To be described as a music industry maverick and fit the bill perfectly says a lot about someone’s character.
The highly revered executive Ricky Ilacad has the track record to boast and then leave the field with flying colors right at the onset of a new normal reality. Besides, with many of his colleagues already retired or had passed on the baton to new-generation record label honchos, along with the challenges of a virus-stricken world, it may have sounded natural for him to just call it quits and quietly fade into the distance.
But true to his ways, Boss Ricky, as he is known around the biz, having helmed major international labels Warner Music and MCA Music, would rather reinvent himself and still be a key, active player in his own right.
Thus, last October, he made his latest surprise move by fulfilling his dream of running his own, yes, independent label. He called it, for the record, Off The Record.
The respected figure with a sharp eye for finding talents formed a team of young and creative digital natives to bring his own company’s “push and passion for music” to fruition. The seasoned record label head and his current personnel are working together to realize some artists’ vision and then organically create a community to celebrate such fulfillment.
Ilacad noted, “The lockdown gave a lot of people time to pause, plan, and really think about what they wanted to create. Off The Record is here as a platform for some talents to showcase their work.”
Alexa Ilacad, the label’s first act to release music, was said to have been involved in every aspect behind her now-hit digital single “Love At First Sight,” released last November and with an acoustic version dropped a few days back.
Last January, another act, Jacob Clemente, saw his album Naghihintay finally up in digital stores, bannered by his cult favorite title track.
More songs are coming in, being ripened for public consumption.
“Our artists are always at the center of what we do,” he pointed out. “Off The Record isn’t a business, it’s a family.”
Named by JB Music as an Icon of OPM, Boss Ricky made sure his label zeroes in on three Ds to empower artists: discovery, development, and distribution. Innovation has been his friend ever since, having helped popularize genres like bossa nova, hip hop, alternative rock, and new wave to locals. He gambled on The Dawn and their song “Enveloped Ideas.” He is attributed for launching Sitti, Nina, Juan Karlos, and the late great Francis M.
Noted event manager Teddy Dario recalled, “He’s a visionary. He’s instrumental in helping us out with the success of True Faith at OctoArts-EMI.”
In my conversations with him, I likewise hear a man who thinks ahead. Long before K-pop became a byword among Filipino fans, he already expressed his view of its bright future. The maverick once again thought out of the box.
Off The Record may be reached via @OffTheRecordPH or hello@offtherecord.ph.