i want to start my own record label
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To secure a name you need to copyright the name.
A record label must have the following:
1. Recording studio
2. Mastering Stuies
3. Cd Production machines
4. Advertising System
5. Sales locales
You can use someone elses mastering suite and production machines - but the record label must have the other three.
Needless to say you will need well over 25,000 dollars to do this.
Are you prepared?
Here is the best steps.
You need a recording studio - costs at least 10 grand and that's a very cheap studio...probably not gonna get much customers.
You need to have a mastering organization that you can do this through - and you need someone who will produce copies on the scale needed.
You need a high ability to advertise in your location - every radio station locally, every music store, and every place where gigs are.
And you need to be able to negotiate sales and provide places for people to buy CDs.
You also need to have your clients have a fully professional website where orders can come in.
If you wanted to start today, you might go 6 months and not be done actually having a functional label.
If you want more details PM me anytime or ask here.
But really it takes an enormous amount of work - it's a business. And you can't expect to make money from it for quite some time.
You'll need a huge loan too.
Most record labels start out as a music studio - and ad mastering and there own production.
Then they take the extra step and promote and sell the products themselves.
Stepping into a label without years of this experience will get you nowhere....
A record label must have the following:
1. Recording studio
2. Mastering Stuies
3. Cd Production machines
4. Advertising System
5. Sales locales
You can use someone elses mastering suite and production machines - but the record label must have the other three.
Needless to say you will need well over 25,000 dollars to do this.
Are you prepared?
Here is the best steps.
You need a recording studio - costs at least 10 grand and that's a very cheap studio...probably not gonna get much customers.
You need to have a mastering organization that you can do this through - and you need someone who will produce copies on the scale needed.
You need a high ability to advertise in your location - every radio station locally, every music store, and every place where gigs are.
And you need to be able to negotiate sales and provide places for people to buy CDs.
You also need to have your clients have a fully professional website where orders can come in.
If you wanted to start today, you might go 6 months and not be done actually having a functional label.
If you want more details PM me anytime or ask here.
But really it takes an enormous amount of work - it's a business. And you can't expect to make money from it for quite some time.
You'll need a huge loan too.
Most record labels start out as a music studio - and ad mastering and there own production.
Then they take the extra step and promote and sell the products themselves.
Stepping into a label without years of this experience will get you nowhere....
wowee.
luckily i'm independently wealthy
not
well i'm not ready for all that yet.
i just wanna make sure the name of it is mine, before someone else takes it. which would prolly never happen, but i'm restless and giddy about it and would like to feel at ease that the name will always be mine, when i do start it in the future.
must you have all those things in order to copyright the name?
i know nothing of copyrighting.
luckily i'm independently wealthy
not
well i'm not ready for all that yet.
i just wanna make sure the name of it is mine, before someone else takes it. which would prolly never happen, but i'm restless and giddy about it and would like to feel at ease that the name will always be mine, when i do start it in the future.
must you have all those things in order to copyright the name?
i know nothing of copyrighting.
I could go into more details.
I must ask - you do know what a record label is right? I don't mean that to sound stupid...
..A record label is a label that holds a contract for all production rights of a musician for a certain time period or for a certain amount of products.
The record label stands out from a music studio in the following ways:
1. It owns the rights to the music, and NOT the musician.
2. Record labels promote the album and handle sales. If you can't promote like you're from hell then bands won't join your label
3. A record label must get the album in stores etc...
for your label the two best ways for sales are the bands website and amazon.com
Anyone can put a product on amazon.com and can handle sales themselves. Makes it look professional!
I've never heard of a label that didn't use it's own studio - and you would need a damn good one, spending over 20,000 dollars easily which could be half just for treatement.
A label is a huge organization!! Even a small independant one.
And there is a lot of legal agreements to.....
Getting intoa label without having at least 3 years of a full studio business isn't a good idea.
It'd take you years to set this all up.
I mean a label needs someone who is a master at the equipment.
.....this is like you asking what are the steps in creating a company that builds computers. It's an enormous endeavor.....even if it's a home-run small business
I must ask - you do know what a record label is right? I don't mean that to sound stupid...
