Nobody is immune from the recession, but some are more creative than others.  Take, for example, Innova Recordings: The St. Paul-based record label was struggling to pay its rent or utilities.  After a stimulus request to Governer Pawlenty was turned down, the label was on the verge of being forced to operate out of a shed in the Home Depot parking lot.  That’s when an Innova intern had the idea of expanding the label’s operations beyond contemporary music.

“In these trying economic times, we felt it just wasn’t smart business to focus our energies on a single niche market,” said a representative from the label. “That’s why we’ve decided to branch out into gourmet cat food.”

A majority of contemporary-music economists predicted the label’s cat foods would have considerable trouble getting off the ground.  But they were wrong.  Innova’s clever decision to create bilingual English/French packaging — and their slogan, “We put the et in gourmet“ — was extremely well received by the genteel connoisseur.  And thanks to three feline-loving composers who each committed to purchasing a lifetime supply, Innova’s new venture is thriving beyond expectations.