#1625913 - 06/02/00 06:07 AM
How to start my own Independent Label?
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jaebaeli@email.com
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I know next to nothing about this area, and am intensely interested, so i thought i'd start another topic about it. I want to pretty much do what Ani DeFranco does-- use my own independent label. How do i go about doing that? Is it expensive to start? If i start, will it require so much of my time that i won't be able to actually play and write the music? Is it simply a matter of incorporating and some paperwork? Someone please enlighten me. Thanks.
Jae
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#1625914 - 06/02/00 12:57 PM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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Doctor Al
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>>>Is it simply a matter of incorporating and some paperwork? Someone please enlighten me. <<<<
I've always lived by my father's advice "Never spend your own money" so that, when I started my own label, Sounds Of The South, I got MCA Records to fund it. As soon as my first act Lynyrd Skynyrd went through the roof, I sold all my interests to MCA.
I'm probably not the one to ask about such things. Somebody else jump in here
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#1625915 - 06/03/00 04:31 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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alphajerk
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If i start, will it require so much of my time that i won't be able to actually play and write the music?
thats funny as hell. want the answer? ALL of your time, and then some...
there are quite a number of things you have to do or pay someone to do. get a book "how to start your own record label" it will go over the major points. some people love it, im in a love/hate relationship with it. there are site on the net too. search for them maybe.
of course if you do it well, the benefits are great and worth it.
read up.
_________________________
alphajerk FATcompilation "if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson
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#1625916 - 06/03/00 05:34 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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jfinevog
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a really good book that has helpt me is confessions of a record producer by moses avalon it goes over most things you need to know. Also a book called all you need to knwo about the music bisiness by donald s passman hope this helps its a bit of work but its worth it as long as your willing to put in the time.all the best jonathan
_________________________
t.v creates imaginary friends for lonely people.
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#1625917 - 06/03/00 06:00 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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jaebaeli@email.com
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Thanks guys. And hey- alpha- i didn't mean a label under which i record other bands- i just meant, is there a way to just own the one MY band records under- or is it necessary to have a "label" at all when you're doing in yourself?
Thanks
Jae
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#1625918 - 06/05/00 03:31 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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jimmy_dup3
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The biggest problem here is NOT what it takes to "run" your independent label ... It's how do you get the product to your adoring fans
ie. distribution .... That is still the most pressing problem for all Independent labels -
The internet is promising .. but not quite
there yet ..
BTW .. Doctor Al ... I agree with your father re: spending your own money ... But
unless you do ... you have to put up with
the crap that MCA wants to hand out ..
remember all the other bands on your label that they paid NO attention to and you were powerless to help ?? ... Spending your own money means risk - but it also means FREEDOM
which to me, with my dislike of the corporate owned ... so called. record co's IS the true
meaning of the word INDEPENDENT ...
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#1625919 - 06/05/00 03:50 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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alphajerk
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you dont need a record label for a singular band. for that matter you can use whatever you want. my "label" got started by me with one of my bands and has grown over time including others, we are an independant label (not owned by a corporation, investors are welcome). i knew i didnt want to be a rock star so i switched into the studio. i think there is a book called 'book your own life' maybe. might want to look there.
but this is really the reason why bands still want to sign with major labels. cause everything you have to do for yourself can quickly add up to a pain in the ass. which takes time away from you doing music. and its a rough road and contrary to Als dad's words of wisdom, you have to fully fund whatever you have to do.
_________________________
alphajerk FATcompilation "if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson
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#1625920 - 06/05/00 05:48 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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Quin
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Registered: 04/17/00
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To follow up on Jimmy's post - the biggest issue for an independent label is distribution, followed by radio play.
While its easy to send out promo packages to station directors, it requires relentless follow up to get on the playlists. This takes a lot of time (=money).....which is time lost from making music..... and then there is the question of how to get the product to the listener.
The big stores won't carry the product typically, as they are only allowed to sell product supplied to them from "head office" - so unless you can get into some type of supply chain, you will not be able to get your product on to store shelves, unless you have a very supporting local store. So - this leaves the labels website, gigs & word of mouth as the best way to sell/distribute. MP3 works for some people too - but it depends on your music genre and whether or not he artist has some kind of establised following.
Getting on to Amazon etc requires going through companies like The Orchard - and they make more money on it than you do - which I consider a total rip. Its very frustrating.
One potential path is to try and get a distribution deal with one of the majors - but to do this, your label has to put out a minimum of 5 CD's a year - preferrably of a similar genre.
So - while having your own record label may be cool - and may help you legitamize your efforts - its not a real solution to the bigger problem - which is how to make money from the final product - the CD ....that is, until you have a number of CD's/artists.
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#1625921 - 06/05/00 07:36 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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jfinevog
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something that really works is to send your music out to all of the collage stations. if a bunch of em start to spin your record and you get on to the playlists. then you can go to a smaller distribution co and the chances are that you can get them to get it into allot of stores. also getting a spot on the cmj compilation can help as well. then you can go the next step bigger and better. this has worked for many bands that I have produced. this doesn't work with boy bands like back st boys though so if your into that this wont help you all the best jonathan
_________________________
t.v creates imaginary friends for lonely people.
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#1625922 - 06/05/00 11:32 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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Quin
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My impression of college radio stations has been that they play the songs - and the ones that get liked get uploaded to local BB's as MP3 files - and freely distributed - and the artist sees nothing.....
