Record labels

Record Labels

A record label is a brand affiliated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. A record label usually provides everything, including start up money. They provide studio time, audio engineers, mass marketing of product, advertising, basically everything but the artist themselves. If you sign on as just a singer without a band, they will also provide a studio band.

Major record labels

Nowadays, artists have become very dependent on their record label as the artist will get more 
publicity, from a major label, than from being unsigned or on a small/indie label. Also the artist 
will get better distribution, meaning that a major label will get your CD's put into shops in the 
U.S, U.K, Japan, Europe etc. There are three major labels these are Sony BMG, Universal 
Music and Warner Music Group. These three labels represent 75% of the music sold within a 
year therefore this shows how much influence they have over the industry. The advantages of 
being signed to a major label is: 

1. Money: Even with major label music sales declining and the industry as a whole struggling to keep up with changes in the way people purchase and listen to music, major labels still have a huge financial advantage over just about every indie label. When your label has a lot of money, that means they'll be able to spend a lot of money promoting the artist's record  It also means they may be able to offer the artist a large advance and invest a lot in recording, touring, video shoots and other opportunities.

2. Connections: Money helps open a lot of doors, and when a major label comes knocking, most media outlets are ready to let them in meaning that major labels are able to get in contact with the right people for an artist to be successful. Therefore, most major labels have been in the business for decades and have long established connections that help you reach your music career goals

3. Size: Major labels are behind the vast majority of music sold, and this scale of operations can bring many advantages. First, they can get the best deals on manufacturing, advertising and other expenses since they do business in such enormous bulk - they have way more purchasing power than indie labels.  

However Major labels do have many disadvantages as well. these are:

1.  A lot of major labels tend to sign a lot of musicians and throw out a lot of music, just to see what will stick. This means a new signing, except in very special circumstances, is likely to find that he/she will be fighting for attention from the label. Therefore, it is easy to for an artist to get lost and lose attention form the label and the public as new artists are being signed everyday.
2.  Many major labels want to sign artist for multi album deals that offer them very little flexibility and that hand over a lot of creative control to the label. They know all of the loopholes, they want a piece of everything. Therefore, the artist has no room to be creative and the record labels will dominate all important decisions. Therefore, this is why some artists prefer Minor labels as they will have more freedom to write and create their own music.
3. Many dedicated music lovers work on the major label side of the music industry. However not everyone who works at major labels love music. You'll find a higher concentration of people who are in the business strictly for the money in major labels than you will at indie labels, and that often ends up effecting the artists in a bad way.
   
   
   Minor Labels/ Independent
   Minor record labels are smaller labels as their capital isn't as big as a major label. Also they do not have as good production and marketing facilities and connections as a major label would have. However, people argue that the minor labels have more heart and care more about the music rather the the money making side of things. Examples of Minor labels are domino, of which The Arctic Monkeys are signed to, Rough Trade and 4AD. Even though these are minor labels they are still very successful for example Arcade Fire are signed to Rough Trade and have won numerous awards including the 2011 Grammy award. Artists prefer to be signed with a Minor label because they have more power over decisions and what music they release. Also they are able to write and create their own music without being influenced as much as a major label would have to cater for audiences.

   Minor label- Advantages

   1.  Minor labels generally have the freedom to work with whoever they like. There isn't the pressure that there is at major labels to sacrifice your tastes in favour of seeking out chart success, so when you get signed to an Minor label, in almost every instance it is because the label is a big fan of your music. That means that they'll be working extra hard for you because they believe in what you're doing.
   2.  Minor labels have smaller staffs and smaller rosters, meaning it's easier for musicians to develop a close relationship with the people working on their record. Also the artists signed to a minor label will not be fighting for attention as much as there are less artists on the label meaning an artist will be getting more time spent on them. 
   3. Some larger Minor labels have relatively complex contracts, however smaller Minor labels often do business are more straight forward with their contracts and usually have a profit split agreement. You rarely see Minor labels demanding any measure of creative control over their artists, and most Minors don't lock their artists into long term, multi album contracts.

   Minor label- Disadvantages

   1. Some Minor labels are good financially , but most small Minors are struggling to keep going. That means they don't have the money to fund a lot of marketing like the Majors and that they often have to get creative with promotion ideas. They also can't afford big advances, fancy packaging, large recording budgets, tour support and other things a major can throw at you. With Minor labels, you're usually going to have to remain financially invested in your own music career.
   2. Although the size of Minor labels have their advantages it is the smaller size that makes them more accessible to their artists - there is also a downside. They don't have the purchasing power of major labels, and because they have a small roster, they have fewer strings to pull with the press. This means they find it harder to promote their artists and let them be heard meaning they will find it hard to have chart success.