..A record label is a label that holds a contract for all production rights of a musician for a certain time period or for a certain amount of products.
The record label stands out from a music studio in the following ways:
1. It owns the rights to the music, and NOT the musician.
2. Record labels promote the album and handle sales. If you can't promote like you're from hell then bands won't join your label
3. A record label must get the album in stores etc...
for your label the two best ways for sales are the bands website and amazon.com
Anyone can put a product on amazon.com and can handle sales themselves. Makes it look professional!
I've never heard of a label that didn't use it's own studio - and you would need a damn good one, spending over 20,000 dollars easily which could be half just for treatement.
A label is a huge organization!! Even a small independant one.
And there is a lot of legal agreements to.....
Getting intoa label without having at least 3 years of a full studio business isn't a good idea.
It'd take you years to set this all up.
I mean a label needs someone who is a master at the equipment.
.....this is like you asking what are the steps in creating a company that builds computers. It's an enormous endeavor.....even if it's a home-run small business
sounds like fun!
you seem very knowledgable about all this. thanks for your replies
i understand more now why bands are so desperate to get signed. it's like half the workload can be done (and maybe done better) by the label.
i didn't know the label holds all the rights to the musician/bands songs. that's scandelous!
you mean if i got signed to say.....matador records (i wish) they would own all the rights to my (rad-as-hell) songs??
how dare they.
i think if i ever did this. which would be grand, i would be the head honcho and, uh, hire the experts to perfect the sound for my roster of superstars.
my uncle, ted, for example. he's a soundman, quite a famous one too if i may boast.
i'll hire him
you seem very knowledgable about all this. thanks for your replies
i understand more now why bands are so desperate to get signed. it's like half the workload can be done (and maybe done better) by the label.
i didn't know the label holds all the rights to the musician/bands songs. that's scandelous!
you mean if i got signed to say.....matador records (i wish) they would own all the rights to my (rad-as-hell) songs??
how dare they.
i think if i ever did this. which would be grand, i would be the head honcho and, uh, hire the experts to perfect the sound for my roster of superstars.
my uncle, ted, for example. he's a soundman, quite a famous one too if i may boast.
i'll hire him
Well, they don't have to own all the rights.
It really depends on the deal - they very alot.
But for instance larger labels own the record, but often they own it alongside the artist.
So it's not like they're gonna steal it from you or something.
yes record labels do alot of work - but remember they take profits too
You'd definetely want to have your own studio for the label.
Not all artists would need to be signed to use the studio too, you can rent it out as well.
You'd wanna get a huge rolodex of connections and contacts in your city:
1. radio stations - go to them to play the local music!
2. local gigs - helping a band get gigs is a good idea, and giving gigs the contacts too
3. put notices at universities
4. amazon.com - set up sales items there
5. websites are very important for small time bands and can help soooo much
6. universities often have their own radio stations which you could talk to as well.
So using phone books and online info to get a huge list of contacts is a very powerful tool
It's alot of work but fan as hell.
No one starts a record label for any other reason than because they damn want to........so it's work but fun work!
It really depends on the deal - they very alot.
But for instance larger labels own the record, but often they own it alongside the artist.
So it's not like they're gonna steal it from you or something.
yes record labels do alot of work - but remember they take profits too
You'd definetely want to have your own studio for the label.
Not all artists would need to be signed to use the studio too, you can rent it out as well.
You'd wanna get a huge rolodex of connections and contacts in your city:
1. radio stations - go to them to play the local music!
2. local gigs - helping a band get gigs is a good idea, and giving gigs the contacts too
3. put notices at universities
4. amazon.com - set up sales items there
5. websites are very important for small time bands and can help soooo much
6. universities often have their own radio stations which you could talk to as well.
So using phone books and online info to get a huge list of contacts is a very powerful tool
It's alot of work but fan as hell.
No one starts a record label for any other reason than because they damn want to........so it's work but fun work!
Hey AudioWebs!
I have aspirations to launch my own record label, primarily because I want rights control over all of my music and control over what I earn as an indie artist.
