bwp-google-xml-sitemaps domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/cadev/dev.celebrityaccess.net/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6119(Hypebot<\/a>) — The role of the record label has evolved dramatically over the past couple of decades, and while it isn\u2019t fair to say that the record label is dead, its function and purpose in the music industry sometimes needs a little defining.<\/p>\n Guest post by\u00a0Aaron Trumm<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0Soundfly\u2019s Flypaper<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Twenty, even ten years ago, the answer to this very\u00a0basic question<\/a>\u00a0(\u201cwhat is a record label?\u201d<\/strong>) would have been a pretty straightforward one to answer. Now, it\u2019s a philosophical quagmire, and you\u2019re likely to get a hundred different answers if you ask a hundred different people.<\/p>\n It\u2019s true, the\u00a0role<\/em>\u00a0of the record label in music as a whole\u00a0has changed quite a bit<\/a>\u00a0in recent years. The role a label may play in an individual artist\u2019s career may even be different, but contrary to popular opinion, the record label is not dead, nor is it likely to die any time soon.<\/p>\n But we\u2019re not going to spend fifty pages on the subtle history and nuance of record labels today, and we won\u2019t be covering the varying opinions as to their usefulness or morality either. Instead, we\u2019re going to stick to the basics here so you can get a fundamental understanding of what a label is, and what they might do for an artist like yourself.<\/p>\n First things first. The standard definition which you will see a thousand times if you Google \u201cWhat is a record label?\u201d is:\u00a0A record label is a company that manufactures, distributes, and promotes music recordings.<\/strong><\/p>\n At its core, what a label does is simple.\u00a0A record label monetizes recorded music.<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s it. Record labels\u2019 sole business mission is to find ways to\u00a0make money from recordings of music<\/a>. But that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re\u00a0inherently\u00a0<\/em>evil, or ripping you off. The best labels are ones with models that allow artists greater shares of revenue, more decision-making power and independence, and who raise their rosters like a family.<\/p>\n Record labels may fund the recording process or not. They may fund the manufacturing of\u00a0recorded media<\/a> such as CDs, LPs, and cassettes; or they may not. They will usually fund and negotiate the distribution of recorded media, say to old fashion record stores or mail order catalogs. And most importantly, they will often put money towards the promotion of an artist\u2019s music.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re an artist signed to a record label, you\u2019re considered an independent contractor\u00a0contracted<\/em>\u00a0with the label to make recordings.<\/p>\n Before we go any farther there is one thing to understand about a record label:\u00a0A label is not a publisher.<\/strong>\u00a0A publisher finds ways to\u00a0make money from the songs themselves<\/a>. This could get confusing, because many companies operate as labels and publishers, but the two are separate.<\/p>\n Learn more on Soundfly: Find out once and for all how streaming and sales royalties\u00a0work \u2014 and how to get the money you deserve \u2014 in Soundfly\u2019s free course,\u00a0<\/strong>How to Get All the Royalties You Never Knew Existed<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n This is where things get more complex, as there are a variety of ways to make money with recordings. Even more complexity gets introduced into contracts, with even more confusing twists and turns added almost daily due to streaming, new internet thingamabobs, and various and sundry other craziness. We\u2019ll keep it simple.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s boil it down to basics again. Recorded music generally is monetized in one of these three ways:<\/p>\n Every way of making money directly from music falls into one of those categories. But that doesn\u2019t mean labels can\u2019t make money in other ways.<\/p>\n A modern label might make money from merchandise like shirts or stickers, YouTube monetization (advertising), licensing the likeness or name of an artist, ticket sales from live appearances and concerts, or any number of things that are\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0associated with the selling of the music itself.<\/p>\n Now that we have the basic picture of what a record label is, if you\u2019re an artist you may want to think about it another way.<\/p>\n From an artist\u2019s perspective, you could think of a record label as\u00a0a service<\/strong>. This service is a business structure that allows you to make money being a musician, but it\u2019s not always a necessary one. The label provides services like\u00a0recording funding<\/strong>\u00a0(think of this\u00a0as a loan<\/a>\u00a0you could never get elsewhere),\u00a0manufacturing, graphic design, marketing and promotion<\/strong>, and\u00a0distribution.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you sign with a label rather than building that structure yourself, you will have to pay them. Luckily, you don\u2019t pay up front. Instead, you share the revenue generated from the monetization of your music. And even better, they\u2019ll do the accounting for you.<\/p>\n The idea is that your ability to build the structure and promote your music on your own is so minuscule compared to a big company doing it, that even though you\u2019re sharing the revenue, it\u2019ll help you grow faster.\u00a0This was certainly true in the beginning \u2014 just to access a recording studio before the digital age was such an expensive proposition that artists had no way to make a record without a label.<\/p>\n Now of course, it\u2019s only partially true. Not only can you make a recording on your own, you can even build a following, distribute music, promote, and create the entire business structure yourself, skipping the label entirely.\u00a0Think of Chance The Rapper<\/a>\u00a0and you\u2019ll see how far it\u2019s really possible to go independently.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s no place for a company that can do all that, or even some of it, for you. The fact is, not all musicians want to become graphic designers, recording engineers, digital marketing gurus, concert promotors, and agents. Most just want to make music and leave the rest to the pros.<\/p>\n If you think of a label as an organization you\u2019re paying to help you with your music career, a lot of what you see in the contract might make more sense.<\/p>\n There\u2019s lots more to learn of course \u2014 we\u2019ve barely scratched the surface here \u2014 but we hope that understanding what a record label is and does at a basic, fundamental level will help you understand whether or not you\u2019d like to approach one to publish your music.<\/p>\nA Simple Proposition<\/h2>\n
Make Money, How?<\/h2>\n
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Another Way of Thinking About It<\/h2>\n
There It Is, in a Nutshell<\/h2>\n