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January 04, 2026
Musica

Conch Town Records

By Rob Smith-Martin

Conch Town Records

There is more music happening in Key West today than at any point in the history of the island. Jazz, reggae, classic country, rebel country, pop country, blues, funk, folk, roots, old time, show tunes, classic rock, acid rock, yacht rock, hard rock: every night of the week there are a dozen venues playing live music by local working musicians. Most of these musicians are recording and producing albums in their spare time, and we are always intrigued by the life and commerce of working artists, and the people who help these artists get organized to produce and distribute their music in a manner that achieves their personal goals. OKW sat down with the CEO of Conch Town Records, Mat Smith, to learn about the current state of the music biz in Key West.

OKW:

Hi, Mat. We’ve been seeing Conch Town Records pop-up across social media recently and we’re big fans of Tony Baltimore, and he mentioned that you guys are collaborating on a multiple album deal, so you were kind of on our radar, but then–I guess it was about a year ago–we were sent a YouTube link to the new-at-the-time Astro Yeti video “Long Road,” and… wow! What a killer shoe string budget video, and a great jam song.

Conch Town:

Oh… the one with the puppets? Yes, that’s quite a popular video.

OKW:

So who’s producing these clever videos?

Conch Town:

Well, I’m not producing these videos. When it comes to creative people, I get out of their way and let them do their thing. I just make sure they are compatible and easy to work with. Turner Harrison is amazing.  He produces all the videos for Astro Yeti, and he’s in the band, and he does a bunch of other stuff. Some of our artists have also worked with Marky Pierson. Marky is incredible as well.

OKW:

So who are the artists currently signed to your label? We saw you have Yuly from Havana, Cuba.

 

Conch Town:

Yes, Yuly and Havana C are old friends that I met in Havana fifteen or so years ago. I was down there, and we became friends, and she’s really into producing videos, so after launching Conch Town I reached out to her and we’ve been working together.  Most of our acts are friends we’ve met along the way.  We have artists from Mexico and a handful from the U.K., but our prime focus is working musicians in Key West.

OKW:

So, who are you representing in Key West?

Conch Town:

We currently represent Tony Baltimore, Astro Yeti, Gary Hempsey, and Parker Lee who is currently lead singer with Molly Hatchet. We also work with Lia Hide, who is in Greece, and Tim Mayer who lives between Key West and Mexico.

OKW:

Your lineup includes some of the hardest working entertainers on the island.  I think a couple of them are playing more than ten gigs a week in Key West. So, the big question we ask all of our artist friends is how do you make money in the music business today?

Conch Town:

It’s very very tough.  You have to gig and play live concerts, you typically have to sell some merchandise, and you have to record and get your songs distributed to earn royalties.  Which, by the way, we also manage a distribution and royalties business that is thriving.

OKW:

What’s on tap this year? New bands, new albums, summer tours?

Conch Town:

We don’t get involved with touring.  It’s too complicated, so we direct our artists to manage their own tours. We may bring on new artists if there is compatibility. Tony Baltimore is heading to Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville this Spring to record a new album, so we are excited for that and looking forward to spending some time in the mountains.  It’s going to be a really good project and fresh new album, and Gary Hempsey is heading to LA to record his new album. Astro Yeti has a new album coming out.

OKW:

Key West has become a launchpad for hundreds of musicians to realize their dreams of becoming professional musicians.  We’re glad someone has stepped in with the business acumen to help these artists organize and focus their talents toward a sustained standard of living. We will stay tuned to news from Conch Town Records. Thanks for spending some

time with OKW, and our best to all the hard working artists on the island. We’ll see you out on the town.

Rob Smith-Martin
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