Is all of this actually necessary to have "in house" for me to have a label for the above stated purposes?
I cannot imagine that the many indie artists running their own labels today have all of this in place. Perhaps some of it is contracted out?
Or, does an indie artist even need a self-started label umbrella to come under?
Phree
I have aspirations to launch my own record label, primarily because I want rights control over all of my music and control over what I earn as an indie artist.
Is all of this actually necessary to have "in house" for me to have a label for the above stated purposes?
I cannot imagine that the many indie artists running their own labels today have all of this in place. Perhaps some of it is contracted out?
Or, does an indie artist even need a self-started label umbrella to come under?
Phree
No, MUST is a harsh word.
A record label technically only needs to take the artists product, promote it and provide sales.
So the band could record the product in another studio, and bring the product to the label to deal with getting the word out etc...
But this is rare.
Record labels (all of the big ones) have the adertising, the sales, AND studios.
Those are the three major components.
One could use an external mastering service, since there are plenty of companies that do this. And one could technically burn all the copies of the album - but if the band is gonna need alot then you'd want to use an external duplication company.
The best real way to start a label, unless you are merely looking to be a kind of Don King for local bands, is to start with a music studio where you charge per project.
Then learn the local scene, and as I said aboe gain a hell of alot of contacts.
Then once you feel confident you can adequatly promote an album via local stuff, and a website, begin as a label.
Also remember that there is alot more legality in a label than in a studio.
If your study was to become profitable, a mastering suite would be nice - but you could surely invest in a CD duplication machine of your own for "mass market".
Hope that helps!
Phreesoal - Much if it is probably contracted out, namely the mastering and the duplication. Of course I would bet alot of indie music is not even mastered at all.
A record label technically only needs to take the artists product, promote it and provide sales.
So the band could record the product in another studio, and bring the product to the label to deal with getting the word out etc...
But this is rare.
Record labels (all of the big ones) have the adertising, the sales, AND studios.
Those are the three major components.
One could use an external mastering service, since there are plenty of companies that do this. And one could technically burn all the copies of the album - but if the band is gonna need alot then you'd want to use an external duplication company.
The best real way to start a label, unless you are merely looking to be a kind of Don King for local bands, is to start with a music studio where you charge per project.
Then learn the local scene, and as I said aboe gain a hell of alot of contacts.
Then once you feel confident you can adequatly promote an album via local stuff, and a website, begin as a label.
Also remember that there is alot more legality in a label than in a studio.
If your study was to become profitable, a mastering suite would be nice - but you could surely invest in a CD duplication machine of your own for "mass market".
Hope that helps!
Phreesoal - Much if it is probably contracted out, namely the mastering and the duplication. Of course I would bet alot of indie music is not even mastered at all.
regebro
Insane Genious!
AudioWebs said:
Well, trademark, rather.
Nope. A record label is just that. A label you put on the records. You need none of this.
What you DO need to ask yourself is *why* do I want a record label? What do I want with it, what is the purpose?
For example: The purpose is to make my demo CD's look more professional.
Well then, make up a record label name, and trademark it! Hey presto, you now have a record label!
Now if you want to make it your life, you need incomes too, and then you need a company that can use this trademark as a label, and you need bands to put on the albums, and you need distribution to sell the albums.
regebro takes a rather unhelpful minimalist approach.
A record label is all of the things I said trim.
Apparently regebro wants to either start an argument are mess with syntax.
Let me say this:
Any record label you've ever heard of has ALL those things ten times over.
If this regebro user slaps a sticker on a CD and tells girls he has a record label, then well, that's his issue
Glad I could provide helpfull advice.
A record label is all of the things I said trim.
Apparently regebro wants to either start an argument are mess with syntax.
Let me say this:
Any record label you've ever heard of has ALL those things ten times over.
If this regebro user slaps a sticker on a CD and tells girls he has a record label, then well, that's his issue
Glad I could provide helpfull advice.
