Safety Net Records

Safety Net Records was an independent American record label connected with the South Florida music community, particularly the alternative, punk, roots-rock, and experimental scenes that developed around Miami during the early 1980s. The label was founded by Bill Ashton, a Miami Herald music critic, and was co-owned by Jimmy Johnson. Its catalogue included recordings by several locally significant acts, among them The Essentials, The Chant, The Bobs, and Charlie Pickett & the MC3. The label operated in a cooperative and artist-oriented environment rather than as a conventional commercial music company. Accounts of the period describe Safety Net and the related label Open Records as complementary projects whose organizers sometimes helped one another release music when one imprint lacked the money or infrastructure to do so. This arrangement reflected the economics of the local independent scene: records were made and circulated with limited resources, while artistic importance and community support often mattered more than immediate profitability. Safety Net could therefore function as an outlet for recordings that might otherwise have remained unreleased, including material by artists whose music did not fit the priorities of larger labels. Among the label's early releases was The Essentials' 1982 EP Fast Music in a Slow Town. Recorded at Sync Studios, the EP was produced by Charlie Pickett, with Andy Clark and Frank Falestra serving as engineers. Safety Net subsequently issued releases by The Chant, including Three Sheets to the Wind in 1985 and Two Car Mirage in 1989. The label also documented The Bobs through In Public, an eight-song cassette drawn from a 1983 concert. The recording presented the group across a stylistically varied set incorporating country, punk, and reggae influences. Safety Net's most prominent documented album release was The Wilderness by Charlie Pickett & the MC3, issued in 1988 and produced by Peter Buck. The label later released The Chant's Two Car Mirage, a recording made at Atlanta's Channel One Studio. That release carried the catalogue designation NET 12 and was also available on compact disc with material from the band's earlier Three Sheets to the Wind, subject to the omission of one track. The label's historical importance lies less in scale than in its role within Miami's independent-recording infrastructure. Safety Net preserved and circulated music from a regional scene that was often overlooked by the national industry, while its cooperative relationship with other local labels helped keep projects moving despite limited financial resources. Available reference material documents a catalogue and a network of collaborators, but does not establish a current operating status, a precise founding year, a later corporate owner, or a continuing commercial presence.

Safety Net Records emerged from Miami's independent music culture during the early 1980s. Its founder, Bill Ashton, worked as a music critic for The Miami Herald, while Jimmy Johnson was identified as a co-owner. The available historical record does not give a precise incorporation or launch date, but places the label within the cooperative network of South Florida musicians, producers, critics, and small record companies active during that period. The label's operating model was shaped by the limitations of independent music production. Rather than relying on substantial commercial investment, Safety Net helped artists record and distribute work through modest releases such as EPs, cassettes, and albums. It also maintained a practical relationship with Open Records. According to historical accounts of the Miami scene, the two labels sometimes acted as fallback outlets for one another. When Open did not have the resources to issue a worthwhile project, Safety Net could release it under its own imprint, and the reverse arrangement also occurred. This cooperation reflected a scene in which participants often prioritized getting important music heard over competing for market share. Safety Net's documented catalogue begins with The Essentials' Fast Music in a Slow Town, an EP released in 1982. The recording was made at Sync Studios and produced by Charlie Pickett, with Andy Clark and Frank Falestra as engineers. The release linked the label to the region's developing roots-rock and alternative network and demonstrated its emphasis on locally produced music. In 1985, Safety Net issued two different kinds of projects. The Chant released Three Sheets to the Wind, while The Bobs were represented by In Public, an eight-song cassette recorded at a 1983 concert. In Public captured the now-defunct group in a live setting and included six songs that were not available on the band's other recordings at the time. The set was notable for its stylistic range, moving among country, punk, and reggae, and for preserving a strong performance despite the limited format. The label continued to document regional music later in the decade. In 1988, it released The Wilderness by Charlie Pickett & the MC3, with production by Peter Buck. The album is one of the label's best-known documented releases and connected a South Florida act with a producer and musician recognized internationally through the alternative-rock world. Safety Net subsequently released The Chant's Two Car Mirage in 1989. The album was recorded at Channel One Studio in Atlanta and credited The Chant, John Keane, and James Klotz with production responsibilities, with Bill Ashton serving as executive producer. The release carried the catalogue number NET 12 and was available in compact-disc form. The CD also incorporated material from Three Sheets to the Wind, although one track from the earlier album was omitted. The surviving account of Safety Net Records focuses on this catalogue and its place in Miami's independent scene rather than on a long corporate history. There is no reliable information in the supplied references establishing the label's later ownership, financial scale, distribution arrangements, or current activity. Its documented legacy is that of a small, collaborative imprint that helped preserve and circulate music from South Florida when larger labels were not necessarily prepared to support it.

• 1989

  Release of The Chant's Two Car Mirage

  [1]Safety Net Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label released Two Car Mirage, recorded at Atlanta's Channel One Studio and produced by The Chant, John Keane, and James Klotz, with Bill Ashton as executive producer.

• 1988

  Release of The Wilderness

  [1]Safety Net Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Safety Net issued The Wilderness by Charlie Pickett & the MC3. The album was produced by Peter Buck.

• 1985

  The Chant release Three Sheets to the Wind

  [1]Safety Net Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label released The Chant's Three Sheets to the Wind, an early entry in the group's Safety Net catalogue.

• 1985

  Release of The Bobs' In Public

  [1]Safety Net Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Safety Net released In Public, an eight-song cassette documenting The Bobs at a 1983 concert and preserving material not otherwise available on the group's recordings.

• 1982

  Release of The Essentials' Fast Music in a Slow Town

  [1]Safety Net Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Safety Net issued The Essentials' EP Fast Music in a Slow Town. The project was recorded at Sync Studios, produced by Charlie Pickett, and engineered by Andy Clark and Frank Falestra.

A cooperative-minded independent label focused on documenting and releasing South Florida alternative and underground music.

• EP · 1982

  Fast Music in a Slow Town

  The Essentials' 1982 EP and one of Safety Net Records' earliest documented releases. It was recorded at Sync Studios and produced by Charlie Pickett, with Andy Clark and Frank Falestra credited as engineers. The project exemplifies the label's role in recording and circulating music from Miami's independent scene.

• Album · 1985

  Three Sheets to the Wind

  The Chant's 1985 release on Safety Net Records. It formed part of the label's documented relationship with the group and was later represented in part on the compact-disc edition of Two Car Mirage, which omitted one track from the earlier album.

• Live cassette · 1985

  In Public

  An eight-song cassette by The Bobs, drawn from a 1983 concert and released by Safety Net in 1985. The recording preserved six songs that were not available on the group's other releases at the time and presented the band across country, punk, and reggae styles.

• Album · 1988

  The Wilderness

  An album by Charlie Pickett & the MC3 released by Safety Net in 1988. Produced by Peter Buck, it is among the label's most prominent documented releases and represents its connection to the broader alternative-rock community beyond South Florida.

• Album · 1989

  Two Car Mirage

  The Chant's 1989 Safety Net release, recorded at Atlanta's Channel One Studio. Production was credited to The Chant, John Keane, and James Klotz, with Bill Ashton as executive producer. The release carried the catalogue designation NET 12 and was also issued on CD with most of Three Sheets to the Wind included as additional material.

1. 1Safety Net Recordsen.wikipedia.org