GABRIEL singer and songwriter Marc Atkinson, fellow York musician Dan Webster and publicist Jason Coulson are mounting a new independent record label in the city, Heavy Recordings.

The first release on June 7 will be a £9.99 compilation album, Natural Resonance, featuring seven of the best unsigned acoustic singer-songwriters in Yorkshire.

A series of showcase gigs will be held in the build-up to the album launch at Fibbers on June 7. The first one is tonight at Harkers, St Helen's Square, York, followed by one at The Junction, Leeman Road, on April 11.

All the acts on Natural Resonance will play this evening, namely Dave Keegan, Gina Dootson, Michelle Plumb, Marc Atkinson, Andrew Stones, Dan Webster and Jamie Fowler, and admission is £5.

Jason Coulson, of Heavy Recordings, says: "Every artist included on the Natural Resonance collection has been selected for one reason only: they are quite simply the best talent within their chosen field of music, be it pop, folk, indie or rock. "Market research indicates that the music industry seems content (at the moment) in flooding the younger markets with disposable, fast-food style, quick-selling singles, while the album-buying adults are left to think that well-groomed adult mainstream music just doesn't exist anymore.

"However, the truth is that good music is out there, just not in the main public market place."

Jason reckons that record companies are happy to chase after the very market that is damaging the industry with piracy and illegal down loads, while album-buying adults are being mostly overlooked by the industry as a consequence of a lack of single sales in that particular field.

"Heavy Recordings firmly believes that areas of the music industry reliant on fast turnover from single sales will be forced to look at new and expensive ways to protect their products from young fans who pirate their music.

"They will have no real alternative but to open their doors to the sort of bands and acts that appeal to the album buying adults."

Outlining the aim of Heavy Recordings, Jason says: "We want to build up trusting relationships with our artists and to deliver them to a larger adult market, with the view of laying down the very foundations, now, that will hold and support talented artists in the future when the market becomes a more balanced place."

Recording of the album is at the halfway stage. "Already there are some really good sounds on there," says Jason.

For more information on Heavy Recordings and Natural Resonance, write to jason@gabriel16.fsnet.co.uk or ring him on 07905 567905.

Updated: 09:43 Friday, March 14, 2003