Don't Flunk Me Records

Above is a class testimonial video where each of the students explain what Don't Flunk Me Records is doing for them. Our mission is to uplift students and the local music scene for more check out the video!

Jake Stillman

Jake had the idea to start DFMR after he noticed a trend. Many of the independent artists he worked with had the talent and passion to release good music, but were failing to find an audience. Thinking a different approach may be needed, he got his master’s degree in music business and audio engineering training, and thought up the idea of a student-run record label.

Now two and a half years into running the label, Jake’s music industry class and DFMR have had a positive influence on the local music scene by teaching students the ins and outs of the music industry, including how to market and protect their work in order to reach a wider audience. Students in his class have gone on to find work in

the music industry,

successfully start their

own bands, and market

their songs more

effectively.

Ben J Carver (TA)

Benny is a music producer, multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter, and local performer. He got his start in music at the age of 8, and has been persistent in music since. Benny found inspiration from his dad being a classically trained musician, and frequently performs alongside his sister. Benny’s goal is to open his own music studio, and to put his passion for music to use, with a heavy emphasis on collaboration with others! Fun Fact: Benny currently works as an AV Technician.

Flunky "the" Ghost

For centuries, the ghost of students' past has haunted the current roster of DFMR students. Flunky, we call him, is a lover of music above all else. Due to his lack of a corporeal form however, he has never been a part of a band himself. So he remedies this problem by lending a helping disembodied voice to the students, so that no one shares the same fate as him.

Business and A&R

Team

"The Suits"

Hugo Contreras

Hugo is a Producer, DJ, and Solo Vocalist, with years of digital production, midi keyboard, and DJ experience. He got his start in music in 8th grade, when the school got new apple computers, which came with garage band. Since then, he has been on a self-taught journey, honing his digital production skills. In 2025, he reached a self-taught plateau, and decided it was time to take things to the next level. Starting fall 2025, Hugo signed up for music classes at the SRJC, pursuing an AA in Commercial Music. Now as an A&R Specialist with Don’t Flunk Me Records, Hugo maintains connections with artists, venues, publications, and past and present DFMR bands.

Dallis Craft

After managing to avoid the business part of her long music career, Dallis is solidifying her knowledge of the industry to build on her past successes. "DFM Records is a great way to take charge of your music: publishing, laws, agreements and reporting agencies, production and releasing your songs, marketing and building a brand. This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to make it in this business!"

Team

Marketing

"The Mind Readers"

Hello Im Jacob I took this class to obtain my commercial music degree. This class has taught me a lot about the fundamentals of how to build healthy habits in the business world as a producer / musician.

Jacob Steinberg

Hi I'm Ben I took this class as a part of my commercial music degree and certificate. I have learned a lot about what to look out for as an artist and basic marketing strategies and techniques that I will capitalize on for my own music.

Ben Kirk

Ben Berto is music curious, dream driven, learning the music business, grateful for the opportunities given. Stay tuned.

Ben Berto

Team

Production

"The Powerhouse"

Remy Desjarlais

Remy is a musician and composer working on his commercial music degree. After gaining interest in music after picking up the French horn in 6th grade, Remy has been actively playing in a variety of ensembles and bands across the bay area. With his time away from playing during covid-19, Remy used his time to study music theory and composition and music production to fill that hole left by the lack of an ensemble to play in. Now, given the opportunity, he's decided to use the SRJC's resources to learn more about the intricacies of msuic.

Domino Mastrolia

Domino is a local musician preforming most consistently in his band Lean-To. He started playing music at a young age primarily focusing on guitar. Later on he released his first solo project at the age of 17. After releasing that project and being unhappy with the mixes he decided to take music production classes at the SRJC where he stumbled into the DFM Record label.

Alex Cognata

Alex started his music life figuring out pop song melodies on the family piano. He played trumpet in the school band. He also took piano lessons with his professor at the SRJC. He began taking guitar lessons at age 15. In high school he was in a band with a prodigy pianist composer and they made a record that summer. Alex took the Midi Music and Recording Classes at the JC and began recording his original songs. He is now in SRJC Music Industry and Recording program with the goal of recording an original record.

Our Ethics

Don’t Flunk Me Records and its constituents strive to uphold a code of ethics designed to serve the best interests of our community. While it is clear that maintaining profitability is important to maintaining a thriving business, Don’t Flunk Me Records is a student run record label that prioritizes education, the establishment of positive relationships with our local media industry, and the vitalization of our local music scene over the strict bottom line. Our code of ethics is centered around clarity, transparency, mutual agreement and mutual benefit between the artist and label.

Our goal is to provide the basic principles of record label mechanics, providing the back-end support an artist needs to launch an album and build a career in the music industry so that the artists can focus their energy on creativity rather than building a music business from the ground up. We strive to build community, engendering lifelong relationships with artists and industry professionals. We feel this is not possible through hiding revenue streams, demanding creative control or constructing deceptive contractual loopholes to exploit artists.

As we follow in the wake of other independent labels leveraging technology in the rapidly evolving digital landscape to reduce overhead and increase sales, we believe that our model can help set a precedent for future music industry professionals to make informed, educated decisions, and become more powerful agents of change in the music industry landscape.