Pittsburgh, PA – Indie metal and rock label DI Records has announced music industry veteran Lance Waste as its new VP of Operations. The role will take effect Jan 1st. This marks the second label position in as many years for Waste, who co-ran Ohio’s Punkerton Records as Director of A&R for part of 2021 into 2022. “It was important to me to find the right situation,” explains Waste. “DI Records was attractive because they already have a well-organized, enthusiastic staff, and a phenomenal roster of artists, with plenty more exciting announcements to come.”
Along with the appointment of Waste, DI Records President Dakota Horbaczek has tapped longtime staffer Emmy Susani as VP of A&R. The duo replaces outgoing VP Alonna Weaver, who previously handled both positions. “I’m very excited to work with Emmy and Dakota,” says Waste. “Their shared knowledge and enthusiasm on the artist side of the label can’t be matched. I’m hyped to come in and help find some profitable partnerships and income streams for the label!”
No stranger to the business side of the industry, Waste founded his own punk label in the early 2000s, releasing more than a dozen albums independently before selling the label to an overseas distributor. He then founded The FocoTheory Agency, an artist management firm that he ran for several years, before selling it to a larger firm as well. Since 2015, he has run The Heart Riot Agency, a PR firm, where he has acted as lead publicist. The Heart Riot Agency recently acquired a marketing company and has plans to rebrand in 2023 as Get Hyped, with Waste serving as Director of PR & Media.
DI Records, whose roster includes Reality Suite, The End Of Melancholy, and Waste’s own band Darling Waste, is a digital independent record label founded by Dakota Horbaczek in 2019, based in Pittsburgh, PA. The label started out as a Facebook page called, ‘PA Local Bands’ in 2017. The label emphasizes mental health and believes that through music, not only can lives be saved, but the soul of the person, as well. Each artist on the roster is dedicated to making the world a better place with their music. The label offers digital distribution to over 200 online stores and has recently joined the Misra Records Label group.
