With nearly zero dollars and no opportunity to secure a loan facility from the bank, Chris Dobry was armed with an idea to put on a battle of brands in his hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin, back in 1997. All thanks to a series of press releases, he secured an interview session with the local CBS station on the same night as the Grammy Awards. In what proved to be a masterstroke, the interview pulled in a lot of the needed attention and the funds required for the initial take-off of what became Stryker Records.
Chris Dobry founded Stryker Records in 1997 to promote live concerts, manage artists, and release music globally. He then moved the operations to Detroit, Michigan, where Euphoria Productions hired him to promote large events, working with A-list country artists like Merle Haggard and John Anderson. In recent years, Chris has worked promoting artists such as Saliva, Saving Abel, Trapt, and Tantric.
As part of his master plan, Chris teamed up with Holly Hutchison of AnRGirl to launch Stryker Records recording artists Jamie Fontaine and The Level to the number 20 spot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator chart and number 7 spot on the Concrete/Foundations Chart with their single “Save Your Life,” produced by Jason Schrick of JPS Productions and platinum producer Malcolm Springer in Sept 2020. The single challenged other releases by established artists like Seether, Marilyn Manson, Volbeat, and Breaking Benjamin, to name a few.
Stryker Records targets lovers of the rock, country, and hip-hop genres. “Our listeners are consumers of live music, buyers of band merchandise, and those who stream from music platforms on the internet. My target audience for live music is project-specific, and advertising avenues will depend on the venue, the artist’s genre, and the artist’s cost. My target audience would be people who like to go out and have fun at bars, clubs, concert halls, and arenas and people who stay home and listen to music and watch videos. Essentially, my target audience is almost everybody.”
According to Chris, Stryker Records is not a record label; neither is it only band management or an organizer of live events. Instead, it encompasses and provides the three services mentioned and more. Chris, however, pointed out that as far as Stryker Records goes in terms of artist management, concerts, and the record label, a common denominator is the heavy presence of rock, hip-hop, and country music. He points out that the brand encompassing more than one genre is not an attempt to diversify; instead, it results from his love for these genres.
After nearly 25 years in business, Stryker Records continues to move from strength to strength. On May 12, Stryker Records’ artist Drew Lines made a trip to Nashville for the sake of a collaboration with rock band Saving Abel. Chris without any doubt believes that the record is going to be a great tune for Saving Abel fans and Drew Lines fans. Saving Abel is currently on tour.
Artists signed to the label will also have opportunities to play at live events and concerts promoted by Stryker Records. Their artists have had the opportunity to play Stryker Records concerts and benefit from its network of partners. “The variety of music services offered to music fans and the duty to our signed artists combined under one roof is what makes my company unique and separates me from my competition. Our concerts are composed of gold and platinum recording artists and our signed artists record in world class studios such as Universal studios in Nashville and Sunshine Studios in Colorado Springs,” the CEO, Chris Dobry explained.
On May 12, Stryker Records recording artist Drew Lines teamed up with members of the platinum recording artist Saving Abel and the song was produced by multi-platinum producer Malcolm Springer and Award winning Producer and Saving Abel Bassist, Scott Wilson. The idea was to remix Saving Abel’s song “15 Minutes of Fame” into a hip-hop version. This came after the approval of co-writer Scotty Austin, and Jason Null, the co-founder of Saving Abel, was on board with the idea. According to the parties involved, the result of this collaboration is going to be a great tune for Saving Abel Fans, Drew Lines Fans, rock and hip-hop fans alike. The projected release date for the remix “15 Minutes of Fame” is currently being discussed, but the parties’ possibility of an August/September time frame is being considered.
Learn more about Stryker Records, its artists, future records, and other details, follow their Facebook and Instagram Page.
