Forget about camping out for the next American Idol auditions. For your chance at musical stardom, look no further than to seniors Frederick Alexander and Jonathan Jones, the founders of Stanford’s first record label, Inphanyte.

Inphanyte, whose name stems from Alexander and Jones’ life philosophy regarding the infinity of faith and the merits of infinite hard work, got its start when the two students were working together for Stanford University Recording Group Entertainers their sophomore year. Alexander and Jones said they saw a need for a record label that would expose students to various aspects of the music industry, such as distribution and advertising.

“There are so many facets of the music industry,” Alexander said. “Music is not just about notes.”

Interning at Universal Records the summer after his sophomore year introduced Jones to the record-producing industry. There, he developed a relationship with producer Russell Gatewood, who mentored Jones and Alexander.

The two students then set about drafting applications for positions on the label and circulated them electronically around campus the following fall. They received dozens of responses. They accepted a team of roughly 35 to 40 students and divided them into three main divisions: distribution and advertisement, management and production.

Inphanyte’s management spent the winter quarter of the 2003-2004 academic year putting together a hip-hop compilation featuring Stanford artists such as seniors Ron Ragin and Jidenna Mobisson and junior Jim Chitty. They spent an average of 15 hours per week writing song lyrics, deciding the album theme and creating a design for the album cover. They also helped coordinate collaborations between the different artists.

Though a non-profit organization, Inphanyte was able to use recording studios on the Stanford campus and financed the distribution of the free CDs through a grant from the ASSU.

“Without [the ASSU] it would never have been possible,” Alexander said. “They’re the reason the project existed.”

Alexander pointed out that the non-profit aspect of the label is a fundamental principle of its existence.

“The intended purpose was not to profit but to get the CDs out into the hands of A&R [Record labels’ scouting groups],” he said. “We’re using what the University gave us as a launch pad for the artists.”

Inphanyte, in that respect, has been relatively successful so far. The label has put Alexander, an artist himself, in contact with one A&R group. Though this may not result in an actual record contract, Alexander said it bodes well for relationships with other A&R groups in the future.

“It’s all about bridging, because building a relationship with one A&R is not always the end deal,” Alexander said.

With Inphanyte’s second year well under way, the team is already at work putting together this year’s compilation.

“Students will be very pleased [with the second album] and continue to be astonished at the level of talent that’s here on campus,” Alexander said.

Though the music will still be in the R&B / Hip-Hop genre, the management has once again chosen artists “with a diverse background of music,” Alexander said.

One change the management plans to implement is to allow the artists to decide if they want to collaborate with one another.

“That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “It’s about giving [the artists] the opportunity to do what they want.”

This includes the possibility of letting individuals record their own compilations, which Alexander said might occur in the future.

“If the artist is motivated enough, we’re more than willing to get the name out there and give them a helping hand,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if three or four years from now I turn on the TV and see some Stanford alumni who were part of Inphanyte.”

For now, though, Alexander and Jones have other aspects of their lives to worry about outside of the label. Both graduate this June and are aspiring MBA students, yet neither plans to quit his involvement with Inphanyte.

Alexander also said he hopes to spread Inphanyte to colleges across the country.

“I don’t know any other group that’s like this and doing what we’re doing and at this level,” he said.

Alexander hopes that the label will be able to fulfill its founding principle in other communities as well.

“The purpose of Inphanyte was to make Stanford a more artistic presence in [the local] community,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent in the [Stanford community], and Jonathan and I wanted to channel that talent.”