Let’s give a warm welcome to Cherry Pop Records, UCLA’s first student-run record label aimed at recording, promoting and distributing records within the UCLA student body and beyond. Cherry Pop Records began in October 2022 as a senior capstone project brought to life by Aliah Gaoteote, a fourth-year music history and industry major at UCLA. Gaoteote’s vision was to give students hands-on experience in the music industry by having them work with local artists to produce and promote their music. UCLA’s School of Music has seen an increase in students looking to study music production, with the school’s music industry department rapidly expanding to accommodate the demand.
“UCLA didn’t have a student-run record label, which was really surprising to me since we have a very rich music scene here in Westwood, and there are always new bands emerging each year and house shows going on all the time,” Gaoteote explained. “I started Cherry Pop all by myself and drafted the original constitution and bylaws on my own. I got some friends together to help me get the word out by passing out tons of flyers on Bruin Walk, and I hired my team of department managers who really helped me bring my vision to fruition, and the rest is history.”
Cherry Pop’s structure allows staff members to work closely in an artist team to promote and support a host of signed artists, including the likes of Katrina Weissman, Infrared, The Band Called Sex, Lot 3 and Club Kona. Each team is given a budget to market the artists’ single they release with Cherry Pop and fund any other additional support they may need. The label also partakes in a variety of other pursuits, including recording radio shows on UCLA Radio, writing blog posts for an upcoming blog and putting together events such as house shows, music industry panels or open mics.
The label hosted its debut show “The Cherry Pit” during winter quarter, promoting a few of its signed artists. They have also hosted two open mics, one sponsored by Guayaki and Warner Music U and one sponsored by Celsius. In April, the label hosted a show called “Co-opChella” in cooperation with the Co-op, a student housing association, featuring eight bands and a host of Westwood vendors. Recently, they hosted “The Show Called Sex” in collaboration with Sexperts, headlining one of its signed artists, The Band Called Sex.
Beyond its many successful events, Cherry Pop will be releasing its first album, Cherry Pop Vol. 1, on May 26th. The album is a compilation of four tracks from signed artists Infrared, The Band Called Sex, Lot 3 and Katrina Weissman. The track “Bad Faith” by Infrared released May 18th as a preview of whats to come on the album.
“We’ve been working really hard to put this all together, and we’re super excited for everyone to hear it,” Gaoteote said. “We wanted to really build community through the events that we host, which so far has been a massive success.”
Gaoteote and her staff have put in dedicated work to bring together a community of music-industry loving students under a shared passion for music production and promotion. The label has gained traction within the music industry by establishing connections across Los Angeles, looking to establish itself as a force to contend with amongst industry professionals.
“I love being at our events and seeing people having a good time, and also seeing the friendships that have emerged within our staff members,” said Gaoteote. “I love that Cherry Pop has brought people together.”
The UCLA student body has eagerly embraced the label’s efforts to build community within the Westwood music scene. With the upcoming release of Cherry Pop’s debut album, Gaoteote has hopes that the label will continue to thrive and become a significant staple in the music business.
Pre-save Cherry Pop Vol. 1 here!