If there’s one question we think about a lot it is: who put Bella down the Wych Elm?

If there’s another it’s: what’s the point of record labels these days, eh?

Let’s talk about the second question. THREAD

First up - who are we? An independent ethical record label run by @sarahlay & @razorcuts. They have 25 years' experience each of the music industry as, respectively, journalist & musician. We’re home to @fightmilk, @theQuill, @weareliines, @chorusgirl, @bugeye +++ link in bio

We’ve helped around 75 releases out into the world in 5 years (& a couple of books too, because why not). We never feel anything less than privileged to support someone’s art, & constantly look at how we add value. For us, the artist & their art is everything

We think about:
- music industry: a big self-interested beast focused on your commercial potential, not your creativity or wellbeing
- music business: something you need to work in & understand
- making music / musicians: an end unto itself which can exist without the other 2

These days artists can do most things a label would traditionally have done directly themselves. They can release, they can market, they can distribute without a label. So labels have to adapt what they do or face, at best, irrelevancy &, at worst, being detrimental to artists

Let's set out what you might expect a label to do. Labels typically deal with releasing, distributing, marketing & sale of recorded music. In olden times (say, the ‘90s) they may have also paid to have the music recorded. This is rare as hen's teeth now

In return for doing that stuff labels take money made from the record to pay off the costs, then a % of profit, & (particularly traditionally & in Majors / Subsidiaries these days) own some of your Rights so they can keep making money from the music

There’s a few different types of label which work very differently but all get lumped in together. What a Major does and takes is radically different from a truly independent label & lots of bits of the industry try & glaze over that, including funding & professional bodies

First up - Major labels: there are 3 of these. They are deeply commercial, have beneficial deals with things like streaming platforms. Lawyers & accountants drive lots of decisions

Then you have - Subsidiary independent labels: given the kudos of independence but a smaller part of a Major, with some of their working practices

And last but not least - Independent / grassroots / bedroom labels: cottage industry affairs not funded by a bigger label or corporate entity. The best are run by people who are both huge music fans & savvy entrepreneurs not afraid to disrupt stuff which doesn’t serve the artist

We’re the last one btw. We find ourselves often misunderstood lots by people who think record label is always like a Major. We ain’t perfect by a long shot but we’re doing things differently, ethically, & we work for & love our artists HARD & our members even HARDER

Newer models are underserved in the wider industry. No surprises - we’re disruptive, typically way fairer to the artist, & reveal a lot of stuff that happens is unnecessary. Those that profit from those activities don’t like that much so won’t typically promote labels like us

This bit stands alone as much as within this thread - always worth questioning the agenda of any advice (including ours, obvs!), doing your research & remembering new ways of doing things usually upset those who've been doing them the old way

And let's be straight - for all the Big League benefits there might be on a Major or a Subsidiary you are, at that point, a cog in a corporate machine. Your music is a PRODUCT which must achieve TARGETS. In some Major deals you may not be paid across all formats...

...the money they say is in your marketing budget may well be on adjacent activities like compilations, if you don’t do well you may be dropped (but Rights kept), or - worse - kept in limbo because the timing or ‘market’ aren’t quite right. You're part of a marketing exercise...

Your journey with your label is most likely to end if you are not moderately profitable. The benefits from the 1-3% of hugely successful artists cover the costs of the 97-99% of artists signed that market forces determine are not going to reap a quick return on investment

There are lots of benefits to being on a bigger label, absolutely - it would be wrong & untruthful of us to pretend otherwise. But there is a lot of compromise needed on your part of an artist...

You give up ALL control, & you're part of something much bigger & more important commercially than you individually. We're not saying it's wrong to want to be on a big label, we're saying go into it with eyes open. Whatever label there’s also a lot of different deals about

The typical ones talked about are Exclusive. Licensing, Distribution, & 360. Each one of these will cover different activities, & where the label can take money from or what they own of the music. We’d suggest some work better for artists these days than others (360 can do one)

Some deals may require you to pay in for certain aspects, or to add costs to the recoup through re-mastering or re-recording things you already think you’ve done. They WILL specify which studio you use, how much time you get and who is producing and recording the record...

You might have input to this, but it is unlikely. When the record is finished, they own the recordings and can edit, remix and re-edit your art as they see fit. Question everything you’re asked to pay for directly or indirectly through recoup, & be careful where control sits

There’s plenty of info out there about what each type of deal typically includes - go & research, think about the type of deal you think will be right for you, & then investigate the labels who offer that sort of deal. Not all labels are equal, not all deals are fair

Commonly connected with a label is the idea of an Advance. The almost mythical sum of money which labels will 'give' to artists. Let's be clear - Advances ARE VERY RARE these days, & even when you get one - they are
a loan you must pay back as a musician. It is not free money

What might you give up in a record deal? If you have your recording paid for - your Masters. Possibly some / all of your Publishing. Maybe Sync income too. Potentially some of that creative control, or input into when & how your music comes out