DFTBA Records explained

Founded:2008
Founders:Hank Green
Alan Lastufka
Key People:John Green (co-owner)
Laura Jones Joukovski (CEO)
Location:Missoula, Montana (since 2013)
Num Employees:About 50[1]
Num Employees Year:2022

DFTBA Records, commonly known as DFTBA.com, is an e-commerce merchandise company that was co-founded by Hank Green and Alan Lastufka in 2008.[2] Originally a record label, the company now focuses on selling merchandise for prominent YouTube content creators, such as Green himself, his brother the novelist John Green, Charlie McDonnell, CGP Grey, Kurzgesagt, and Charles Trippy, among several others. DFTBA is an initialism for "don't forget to be awesome", a catchphrase of the Green brothers.

Name

The name of the company originates from the initialism "Don't Forget to Be Awesome".[3] The initialism is generally seen as the motto for the VlogBrothers (consisting of Green, and his brother, John), as well as their fan base, known as Nerdfighteria.[4] The original goal of the record label, as Lastufka stated in a video on the subject, is to provide a distribution network for talented artists of YouTube and to make sure their music reaches out to the "largest audience possible."[5]

History

The offices of DFTBA Records were in Manhattan, Illinois,[6] until early 2013 when they were relocated to Green's current residence, Missoula, Montana.[7] In Illinois, the company had operated out of Lastufka's home. Upon moving to Missoula, they set up their warehouse in a small building that was formerly a preschool, but soon moved to a larger warehouse. During this time, they increased their number of employees from five to ten, and started another webseries called The Warehouse,[8] hosted by warehouse manager Matthew Gaydos. This channel no longer uploads content as Matthew Gaydos is now working on other YouTube channels. Distribution of records by DFTBA Records is largely independent; Lastufka himself generally oversaw most of the distribution during his tenure as co-owner.[9] On June 18, 2014, Lastufka announced his decision to sell his stake in the record label, and resigned as president, to pursue other projects.[10] [11] In April 2015, DFTBA Records was officially issued a business license in the city of Missoula.[12]

In March 2014, several artists signed under DFTBA Records, including Alex Day and Tom Milsom, were involved in sexual abuse accusations.[13] [14] Following the breaking of this news, all artists that had been accused of having sexual encounters with their fans, or of being perpetrators of sexual abuse were dropped from the label.[15] Lastufka also made a $1000 donation to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.[16]

Both Hank and John Green made public announcements on YouTube and Tumblr regarding the situation.[17] [18] Around the same time, a former DFTBA Record-signed artist, Michael Lombardo was sentenced to five years in prison due to pleading guilty on eleven counts of child pornography charges.[19] Lombardo's ex-girlfriend, Hayley G. Hoover, who is also signed under DFTBA Records, spoke out against him.[20]

Merchandise

DFTBA Records was originally founded as a music record label. However, the company now primarily sells merchandise, ranging from T-shirts to buttons.[21] [22] Artists signed to DFTBA Records are not exclusively musical artists. For example, official The Fault in Our Stars merchandise was sold on the website, including a limited-edition box set including an audiobook version of the novel.[23] [24] Additionally, the artists responsible for the designs on merchandise, such as apparel or accessories, will receive royalties for their contributions.[25]

