Celebrating 10 Years of Mansions & Millions

An award-winning independent label rooted in community, Mansions & Millions, headed up by Anton Teichmann, has been sharing music from indie and pop artists for a decade. In a Berlin scene dominated by house and techno, ten years for an alternative-pop outfit is very much worth celebrating. Releasing and supporting artists like Andreya Casablanca, Discovery Zone and Better Person over the years, Anton also shares his “fascinatingly strange” music tastes on a monthly Refuge Worldwide radio show, inviting guests from the label to join him. DENA, World Brain, Luis Ake, J Vague, Nalan (aka Slimgirl Fat), Magic Island, Martha Rose, and John Moods, (who has a new double single out this month - listen to it here!) have all contributed episodes to the radio series.

Before they mark ten years in the game with a mini-festival (at Lark/Fitzroy on 30 May), we caught up with Anton to chat about Mansions & Millions’ journey so far—how things started, visibility challenges, and how to operate as an independent indie label in a techno-dominated city.

How would you describe Mansions & Millions as a label?

I really like the idea of a label being more than just a place that puts out music, one that creates an environment for people to make and collaborate. I grew up with that. That’s why I did my first internship, and then I worked for another label in Berlin called Morr Music. Eventually, I decided I didn’t just want to work for others — I wanted to start my own. That’s when it got more real. Around that time, I met a group of people in Neukölln who made exciting music, but didn’t have much professional support. So I stepped in — those were our first releases. From that, a local scene started to grow, aligned with what I always liked about labels. That’s something we’ve tried to build.

A big part of the label is the sense of community. All the artists know each other, hang out, collaborate, play shows, and go on tour together. The social aspect is really important to me. It’s a community. I know most of the artists personally, and I only release music by people I genuinely like. It’s not just about online finds—it comes from a very personal space. 

Why indie? How has your experience been navigating the electronic-dominated music scene in Berlin, and how has that influenced your approach? 

I like electronic music — I’m into it — but I felt Berlin didn’t need another electronic label. I wanted to highlight a side of Berlin that’s less visible, especially internationally. It’s not the city people associate with this kind of music.

The scene started forming around artists like Sean Nicholas Savage and Molly Nilsson. They had a very specific lo-fi pop sound.

It was pop, but very strange, and I found that fascinating.

I’ve never been drawn to mainstream pop — I’m more interested in weird music. But I still liked the idea of working with pop sounds and exploring what pop music could mean over time. Genres and subcultures used to have strict boundaries — if you were into one thing, you couldn’t listen to another. But even ten years ago, that was breaking down. I think our label reflects that — there’s no single genre or sound, but a shared idea of what pop can be, beyond what you hear on the radio.

Can you tell me why you prefer an international approach and why this is especially important for non-electronic talents in Berlin? 

We only work with people who share our approach to music – it's about spreading the sounds. The music tends to work better in other places. If you only focus here, the artists wouldn’t really have a career. The music works especially well in bigger cities, so our artists play more in places like London, Paris, Warsaw, and Amsterdam. Ideally, we’d love to reach beyond that, but it’s financially tough to play on different continents. Whenever possible, we try to make it happen. Most of the artists I work with aren't from here, so they bring different influences that aren't typically heard on German radio.

It’s about finding these unique and interesting sounds from lesser-known talents and helping them find their audience.

Meagre Martin playing SXSW 2024

There’s a unique freedom in being an independent label, with that also comes many challenges. What do you love most/find most challenging about being independent?

Mansions and Millions started as a total DIY operation. Even though I worked for other labels and they helped me set it up, I still had no idea how it worked because I had never done it all by myself.Now I have a friend helping, but the label is really just me. It’s a lot of work. I had no idea how to run a business. I could’ve done things differently if I had a business mindset. I had some small savings from other jobs, and that’s how I financed the label. Somehow, it worked out.

When I started, Spotify wasn’t big, and people weren’t really buying vinyl or MP3s—they weren’t paying for music at all. Then Spotify came along, and at least there was some income from music consumption. It’s still not a lot, but it’s better than when I started. When I started, people were selling CDs, which were cheap to make, and that was probably the golden age for some. So, that's a positive: vinyl and streaming have brought some income. But it’s still really hard. The label isn’t as big as I’d like, and the acts aren’t as successful as I’d hoped. But I always do things the way I want to, and the artists I work with share that mindset.

We do things the way we do because we want to, not because someone tells us that’s the way to succeed. That’s the specialty, I guess—the magic of being independent.