*confusssssssssionnnn* ://////
no, i believe you audiowebs.
i think?
hah. in answer to regebro regarding my intentions...i think it would be great if, after i produce and perfect my first album, i could release it on my own label. i've always wanted to be my own boss and run my own show, etc. so yeah, it would really be the whole ball of yarn as the cats say
Sure Trim.
get your label name trademarked - and create some type of CD label template that has the label info around the edges....
.......and you'll hold the name is you build up a label through the methods i said above.
But you might as well start the name off with your own work!
get your label name trademarked - and create some type of CD label template that has the label info around the edges....
.......and you'll hold the name is you build up a label through the methods i said above.
But you might as well start the name off with your own work!
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Thanx for the primer, Audiowerx!
I think I'm almost ready to go into the studio business, with a recording studio, practice room rentals, and a live-sound performing area, combined. Equipment rental and live remotes, too.
I'm studying up on the business, and I hope to be able to eventually find funding [that's not suicidal!]
I think I'm almost ready to go into the studio business, with a recording studio, practice room rentals, and a live-sound performing area, combined. Equipment rental and live remotes, too.
I'm studying up on the business, and I hope to be able to eventually find funding [that's not suicidal!]
It's not semantics. The way Regiebro gave his reply wasn't the most helpful, but he's much more correct than AudioWebs.
There are record labels that own none, or only some of the things AudioWebs listed, and few if any have them "ten times over."
The vast majority of labels don't own CD production machines.
Many labels, including big one, have their mastering done off site by independent contractors -- just check the credits on your CDs.
Many rent recording studios.
Some, like the audiophile reissue labels, never do any recording at all.
Some rely on their distributors for most of the "advertising systems." I'm not even sure what "sales locales" means in this context. Obviously the labels generally don't own the retailers.
Some budget reissue labels do none of those things in house, or at all.
Very little capital needs to be invested at all if you pay as you go for the services you need.
There are record labels that own none, or only some of the things AudioWebs listed, and few if any have them "ten times over."
The vast majority of labels don't own CD production machines.
Many labels, including big one, have their mastering done off site by independent contractors -- just check the credits on your CDs.
Many rent recording studios.
Some, like the audiophile reissue labels, never do any recording at all.
Some rely on their distributors for most of the "advertising systems." I'm not even sure what "sales locales" means in this context. Obviously the labels generally don't own the retailers.
Some budget reissue labels do none of those things in house, or at all.
Very little capital needs to be invested at all if you pay as you go for the services you need.
Zowie - I meant, by sales locales - was that a local label would want to be in contact with local indie shops, regular record stores etc... where they could supply the albums in question.
I never said labels HAVE to have all those - you don't need most of them sure - but that's the complete set of a completely independant self-sufficient label.
It depends on whether or not you want to be involved in the recording process, or merely the distribution and advertising etc...
I never said labels HAVE to have all those - you don't need most of them sure - but that's the complete set of a completely independant self-sufficient label.
It depends on whether or not you want to be involved in the recording process, or merely the distribution and advertising etc...
I agree with regebro... you dont NEED any of this to start a label. However, there are alot of legal issues you will have to deal with. I would recommend getting a good lawyer to help you. Check out www.myrecordlabel.com They will help you do legal stuff and it doesnt cost much to start up.
c7sus
Disenfranchised Member
A record label can be nothing more than a shell company. Doesn't need ANY of the stuff AW listed beyond a trademark and cash or a line of credit.
You can hire somebody to do any of the steps involved with production, distribution, and advertising.
Like was said earlier, just check the credits on any CD. You'll see that more than likely the record was cut and mastered at two different facilities, neither of which is associated with the label that released the product.
Record producers for the most part are independent as well. They are hired by the label to keep a project moving and fulfill the wishes of the guy paying their wage------ which is in most cases the record company, NOT THE BAND!
You can hire somebody to do any of the steps involved with production, distribution, and advertising.
Like was said earlier, just check the credits on any CD. You'll see that more than likely the record was cut and mastered at two different facilities, neither of which is associated with the label that released the product.
Record producers for the most part are independent as well. They are hired by the label to keep a project moving and fulfill the wishes of the guy paying their wage------ which is in most cases the record company, NOT THE BAND!