What's Left Records: A reminder to value passion and equity
(Bryan Ostrow/https://whatsleftrec.com/)
Bryan Ostrow, co-owner of What's Left Records, a record store in Colorado Springs, began his business venture nearly four years ago.
“We opened in 2020 in a much smaller location. My brother and I, we both were show promoters, and we were bartenders at a bar called the Triple Nickel,” Ostrow said. “And when COVID happened, we were out of a job, so we just took our unemployment money and invested it into giving ourselves a job to where we could still provide music for people.”
Eventually, What's Left Records relocated and expanded.
“We started that with the goal that one day, we would have a spot big enough to also do shows,” Ostrow said. “We relocated last year in September of 2023 into this spot. So, we also have a show space.”
In addition to hosting live music, Ostrow keeps the community at the forefront of What's Left Records.
“It's a DIY show space where we do a lot of punk, metal, hip-hop shows — a little bit of everything. And community is a big part of that. We want all-ages shows. A place for people to come instead of buying alcohol at a show. They are buying records, music and stuff like that,” Ostrow explained.
He makes his venue accessible to everyone. In addition, What's Left Records has a donation box. Visitors may donate to What's Left Records, and Ostrow uses this money to give away tickets or supply those who cannot afford entry with tickets.
And like The Black Sheep, What's Left Records also has partnerships.
“We all work together. Rosanna at the Black Sheep prints our flyers and stuff for us, and that helps us out a lot. Then, we'll hang all of their flyers here. It's the ebb and flow of working together,” Ostrow said.
Besides Ostrow's partnership with The Black Sheep, he collaborates with Vultures.
“We'll try to do some drink specials over at Vultures after a show that we have here to get people going to both places,” Ostrow noted.
Ostrow values his partners.
“I feel like working together is always the way to go. It's always important. You can do a lot better of a job doing things together than a competition,” Ostrow said. “But as far as collaboration goes, The Black Sheep and Vultures are right across the street from us, and they are our really good friends. And we work with them and work for them.”
After attending a show at What's Left Records, you’ll understand how special the dynamic is. You can watch a live show and browse merchandise (e.g., CDs, vinyl, shirts, etc.).
It's fair to say Ostrow knows his music. He is a member of three bands: Upon A Field's Whisper, Night Of The Living Shred and 908. His experience as a musician is partly what inspired his DIY mindset.
“I feel like a huge thing for me — a lot of people are different from this — but I'm very much involved in the DIY aspect of music. We, here at the record shop, also run a record label. We put out our own records. We distribute our own records. It's all in our hands,” Ostrow said.
Fun fact: Ostrow is also familiar with touring.
“We play locally, but we also tour nationally. One of my other bands did Europe; we've done Europe three times and Japan once,” Ostrow reminisced.
And for those curious about what touring is like, Ostrow shared his experience.
“It's not what you think it's like. It's not backstage parties and what you see in the movies. It's a couple of sweaty, grumpy guys driving for like nine hours, eating gas station food, and drinking some beers to stay awake before you play,” Ostrow laughed. “But not too many beers because you still have to play.”
For Ostrow, being a musician isn't necessarily about fame. It's deeply rooted in passion.
“It's about sharing a good positive message and making people have a good time,” Ostrow said.
The Black Sheep and What's Left Records highlight the importance and value of community.
But what about larger-scale venues? Chloe Hoeft from VENU expanded on the significance of Ford Amphitheater, a new venue in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and discussed what it takes to promote concerts and artists that perform there.
Want to hear about Bryan Ostrow's favorite albums of all time? Click here to find out!
Curious about what an mockup advertising campaign for What's Left Records would look like? Check it out here.
Keep reading to find out more.