This November marks almost 10 years since Hofstra University’s record label, Unispan Records, released its first album to the world. Unispan Records plays a key role in Hofstra’s music business school.
Unispan Records was founded in March 2016 by Sharon Goldsmith, former director of Entrepreneurship and Business Development at Hofstra. It has since been through two name changes and has followed at least six different artists.
Goldsmith is currently the executive director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs at Tulane University, but often reflects on her successes with Unispan Records. She spent 10 years in the professional music business industry before obtaining her position at Hofstra. She has since discovered her passion for helping students experience professionalism on their own.
Although the label has been able to produce more well-established artists now, it was not easy in the beginning, as it is a primarily student-run business that needs careful attention.
Originally, Unispan Records was named Mane Records, after Hofstra’s two lion mascots: Kate and Willie.
At the time, Hofstra’s law department took on the label as a client and decided to run a trademark check. They discovered that the name was trademarked, and that Hofstra could have been sued if they kept the name.
Goldsmith mentioned that the record label’s second group of students came up with the name “Unispan Records” because they wanted the name to be related to the university. The name signifies unity between artists and students, as they are all here to learn.
During the early years of the label, a student from a radio, television and film class created an “American Idol” type show and called it “Label’d,” where three prospective Unispan artists competed for a contract.
Goldsmith brought in industry professionals to judge the event and provided not only experience for the contestants, but also exciting experiences for the students.
Goldsmith mentioned that the now manager and advisor, Leota Blacknor, is a close friend, so Goldsmith knows that the label is in good hands.
Goldsmith never imagined how big Unispan Records would become, with over 156 students applying to be involved in the label just a year after the launch. Unispan Records looks for artists who are marketable to Hofstra students and who already have some traction.
“We were looking for [artists] who wanted to maintain their independence,” Goldsmith said.
Currently signed to Unispan Records, Lydia von Hof is an indie rock artist whose first extended play (EP), called “The Strange, The Unusual,” includes five songs, each with their own unique flare. Von Hof said she only started taking music seriously during the pandemic in the year 2020.
“There was nothing to do, so I started getting my hands dirty in production, starting learning guitar and taking my song writing more seriously,” von Hof said.
Before starting at Unispan Records, von Hof had 4,000 followers on Instagram and about 20,000 followers on TikTok. Now, von Hof has over 26,500 followers on Instagram and over 45,600 on TikTok.
However, she has seen the most significant growth on Spotify as her most streamed song, “On My Way There,” garnered around 700,000 streams and her music has over 45,000 monthly listeners.
She signed with Unispan Records in April 2024 and thought the label and what they were offering was too good to be true.
“Everyone wins with Unispan; how lucky am I!” von Hof said.
Von Hof said that being an artist can feel quite isolating, but having a team in her corner and someone to believe in her really changed the way she views her creative process.
“I was so scared of being perceived any other way than positive,” von Hof said.
Von Hof describes one of her most memorable moments as being able to perform at the university’s Music Fest, when she opened for A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.
With almost 10 years under its belt, Unispan Records has proved that students can help rising artists of all genres make a name for themselves.