Founder’s Note
I started this network with a simple belief: culture is stronger when it has a home. When music, food, land, and community are rooted in a place—and cared for by the people living there—it keeps its meaning. It keeps its integrity.
We’re building in New York State because New York has always been a generator of scenes, sounds, and movements. But too often, the systems that distribute and monetize culture flatten the story of where it comes from. I want to help bring back regional context—the names, rooms, neighborhoods, and communities behind the work—so the music (and the people making it) can be found, supported, and remembered properly.
That principle is the throughline of everything we do: a record store built to keep physical sound moving—records in circulation, turntables spinning, and albums living in people’s hands; pop-ups, farmers markets, and shows that root culture in place and season, connecting sound, soil, and community. Through published works and recordings, we make long-term investments in artists—building a catalog that compounds over time and becomes the foundation of an enduring community, where musicians, listeners, growers, and neighbors share the same ecosystem: culture that’s planted locally, cared for patiently, and carried forward season after season. LYLE, a platform designed to index artists, releases, and regional scenes into a living system—searchable, navigable, and alive.
Highland Sel exists to connect these efforts under one roof—so we can build patiently, collaborate across disciplines, and stay focused on long-term value. If you’re here to partner, to create, to play, to invest, or to contribute to a stronger local ecosystem, we’re glad you found us. Thank you for being part of what comes next.
-Selwyn Camper(owner/founder)