In the first quarter of 2007 sales of Icehouse Music products will be test marketed with cable advertising in the Houston market. By the end of the first quarter of 2007 the company will have proven these sales and distribution concepts and will be prepared to expand into Dallas–Fort Worth markets.

The second project being considered for the spring of 2007 by IMI is to orchestrate a live recording of Texas up and coming performers with the name recognition of regional blues legends. The project titled is Texas Music Series, “Live at Lost Pines”. Icehouse Music will organize a strong four piece band of studio musicians to back up legendary players from around Texas like Curley Mays, Marsha Ball, Johnny Cockerell, Delbert McClinton, Lavelle White, Ernie Mae Miller, Corrine Kurt, Long John Hunter, Rocky Benton and emerging musicians like Guy Forsyth, Caroline Wonderland, Susan Gibson, Ruthie Foster, Seth James, Wendy Colonna along with a other up and coming musicians. The second performance series will include recording artists Johnny Bush, Gary P. Nunn and Joe Ely playing with many of the top up and coming musicians in central Texas.

Icehouse Music would organize the live recording event at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort. The idea is to bring together some great emerging artists and legends that together would cut an album with 15-20 singles. The spring 2007 IMI will be acquiring multiple Gary P. Nunn recording masters from Campfire Records and will be working with Gary P. Nunn on a two-year recording deal that will also provide IMI with a true Texas spokesman for our branding programs.

Long Range Plans: Beyond 2007, as the shift from physical product to digital continues, it will be important to set up and test Electronic Point of Sale Systems (EPS) distribution points that provide opportunities for interactive listening and digital downloading to MP-3 music devices. The prototype device has been designed and is currently being engineered for testing in late 2006. The company focus is and will continue to be the expansion of its traditional high traffic point of sale locations. As marketing of an EPS system is also desirable. The EPS system if successful can be placed or sold to traditional record stores as well as big box stores and other variety stores. The opportunity for the EPS systems are essentially the enhanced 21st century version of the current point of sale devices that the company is currently marketing and distributing throughout Texas. The key consideration to our current device is that buying an attractive CD product at a convenient high traffic location is an impulse purchase that is cost effective and easy to manage. The company directors see that growing the point of sale distribution network to as many profitable locations possible while maintaining growth is the best plan. However, we also believe that the next generation distribution system needs to be ramping up for a series of test marking opportunities and may provide additional profit centers in different locations for the company simultaneously with our current network. Further we believe that the EPS systems could replace the point of sale devices as the trend in automobile music devices change in the marketplace.

As company distribution profits increase, the Icehouse record label will seek to have an ever-growing stable of great artists whose music will stand the test of time and to own masters, which will have future value in the digital marketplace. We also endeavor to produce and distribute high quality compilations and super samplers that feature the best Texas songwriting talent that will sell today in non-traditional locations and with each song, as a single, comprising value in the future as a digital product. It is our belief that the recording, electronic management, and distribution of quality products that feature attractive artwork and graphics will sell well in the point of sale devices, EPS systems and on the internet web site for the foreseeable future. It is also our goal to accumulate and own copyrights to great songs for future profit and use in the company online in our virtual warehouse of music.