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Stephen Johnston grew up with constant reminders of his father’s college dream to become a musician, so when the opportunity resurfaced for his dad to perform — at the age of 53 — he jumped at the chance to launch an independent record label.

Stephen Johnston grew up with constant reminders of his father’s college dream to become a musician, so when the opportunity resurfaced for his dad to perform — at the age of 53 — he jumped at the chance to launch an independent record label.

“I was considering going to law school after college, but once you have an idea and you make something of it, I think you have to commit to it,” Johnston, 21, said. “It’s pretty cool to have my dad working for me. He’s been successful in his career, making a business of his own, so I want to really succeed in this.”

In December 2009, Johnston and his father, Thomas Johnston, were helping out at a holiday music show hosted by the Readington Community Theatre when his cousin, Deirdre Forres, 23, asked if she could perform some songs.

“I had never heard her sing before, but you could tell the crowd was amazed by her untrained voice,” Johnston said. “When she asked my dad if he wanted to form a duo, it resurrected his dream. And since I’m pursuing an entrepreneurial studies degree, I thought, this is my chance to run a business.”

Signed under Stephen Johnston’s Tabhair Records & Music Publishing LLC label, the duo — called Beannacht — performed in 67 shows around the state last year, produced its first album and sold more than 500 copies, had its songs played on 300 radio stations
across the country and was named one of the top music makers of 2011 by The Irish Voice.

Johnston said he hopes to complete a business plan for the company by the fall and apply for a $5,000 loan through Rider University’s Student Venture Fund to invest in signing more independent artists, building a recording studio and sending Beannacht to performances outside the state. In the meantime, the group has lined up nearly 40 shows for the summer, and plans to record its second album in June — exactly one year after Johnston founded the label.

To produce a second album, the group will use the same donated local studio and volunteer photographer from the first album, which will save Johnston’s company a couple thousand dollars, he said. On May 1, after listening to Beannacht’s music, Irish entertainment promoter Anita Daly, of New York-based Daly Communications LLC, agreed to help the group increase its album sales and land more radio airtime and song placements on television shows and commercials.

“We haven’t had any big profits yet, but we’ve been profitable since day one,” Johnston said. “Artists like Ingrid Michaelson, who signed to independent labels, now have a degree of popularity with a majority of listeners, and they’re getting more song placements to reach national audiences. The trend is just catching on, and it’s come at a great time for us.”

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