I can sleep well knowing I’m doing what I love, though it’s still tough financially, both for me and the artists. There's not a lot of money in this. Always the old question: doing what you love, but also trying to make a living from it.

What are your thoughts on the music industry today?

The amount of work and time I put in, compared to the money we all make, is nowhere near where it should be. I wish the music industry and our economic system were more favourable to independent artists and structures, but they’re not. I’m not sure it’s going to change soon. I wish the effort everyone puts in, especially those involved with the label, were rewarded more. But that’s something that applies to a lot of places in the world. I’m complaining on a very high level, but it’s a valid point.

It is hard for any new music without huge financial backing to get noticed. The competition is high, and there are all these statistics about how much music is released every week. You have to cut through the noise. Especially with music that isn’t immediately appealing or hooky.

It is all about the algorithm now, and we don’t even know how it works. We’re just rolling the dice every time we release something. It’s easier if you have a lot of money to invest or if the music is more universally appealing. For niche music, it’s still really hard, despite what people say. There’s always been a challenge, and I knew that going into it. If I want to work the way I intend to, it won’t be easy. The odds are stacked against everyone working independently in the music industry.

How can the community better support independent labels and artists?

The financial limitations apply to the audience, too. Everyone’s struggling, so I don’t expect people to pay for everything, but I wish there was more understanding of who they’re supporting when they have the budget. I’d prefer if people spent more on local or independent artists than on a 300-euro ticket for someone like Taylor Swift. The amount of money people spend on the already-rich is a problem. I wish people would invest more into independent artists and structures, whether it’s buying merch, supporting on Bandcamp, or pre-buying tickets. Pre-sales are really important; they make planning easier since you never know how many people will show up.

Word of mouth is also crucial. Just telling your friends about new music. That’s been really important in some of the success our artists have had. People recommend the music to friends, tell them about shows, or even give it as a gift. I think that’s key. You can’t put a price tag on that. I discovered some of the artists I work with because people I trust told me about them. You can’t measure that with statistics, but it’s really important. I think that’s one of the easiest ways to help an artist: don’t gatekeep your taste, just share it with others – it’s mutual aid. This way, you find out about all the good stuff hidden between the tens of thousands of tracks released every week. I think word of mouth, even though it’s hard to measure, is one of the best ways to gather a group of people who resonate with you.

What are some future releases and collaboration things you're excited for?

I’m putting out a new label compilation in a few weeks. I do these mixtapes every few years, and this will be the sixth one. It’s all about label artists covering other label artists. I’m really excited about that – the artists are covering each other’s songs. It’s all covers, where artists from the label cover other artists on the label. 

Sean Nicholas Savage’s next album is also exciting. He’s a great friend of mine and a huge inspiration for our artists and the label. Having him on the label feels like a full-circle moment since he’s supported many of our artists and has been there from the beginning. It just makes perfect sense to release his music.

I’m also releasing something this week—a collaboration between John Moods and one of the members of Meagre Martin (aka tuftyhead), another band I work with. They got into the studio together and recorded two singles—’Two Modern Rock Ballads á 3:48’. That’s the kind of thing I love when it happens. I get an email saying, “We recorded these two songs, do you want to put them out?” There’s also another collaboration album like this between two artists on the label

There’s also new music coming out by Nalan and Martha Rose later this year, and I also have a new signing—an ambient pop artist from Warsaw that I really like. They’re going to play at the May 30th event.

John Moods & Anton, 2020

Speaking of which, congratulations on celebrating 10 years! Can you spill the beans on the upcoming mini-festival anniversary party at Lark/Fitzroy?

There will be ten live performances, mostly by bands and acts from the label, but not entirely. There will also be some friends and old collaborators, and features all kinds of genres—a great overview of this very particular part of the Berlin music scene. If you come, you’ll get a really good feel for what’s happening in that part of pop music in Berlin. That’s how I’ve curated the night—focusing on artists we’ve worked with for a long time, but also featuring newer artists and various genres.

It’s taking place in two venues we’ve used a lot over the years, Fitzroy and Lark. Both rooms will be open, and people can move between them. I like to do this ping-pong thing, where one act plays at Lark, then the next one plays at Fitzroy, and so on, creating a mini-festival vibe.

See you 30 May!

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Join M&M for their birthday party on 30 May, with World Brain, Meagre Martin, Andrea Casablanca, and Anton’s favourite live band in Berlin—The Zenmenn, plus much more. Tickets here.

Photos courtesy of Anton Teichmann.