Run Your Own Record Label

I hear you say, this all sounds like a foreign language! It may well do sound like that but you need to know all this if you even think you are going to have a fighting chance of setting up your own label to release your own material.

You need to make sure you are registered with the mechanical collection and performance collection societies (for collecting royalties) PRS and PPL and MCPS. You are required by law to be a member of MCPS to press records. (Google these societies you cant expect everything to be handed to you on a plate now can you!)

Guys and gals!!! Do you still want to set up your own record label? This might change your minds! What if I told you that it can take a minimum of two years of spending money and not getting any in return. In the music business like any other business you have to establish yourself before you can expect to start making a real profit. If you are running your own label and you are also the artist you will have to work really really hard! There are office hours then club hours, then time in the studio. Essentially you are running your own business and the buck will always stop at you. So think very carefully before committing to setting up your own label and learn the business before you throw yourself into it. There are many downsides to setting up and running your own label but it isn’t all bad news and you shouldn’t dwell on these disadvantages because nothing good ever comes easy.

The upside to going it alone is that, you are doing what you want to do with no one telling what to do, it can be really good fun and working on your own project and seeing it through to its finality can be extremely satisfying. If you are an artist you have all the freedom in the world when it comes to your music, therefore you don’t have to answer to anyone when it comes to creative expression. When you are signed to a major label they are dealing with the masses therefore if your song is not what they think is the next big thing it will get knocked back. However going it alone you can serve your own niche market and stay ahead of the game.

There are some things that an independent label may not want to deal with such as packaging and boxing of the finished product. There are brokers that deal with this and it can save you a lot of time, these companies act as production departments for independents, from cutting and mastering to delivering the finished product to the distributor, they can also organise the printing, these companies can get involved at any stage in the manufacturing process that the label doesn’t want to be involved in.

Running a record label is not easy but it can provide you the artist with the freedom to do what you want creatively and in the long run it can benefit you highly financially. As said before nothing good ever comes easy so work hard and do the necessary learning before jumping in head first and your business will be a success.