“This was built into the plan for the company from the beginning,” says Jake “Jay.Greens” Leventhal, one of Perception’s founding members and head of A&R. “Obviously, with a record label, there’s this level of exclusivity built into what we do when it comes to signing artists and giving out record deals. We, from the beginning, wanted to find a way to balance that out with something that is more open to the community and provide opportunities to artists who are earlier in their careers and not quite ready for a full-scope record deal.”
The Label Services Program, as it’s being called, is organized into two categories — media services available in Denver and recording services out in L.A. — that cover everything from photo shoots for press shots to full-blown recording and production work.
“A lot of what we've seen is when you’re launching a new product or developing a new younger artist or brand, they haven’t necessarily had the opportunity or resources to lay the groundwork to build an effective brand to then arm a label to run an effective campaign,” Leventhal, 27, explains. “In our mind, from the beginning, label services, content creation, media services is a way that we can connect with the broader local music community in Denver, in particular, and help provide some of the resources we provide our signed roster artists.”

New Denver trio Nitecap poses for the camera. Now, any artist can get band pics at Perception Records.
Courtesy Perception Records
That’s to say that no matter where an artist is in their creative career, Perception Records — the home to such artists as Chad Tepper, Matisyahu, Gordo Flea, CJ, Nitecap and Halle Tomlinson — is there to help them level up and move forward.
“We want to be a comprehensive, one-stop shop where an artist can come get their track mixed and mastered, get press shots, short-form content for social media, all the way up to full-length music videos, concert recaps, everything that I and the team can think of based on my eleven years of building this brand and my brand in the music industry and as a producer,” he continues.
Learn more about what Perception Records can do for you during a free launch party on Wednesday, December 11, at the RiNo spot.
“The open house is just going to be a great opportunity to meet the team, to network with a lot of industry professionals,” Leventhal shares. “As we all know in the music industry, the relationships are the most important part. What we really want is to open the door to the Denver community to come be a part of Perception Records, even if they’re not quite ready for a record deal.”
Before laying the groundwork for Perception Records four years ago, Leventhal came up as a multi-instrumentalist, MC, talent buyer and producer in Denver and Boulder, playing his first show as a sixteen-year-old at the Meadowlark. So he knows what it’s like to be out there grinding and learning as you go. That’s why he wants to make it easier for musicians through this program.
“A lot of the inspiration for this, for me, came from growing up in Denver as a young musician. I found this amazing live-music scene in Denver, and what I felt like it didn’t have is a lot of direction, infrastructure or resources to really effectively develop a brand,” he explains. “I also didn’t know what that even meant or how to develop a brand as a young artist. The goal here with this it to help the next generation build the groundwork for their careers in a way that doesn’t lock them into a record deal and require them to make such a major commitment but still being able to work with industry experts and a team of people that’s experienced with that kind of stuff.”
After moving to LA a year ago, Leventhal expanded Perception Records with the studio and plans to “bridge the gap,” as he sees it, between the two hubs.
“Denver has this robust live-music scene and this community of people that goes to shows and plays shows, and a lot of great venues that are putting on amazing, amazing events all the time,” he says, adding that L.A. is a little different in that sense.
“It’s an industry town. The infrastructure here can’t be denied. This is where the system was built,” he continues. “Our goal with the expansion is we see these two sort of yin-and-yang markets that are almost a contrast to each other. L.A, in my opinion, lacks a lot of what Denver has. It lacks this live-music community and prowess.”
The Perception team now includes eight full-time employees and a long list of industry creators to work with, and the scope is only going to grow, according to Leventhal.
"I feel like I saw firsthand just how difficult it can be to break through that ceiling in Denver,” he concludes. “I just really want to be able to pass along the lessons, knowledge and experiences I gained through this process.”
Perception Records Media Services Open House, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 11, 3410 Blake Street. Free, but RSVP is recommended.