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How to Start an Independent Record Label - Key Business Functions

Even a small independent record label must manage multiple business functions in order to achieve its profits. Some may be contracted out to a certain extent, but all must be managed in-house at least at the highest level, calling for an employee with the ability to do so.

Artists and Repertoire

A&R focuses on the recruiting and development of the musical talent signed by the label. The A and the R (finding the artists or groups to sign and then working with them to fine-tune their talent as recording artists) may be entirely separate skills, unless you find an experienced A&R director with the right ear and ability to shepherd a group from discovery to emergence.

Contracts/Legal

The need for contracts between the label and artists, as well as with production houses, concert venues, and distributors complicate the legal functions of a record label. The fact that contracts must cover intellectual property as well as the sharing of different streams of revenue, and include clauses for a variety of potential outcomes means that expert legal counsel is certainly needed. The question for your label is if it makes more sense to work with a contracted firm and at what point that counsel should be brought in-house as a full-time hire.

Product Development

Your label must see that the artists prepare recordable music, whether they write it or it is written for them, that studio time is arranged, that the music is mixed and mastered, and that a coherent album is built out of the songs recorded. The CD packaging and cover art must be designed with an eye towards marketing and representing the music within. Production must be contracted, quality assured, and distribution to stores or wholesalers arranged. Project management skill is important for whoever drive this development process from the decision to produce an album through to its release.

Marketing

Even marketing for record labels is a multi-faceted function, as it may include the planning and execution of concerts and tours for the artists of the label. This event planning skill may mean hiring or contracting concert producers as needed. Marketing will include strategy, copywriting, and design. Even if all marketing execution is outsourced to expert firms or freelancers, someone within the firm must direct the overall strategy and be responsible for its success.

Sales and Customer Service

The label must develop and maintain relationships with distributors or stores to get its CDs on shelves. Digital sales may be a primary strategy as well, and driving sales on iTunes or other online sources may be a job in and of itself. Look for someone with experience in sales or customer relations, especially in the record industry.

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what do i need to start my own recording studio?

i want to start my own label record with y own recording studio... so i want to know what kind of equipment i need to start my own recording studio?

The most important thing about a recording studio isn't necessarily top-notch equipment. Just about anyone can turn their PC or Mac into a decent recording platform. If you really want to do this for a career, it's knowledge, experience, and a good ear for the sound you want to produce that will make you successful. Before investing any money in equipment, invest in just that: knowledge of the industry, experience in working in a studio, and developing your ear.

To begin, contact some recording studios near you, and try to get a job, even if all you do is volunteer to help out as an assistant of some kind. You can gain a lot just from putting yourself in the environment; wrapping cords, putting equipment away, and watching and listening to the sound engineer and producer interact with the artist(s).

People typically think that having a studio means working with hot up and coming artists. However, you'd be surprised that many (if not most) studios make a living by producing soundtracks for radio commercials, and providing voice-over production for TV and film.

Many independent bands will hire time in a studio to produce their own music. Guess what - it's not all what you might consider good. So, you will need to learn to make the best recording, and pull the best performance out of musicians and bands that you might not care for. It's a job, and it isn't glamorous, but a talented sound engineer or producer are capable of listening to the sound a band is going for, and pushing them towards excellence.

Look into the various schools around the country that specialize in audio engineering. Your local community college or technical institute may have courses that can get you started. There are a lot of resources on the web, and there are books you can find at your local library or bookstore that will give you a leg up on what you'll need to get going too.

Last, listen to LOTS of different kinds of music. Try to step outside your current musical taste. There is a lot to be learned about recording technique, and the nuances of it that can come through in different kinds of music. The best modern artists of today are successful in that they can take what has been done in the past, and are able to borrow, develop and push the sounds forward and make them their own.

Good luck!

Death Cab's Chris Walla Starts Label
Chris Walla plays guitar and produces for Death Cab for Cutie , and he's manned the boards on albums by the Postal Service, the Decemberists, and Tegan and Sara. He's a multi-talented guy. And now Walla has his own label, Trans, which is part of Warner Music's Independent Label Group. His first signing is Anacortes, Washington band the Lonely Forest , who will head into the studio with Walla to ...

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