Making Stuff Up: How Rhymesayers’ Alex Everson Turns Music Into Collectible Vinyl & Merch
For over 30 years, A to Z Media has worked with record labels and artists to help create physical media that fans love. Our new series, Making Stuff Up, showcases the artists, designers, label managers, and creative partners who inspire us by pushing the boundaries of what vinyl records and merchandise can be.
For our first feature, we sat down with Alex Everson of Rhymesayers Entertainment, the label behind legendary hip-hop artists like Atmosphere and Aesop Rock, to talk about what makes a physical release collectible. From storytelling and immersive vinyl packaging design to hidden easter eggs and unique merch, Alex and his team continually raise the bar for how music connects with fans in the real world.
We’ve been lucky to collaborate with Rhymesayers on many projects over the years, including Aesop Rock’s Integrated Tech Solutions, a release that redefined what a vinyl package could be. With flashing lights, circuit boards, secret tracks, and embroidered lab coats, it blurred the line between album and art object. Our role at A to Z was helping transform the team’s vision into a high-quality, collectible vinyl package (and merch) that fans will treasure for years.
If you’re an artist, indie label, or creative collective looking for custom vinyl pressing, custom merch, or unique vinyl record packaging examples that stand out as much as the music itself, Alex’s insights offer a masterclass in how to make physical releases unforgettable.
How would you describe your role?
“It is to help figure out how to turn music into a visual campaign. The way I work with every artist is different, and the way I work with every album is different. Sometimes I only play a small role because the vision is already mostly there, and my goal just becomes, “how do I elevate what is already here?”. Other times, we start with just having the music and building ideas from the ground up based on what was created. On the more technical side, the areas in which my role is more specifically focused are on album artwork, packaging development & merchandise development. Production was a larger role till recently, something I am learning to let go of, and I play a smaller role in creative marketing.”
What makes a physical release collectible?
“The best way to sum it up is that a physical release needs to have layers and depth. The deeper the dive, the more artists have created a collectible. It’s not always in the obvious ways. I think the most important part takes place before it even hits people’s hands, which is also the one thing that is probably missed by most – storytelling. If you really put thought, time, and intention into the music, artwork, and a package, people should know the why, what, and where of its origins. Bring them into the process. Building out the story of how it came to be builds anticipation, understanding, and helps fans feel connected to the experience before they even receive it.
Then there is the more obvious, which is the quality of the artwork and the artists involved. It’s in how the user experiences the artwork, how it unfolds, pulls apart, and tells a visual story of its own. Then it becomes what is unique about it. Did you create something that has never been done before? That is always one of my goals, or at least trying something we as a label have never tried before. Is there even more beyond the obvious? Easter eggs are always fun to hide in packages, and we have done a lot that people may never figure out or know about. And every fan wants to feel closer and more connected to the people who make the music. Words directly from the artist, putting details about their life, creative process, moment in time, and handwritten lyrics, always help create something more intimate. Secret tracks, locking grooves, a piece of exclusive music, or a message the customer has to find, these are all things that create a deep dive.”
What’s a recent physical release you worked on that really stood out, and why?
“Aesop Rock’s Integrated Tech Solutions. Aesop is someone who is consistently creating and pushing boundaries in his music. For the last handful of Aesop’s releases, we have worked with the visual artist Justin “Coro” Kaufman. Coro creates the most intricate and off-the-wall artwork you could think of. He’s a madman in the best way, with endless creative ideas. Aesop really looks at the full scope of the creative process when building out an album.
I.T.S. started with the concept of a fake company that sounds like they do everything, but also nothing at all, or “what exactly is this I am a part of?”. A play off what I think of as a mix of faux wellness influencers, tech bros, and cult like spiritual institutions with a dash of the old school science lab. This is the one campaign I can say, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen physical goods go above and beyond it. It started with the very blunt idea of “how do we integrate tech into this package?”. Simple ideas like the greeting cards that play sounds when you open them, to a couple of lights, to a small circuit board, to a large circuit board, blinking and flashing lights, frosted windows, touch nodes, a USB port, and a piece of music that only exists in this package when activated. Not only was that package special, but so was the rest of the physical product that was released with it. We did signed onboarding certificates, welcoming our new members to the experience.
Our merch drop was a play on all the odd ball company onboarding apparel & materials, which included staff shirts, coffee cups, lanyards, stress balls, notebooks, pen and pocket protectors, and even embroidered lab coats. All of this contributes to the fans having a truly connected and immersive experience beyond the music. Working closely with Scott at A to Z on how to actually build that thing was also one of my favorite experiences with you.”
What’s been your favorite label-related moment or experience?
“It just happened the other week. Since COVID we have been working remotely, and now we have employees all over the country. There were many new team members from the last year or two whom I had never met in person. We recently had everyone come together to workshop the upcoming year, and it was a really special feeling to have everyone together for the first time. On top of that, it is our 30th year as a company and an important work anniversary for myself, as I just hit 15 years since I started, which marks being there as long as I haven’t. The week ended with our flagship artist, Atmosphere, who started and helped build the label, headlining the Minnesota State Fair. The State Fair is a big deal here that brings in millions of people over 12-days and this being Atmosphere and Rhymesayers home town felt like an important moment. At the closing of their set, they invited everyone that was watching side stage to come out in front of the 12,000+ screaming fans. All of the things above, compiling to that moment, really felt like life coming together full circle.”
What band or artist would you love to see reunite?
“I have to say two:
Rage Against the Machine. I saw them at Lollapalooza when I was younger. I thought I might die as I was in the front row, swimming in people, but I wasn’t mad if that’s the way I gotta go. Even though I am a true hip-hop head, if you asked me to pick 1 band that encapsulates the word “music”, it would be them. It’s rap, rock, punk, funk all wrapped up into what feels like that screaming voice that has existed in all of us throughout time haha. It’s got more energy than anything I have ever heard, it’s anti-establishment, anti-capitalism, and everything my F the government, anti-society, Fight Club loving ass ever fed off of as a kid (and still do).
I also have to put System of a Down on that list. Their music is so authentically odd and out there. A lot of bands you see changing their sound to clearly appease a certain audience or the industry. Their music always seemed timeless in the way that it was never presenting or appeasing anyone. In both these groups, you can see some connective tissue; it’s music with a message and one that’s bigger than themselves. Selflessness is rare. I also just got done reading Down with the System by Serj Tankian, which made me really revisit all their music, and I highly recommend reading it.”