Artists signed under the label have seen their shares of success, as well as unforeseen growth due to signing with the label, such as Craig Benzine and his band, Driftless Pony Club.[26] In 2009, speaking about the artists signed under the label, Lastufka stated, "A lot of [our artists] are very nichey."[26] Within two years, the record label was able to garner over $1 million in total sales, including music and merchandise.[27]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Patel . Nilay . Why Hank Green can't quit YouTube for TikTok . 5 August 2022 . The Verge . 2 August 2022 . en.
  2. News: Lindquist . David . John Green's online work (and play) yields smart money . 15 August 2022 . The Indianapolis Star . 1 June 2014.
  3. News: Boedeker. Hal. 'Fault in Our Stars': DFTBA screening. Orlando Sentinel. June 8, 2014. August 25, 2014.
  4. News: Obama Uses 'Don't Forget To Be Awesome' In Chat, Internet Freaks Out. Huffington Post. February 16, 2013. August 25, 2014.
  5. 187: Books, DFTBA Records and Holidays. YouTube. November 24, 2008. July 21, 2014.
  6. Web site: Lastufka. Alan. DFTBA Offices. . July 22, 2010.
  7. Green. Hank. Little Infinity Packing at DFTBA. Hankschannel. YouTube. February 21, 2013. February 24, 2013.
  8. "The Warehouse" - Episode 1. YouTube. The Warehouse. July 29, 2013. July 21, 2014.
  9. Web site: Crum. Chris. Record Label Launched for YouTube Stars. Web Pro News. September 29, 2009. August 25, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140311183205/http://www.webpronews.com/record-label-launched-for-youtube-stars-2009-09. March 11, 2014.
  10. Web site: Dieker. Nicole. Talking to Alan Lastufka About Starting DFTBA Records With Hank and John Green and What's Next. The Billfold. July 1, 2014. August 25, 2014.
  11. Web site: Lastufka. Alan. This morning I sold my entire stake in DFTBA Records.. Tumblr. June 18, 2014. July 21, 2014.
  12. News: City of Missoula business licenses issued in April 2015. Missoulian. May 17, 2015. July 13, 2015.
  13. Web site: Butterly. Amelia. Vlogger admits 'manipulative relationships with women'. BBC. March 20, 2014. August 25, 2014.
  14. News: Baker-Whitelaw. Gavia. The Tom Milsom abuse scandal and YouTube's troubling cult of worship. The Daily Dot. March 14, 2014. August 25, 2014.
  15. Klima. Jeff. Alex Day Now Involved In 'Sexual Misconduct' Allegations, Asked To Be Pulled From DFTBA Records As Well. New Media Rockstars. March 14, 2014. August 25, 2014.
  16. Web site: Huynh. Terence. Crossing the line: YouTube community in crisis as sexual assault allegations are made public. TechGeek.au. March 20, 2014. September 22, 2014.
  17. News: Lindsay . Kathryn . YouTube's First Big Scandal Was Cancel Culture Done Right — What Happened? . 25 August 2022 . www.refinery29.com . 27 January 2020 . en.
  18. Web site: Gutelle. Sam. Vlogbrothers Set Up Task Force, Fund Series To Curb Sexual Abuse. Tubefilter. March 18, 2014. August 25, 2014.
  19. Web site: "Internet Star" Receives Stiff Prison Sentence. 2014-02-28. The Smoking Gun. en. 2017-10-05.
  20. Web site: Online community reacts as YouTube celebrity jailed on child porn charges. Independent.ie. March 18, 2014. August 25, 2014.
  21. News: ElGenaidi . Deena . In 2017, YouTube star Hank Green tracked down a Turkish graffiti artist. Now he's shared his story on TikTok, leading to a huge surge in demand for his work. . 25 August 2022 . Insider . 27 March 2022.
  22. Web site: Bylin. Kyle. An Interview With DFTBA Records Co-Founder Alan Lastufka On Running A Digital Music Label. Hypebot. January 11, 2011. August 25, 2014.
  23. Web site: Rosi. Pre-Orders Open for 3,000 Limited Edition "TFIOS" Audiobooks Narrated by John Green. Leaky News. November 17, 2011. August 25, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140826162948/http://www.leakynews.com/pre-orders-open-for-3000-limited-edition-tfios-audiobooks-narrated-by-john-green/. August 26, 2014. dead.
  24. Web site: Schuth. Louie. John Green rereleases limited run of self read 'The Fault in Our Stars' audiobook. Hypable. May 16, 2013. August 25, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140826135335/http://www.hypable.com/2013/05/16/john-green-the-fault-in-our-stars-audiobook/. August 26, 2014.
  25. Distasio. Christine. 13 'Fault in Our Stars' Items From the Official Store That You Need Right Now, Okay?. Bustle. June 19, 2014. August 25, 2014.
  26. News: RedEye. Stephanie Lulay. I'm with the bandwidth. Chicago Tribune. December 7, 2009. August 25, 2014.
  27. Web site: Community-run music label DFTBA thrives. Blogspot. YouTube Official Blog. December 3, 2010. August 25, 2014.

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