Andrew Rallo – Subway Records Written By Jeffrey Gangemi Photographed By Angelo Rivera
Cathy Grier and Andrew Rallo; Pres. Subway Records

Make no mistake about it. Andrew Rallo IS NOT ready to retire. He wasn't ready at 17 when he refused to move to sunny Florida with his mother, and he's not ready now, as he works tirelessly to achieve his dream - to make a success out of his fledgling record company, Subway Records. He's supremely devoted to making all 4.2 million daily subway riders take note of the musicians who perform their art below our city. And not only that, he's devoted to getting a percentage of us to buy those musicians' album.

A man who doesn't like to rely on handouts, Andrew Rallo is the guy who worked summers as a bartender, working all night to save money on rent, sleeping in his car when he could, and saving enough money to supplement the educational expenses that his mother provided. After graduating, he got a ride back to his hometown on Long Island. Only, he had no home to go back to. His mother had moved to Florida five years prior and Andrew had long since sold his car, so he did what he had to do. Although his mother had made it clear that he would always have a home in Florida, he knew that New York was where he needed to be. So he crashed on his friend's couch, and with his last 100 dollars, he bought a tuxedo and took up the not-so-glamorous profession of crashing weddings - eating for free and talking his way into piecemeal jobs, because, as he now reasons, "what else did I have?" It was through this profession that Andrew developed humility, as well as the most important skill in his current venture - networking. Not only did he meet the father of the bride, he met friends and occasionally even sponsors. And later, in a chance encounter on the subway, he met a woman who would introduce him to his first major record executive.

Cathy Grier	Lorenzo Laroc

Once a subway musician himself, Andrew's desire to build a business representing these misfits came through an epiphany he had on a subway platform; he was on his way to a job interview. Out of the usual buzz of the station, he heard a guitarist of uncommon talent playing an original tune. People began "coagulating like blood" around the musician, talking to each other, "doing things that New Yorkers don't normally do." He just stood and watched, transfixed, and he reports feeling his shoulders relax into a moment of clarity. He skipped his interview that day in 1998 and began making sacrifices and doing the hard work required to launch Subway Records four years later, in 2002.

He constantly refers to the talent "down there," the untapped resources, and the need to bring that energy that exists "underground" up above ground and to assemble it in one place. He bemoans the misconception that subway musicians are bums or beggars, and further claims that many are responsible citizens with families and homes, with websites to promote their music, and that they just need someone to work for them. Andrew believes that he is that someone. Over the past two years, he's sold about 20,000 albums, largely through the website -
www.subwayrecords.com.

Roger "G"

According to Andrew, no one else wants to do what he does - to correspond with scores of subway musicians every day and rely on them to show up for gigs on time. He says this with a grin of someone who has found his niche, explaining his approach with the seamless confidence of a man that's sitting on a truly groundbreaking idea, a man who is "trying to do something that has never been done before," and, most importantly, a man who believes he can, and will, do it. He's already elevated his artists into performances at Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall - with widespread acclaim.

The service he is offering to his artists is delivered in three tiers. First, he provides musicians with web-based exposure through listing and marketing of their music on his website, www.subwayrecords.com. Unlike other record labels, the Subway Records musician pays nothing for this service. Andrew adds a small fee on top of the musician's price, passing that small cost on to the consumer.

The second tier of service comes after he judges an artist's marketability. Trading favors for favors, Andrew borrows studio time for musicians he feels have the potential to sell up to fifty or sixty CD's. The musician takes it from there. After all, they are constantly performing, so their own marketing and promotion falls squarely on their own shoulders.

Roland Richard & Peter Johnson

The third tier of service comes further down the line, when the infrastructure has been developed to rate the artists and funnel a select few into the hands of upper-level record executives, who can then mould them into big sellers. Of course, there's a small finders fee for such a service, payable to Subway Records.

And still, the beauty of this process remains in its simplicity. All subway musicians are subject to the same test. If they go underground, and people interrupt their routine long enough to not only listen but to give their hard-earned money, then Andrew knows he's found a winner. And the best part: subway musicians are a renewable resource, sprouting up like weeds in the fertile cultural ground of the city. Subway Records is currently looking for advertisers and sponsorships. To hear samples or to support Subway Records, log on to www.subwayrecords.com.