Temporary Residence Limited

Operational Philosophy

Temporary Residence Limited structures artist relationships around creative collaboration rather than conventional recording contract economics. Founder Jeremy DeVine describes the label’s approach: “Our relationships are based purely on creative collaboration and compatible personalities. We don’t enter into a relationship with an artist expecting to end it at the first sign of a negative account balance.” This philosophy manifests in selective artist acquisition—the label explicitly states it does not accept unsolicited demos—and extended artist tenure, with many roster members releasing their entire discographies through the imprint.

The label characterizes itself as “a long-term collaborative art project that operates within an industry that requires it to be treated as one—begrudgingly so,” acknowledging that it will “never be accused of employing a sound or sustainable business strategy.” Operations involve a four-person team managing A&R, design, marketing, distribution coordination, and direct-to-consumer fulfillment. Selection criteria ignore genre boundaries in favor of emotional resonance: “Genre, musical styles and approaches are irrelevant. It just has to move us.”

Artist Partnership Experiences

Artists working with Temporary Residence describe relationships characterized by personal investment and creative trust. Eluvium’s Matthew Cooper recounts his partnership: “Working with him is like working with one of your best friends. It is exciting and adventurous and revealing and curious and deep and simply fun. We have a vocabulary that seems to gel nicely together and it creates an unusual understanding between us. He is one of my dearest friends.” Cooper’s initial contact involved mailing DeVine a demo CD, with the relationship developing organically over multiple reconnections before formal collaboration began.

Party Dozen, an Australian noise rock duo, chose Temporary Residence for international distribution while maintaining their own label Grupo for domestic releases, indicating artist-initiated partnerships based on specific distribution needs. William Basinski has released multiple albums and reissues through the label, including the critically acclaimed Disintegration Loops reissue that received a perfect 10.0 from Pitchfork and designation as Best Reissue of 2012. The label’s investment approach includes high-quality vinyl production with colored variants, original artwork commissions, and deluxe packaging that positions releases as collectible objects rather than commodity products.

Catalog Commercial Performance

The roster has achieved mainstream cultural penetration through strategic placements and sustained touring infrastructure. Explosions in the Sky reached #40 on the UK Official Albums Chart with their 2023 release End and #24 on the UK Independent Albums Chart, while earlier work All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone peaked at #2 on UK Independent Albums Charts. The band’s soundtrack work for Friday Night Lights and subsequent film/television placements expanded their audience beyond post-rock niche markets.

MONO’s Hymn to the Immortal Wind reached #40 on Billboard’s Top Independent Charts and received 8/10 from NME, establishing the Japanese post-rock band’s presence in Western markets. The group has performed in 35+ countries with their 25th anniversary orchestral tour spanning 20 concerts across Europe, Asia, and North America, culminating in the live album Forever Home: Live in Tokyo with Orchestra PITREZA. William Basinski’s ambient work has achieved canonical status within experimental music, supported by sold-out international performances and sustained critical attention.

Party Dozen’s Crime in Australia and Envy’s Eunoia represent successful recent signings that maintain the label’s curatorial identity while expanding genre boundaries beyond post-rock orthodoxy into noise rock and post-hardcore territories. Album packaging features original artwork and limited colored vinyl pressings that command premium pricing in physical markets.

Distribution and Release Infrastructure

Temporary Residence partners with Secretly Distribution, an independent distributor serving 40+ labels with offices in Bloomington (headquarters), New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, and London. This partnership provides global digital distribution across Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and streaming platforms alongside physical distribution through independent retail, chain stores, and specialty outlets. The label maintains direct-to-consumer sales through its official website, Bandcamp storefront, and vinyl subscription programs.

Physical media forms the label’s primary revenue model, with vinyl releases featuring high-production values including gatefold sleeves, insert materials, and specialty pressings. Digital distribution serves as promotional infrastructure rather than core income, with DeVine characterizing streaming as “a promotional tool for fans who wish to engage and support us in ways that are more sustainable such as physical media and downloads.” The label operates e-commerce fulfillment internally rather than outsourcing to third-party services, maintaining direct customer relationships and quality control over packaging and shipping.

Financial Sustainability Challenges

The label confronts structural economic pressures from multiple directions. Streaming revenue declined significantly from early-to-mid 2010s levels, with DeVine documenting approximately $30,000 in returns from 18 million Spotify plays in 2017—a per-stream rate of $0.0017. This prompted exploration of catalog removal from streaming platforms to test alternative revenue models, though releases remain available across digital services.

Vinyl production costs increased substantially following COVID-era supply chain disruptions and pressing plant capacity constraints. DeVine states: “The combination of COVID’s impact on supply chains and transport coupled with extraordinary delays and enormous price increases in production have honestly put us in a very difficult financial situation.” Industry-wide vinyl production costs escalated from typical indie ranges of $9-15 per unit to sustained elevated levels through 2024-2025, while retail price increases to $35-45 created consumer resistance that contributed to a 33% decline in vinyl unit sales across the market in 2024.

The label operated without profit for nearly its entire first decade and continues experiencing financial strain despite sustained release output. When asked about future plans in 2023, DeVine responded: “Take a break. It’s a very challenging time to do what we do, and the past three years have been the hardest of our existence. Hopefully the world will still be here when we return.” The small staff structure amplifies workload concentration, with four team members managing all label functions from A&R through fulfillment.

Design and Packaging Identity

Album artwork functions as core brand differentiation for Temporary Residence releases. DeVine emphasizes: “I never wanted records released on TRL to seem like just another piece of plastic.” The label collaborates with visual artists and designers to create original artwork for each release, often featuring gatefold packaging, colored vinyl variants, and accompanying materials such as posters or booklets. This design investment positions physical releases as collectible art objects that justify premium pricing.

The 2024 manufacturing partnership with Citizen Vinyl produced four releases with expedited turnaround times and quality standards that met the label’s specifications: Fantasy World by Lilacs & Champagne, Foxy by Sparkle Division, Selene by Akira Kosemura & Lawrence English, and With Strings by June McDoom. DeVine provided direct testimonial praising Citizen Vinyl’s production capabilities, indicating the label’s active engagement with pressing plant selection and quality assurance processes.

Limited edition releases feature numbered pressings, alternative color variants, and deluxe packaging that create scarcity value for collectors. William Basinski’s The Disintegration Loops reissue exemplifies this approach with a multi-disc box set format that became a reference point for ambient music reissues. The design philosophy extends beyond aesthetics to functional considerations such as vinyl weight, jacket materials, and insert paper stock that contribute to premium physical product positioning.