In an increasingly difficult-to-survive-in live music capital, three music industry veterans have launched TODO Records, a label for artists in the early stages of their career who lack proper attention, not talent.
Beloved longtime Texan music photographer Pooneh Ghana; Meesh Halliday, agent and founder of Bolt Photography Agency; and Simon Halliday, former head of indie all-star labels 4AD and Warp – where artists like Big Thief and the Breeders are signed – announced the label last week. With shorter-than-typical contracts and an open inbox for artists to submit demos, TODO will represent mostly unsigned and underrepresented musicians.
“In the last two years, Austin [has been] going through another musical renaissance,” Ghana told the Chronicle about what inspired the label. “There’s so much good music coming out of here. When we got the idea [for the label], I compiled a list of my favorite bands and we reached out to them.”
TODO aims to be a “feeder label.” By signing one-album deals with artists at the very brink of their careers, or those who have long been performing at Austin venues and are yet to break out, the company intends to serve as a temporary platform for artists building a name for themselves. This way, signed artists are only obligated to release one album with TODO before moving on to a larger “destination” label.
“We’re genuinely trying to be a stepping stone,” Meesh said. “Rather than having aspirations of being a traditional label where we collect artists’ copyrights and keep them there, we’ll help them with one album, give them their copyrights after five years, and then whatever they do next, we’re not the end goal.”
TODO got off the ground once Simon left 4AD with a desire to start a smaller, independent label for newer artists. Meesh and Simon, who are married and based in London and New York, knew they wanted to work with both friend and collaborator Ghana, who has deep ties to the thriving Austin scene.
Ghana has been bound to Austin’s music community since she was a teenager, driving up from San Antonio to attend shows and shoot behind-the-scenes concert Polaroids in the early 2000s. Now, her résumé includes documenting local acts like Being Dead and Annabelle Chairlegs, touring with major popstars Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan, and even launching her own concert series, Pooneh Presents at Radio/East. Ghana has been working with Meesh for over 17 years, and is officially represented by Bolt.
“I think our taste has gotten us a long way in the industry,” Ghana said. “With the bands that I’ve shot, that Simon has signed, and that Meesh has signed onto her agency – we’re collectively bringing that experience together to create this.”
Perhaps the most exciting part of TODO’s inception is its seven-act roster, which includes local acts like Annabelle Chairlegs and Porcelain as well as out-of-towners David Franklin Courtright, Grace InSpace, Jamie Lidell, Native Sun, and the Narcotix.
One of the label’s first spots went to post-hardcore quartet Porcelain, who released their latest single “Harmony” on TODO last week. The track is part of an upcoming 7-inch set to drop on July 9.
“It’s more of a project by project basis [with TODO] but that alone, the flexibility of it all, is exciting. They really are just looking to help us move forward in any way that they can, in a far more equitable way contractually than we’d probably be able to find most anywhere else,” lead vocalist Steve Pike said. “There now seems to be a bit of a growing void in the music industry where there once existed plenty of independent and mid-major labels willing to be that resource for emerging artists. Hopefully, TODO and others like it can once again fill that void.”
TODO keeps the doors open for all demos sent its way. Since the announcement of the label last week, most demos being submitted are from unsigned local Austin acts.
“Being more involved directly with the artist at the beginning of their journey seems more exciting than later in their careers currently,” Simon said.
“Especially as an Austinite, you see so many bands get stuck in the rut of not being able to break out of the city,” Ghana said. “It’s like with my photography, I shot bands that I wanted people to listen to. It’s a similar energy to starting the label, because everyone we’re signing, we stand behind their music 100%.”
This article appears in June 6 • 2025.