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#1625923 - 06/05/00 01:22 PM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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Doctor Al
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>>>My impression of college radio stations has been that they play the songs - and the ones that get liked get uploaded to local BB's as MP3 files - and freely distributed - and the artist sees nothing.....<<<<
Do the words "FULL CIRCLE" come to mind?
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#1625924 - 06/05/00 07:16 PM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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Quin
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Yeah ! My friends college age kids say they don't buy CD's any more.....they just exchange MP3 files.
The college radio station format does serve a purpose in that the artist gets (a) heard (b) some kind of recognition - so the artists profile IS raised....but if the artist/label see's no income from his/her efforts then its all kind of moot.
My original point in all this is that doing your own thing with an independant label is fine - but be prepared for some difficulties and have a plan - and work out how to get PAID distribution for your music. After all - this is the music BUSINESS.
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#1625925 - 06/06/00 04:46 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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alphajerk
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imagine how much more money they have to buy dope and beer with now. man their broke college kids. i didnt buy any cd's while i was in college either.
some stats recently came out saying music purchases in college towns has dropped while it has increased in the suburbs. do the words "it all evens out" come to mind?
and there are smaller distributors you can deal with independantly. record stores have recently become eager to stock the indie musician. there are ways if you are willing to work at it.
_________________________
alphajerk FATcompilation "if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson
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#1625926 - 06/06/00 04:56 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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Quin
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Do you have the names/URL's of any of these smaller distributors ?
Thanks.
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#1625927 - 06/08/00 02:18 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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rstroope
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Jae,
My guess is that you want to sell cd's locally and make a few bucks but you'd like to look professional by having a nice label. If so, then come up with a name, record your cd and sell at your gigs. Some record stores will sell as a consignment. But don't expect a lot of sales. MC Hammer, I'm told, sold his first cd's from the trunk of his car. Rmemeber he had a following to begin with so unless your playing a lot of gigs....just have fun with it. Good luck.
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#1625928 - 06/09/00 11:52 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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Anonymous
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Get out and meet some of the indie label owners in your genre. Some will be jerks, some will be gems. Take the gems to dinner and learn what they do to make it on zilch investment.
There's no substitute for learning in the trenches. Don't waste too much time there yourself. Learn from others' experience.
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#1625929 - 06/09/00 06:41 PM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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jaebaeli@email.com
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Thanks to all of you for the information and input. Although it was all valuable to me, i think rstroope came closest to answering my real question. I don't want to distribute a CD that has no "label"- so i needed to know if i could just make one up with the band's address, etc. I am aware of how much work it is to run the business side of a band. I've done that AND played for years. It's hard work, and it can take away from the enjoyment of performing , rehearsal, writing. Hopefully, though, once it's going well, bands can hire management for that. I dconsider it a necessary evil in order to get the project off the ground.
Here's another question along the same vein: Can i do the same thing with the music publishing? Is it equally difficult to have your own music publishing company? WHere can i get info on that if, again, i only want to do that for MY BAND. ? any thoughts?
thanks, all.
Jae
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#1625930 - 06/09/00 07:47 PM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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rstroope
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Jae,
I would like to do the same thing but I've looked into it and publishing is a lot of work. You have to know copyright laws and a lot of stuff you really don't want to think about. But, if you're willing to work at it then you should go for it. Now the encouraging side. I bought a book about music publishing a few years ago. A friend of mine borrowed the book, formed a publishing company, wrote a song, self-published, persuaded a group to record it, and won a grammy for Gospel song of the year. He made $20,000 off that song and continues to collect royalties. But, that's the only song that went that far. Now, it's really up to you. As Bill Gates would say, " Where do you want to go today"...Good luck
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#1625931 - 07/25/00 05:08 PM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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wildplum
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Registered: 03/29/00
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let's explode a myth. soemone wrote:
-------
The biggest problem here is NOT what it takes to "run" your independent label ... It's how do you get the product to your adoring fans ie. distribution .... That is still the most pressing problem for all Independent labels
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this is a myth. even if you have your record in every store in the world, you aren't going to sell many if no one has heard of you or your music. on the other hand, if your fans are going into stores asking for you cds, the distributors will come looking for you.
no, it is not distribution that indie record labels (including mine) or indie artists need. its promotion. dirty little word that. but it is the key. get your name all over the front page of every national paper and you'll sell a lot of records. (shoot a presidential contender -there are a couple to choose from- and people will buy your cd just to see what you're about.)
which brings us to the second great myth, that being that the main thing the majors are good for is distribution. nope. the main thing the majors are good for is promotion. and that, my friends, is the reason the internet is not going to put them out of business. the majors are going to switch to internet distribution at some point. does that mean that us small labels are going to be on the same playing field? no way. what will separate us is the relative size of our promotion budgets and- don't ever underestimate this- the stength of our connections within the promotional machine.
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so you want to start a record label for your band? take a lesson from ani. she didn't start a label and then become successful. she payed everywhere she could, tour relentlessly- often for little or no money- and built up a demand for her music. and she did this rather quietly (if anthing ani does can be said to be done quietly), mostly under of the radar of the "music industry" (another myth, but another time). she kept steadily increase her draw at the venues she played until the media couldn't help but take notice and then she appeared to have just started a label and become a success.
sure, record a cd, print up a bunch. the get off your ass and go play in front of people. if the people likel your stuff, and you keep at it- relentlessly- the record label stuff will let you know when its ready.
_________________________
Wildplum Recordings a micro label, studio and remote recording service
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#1625932 - 08/30/00 03:27 AM
Re: How to start my own Independent Label?
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jegler@mailcity.com
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As far as the bare bones "buisiness" side of things, you have to go to your local County Clerk and get a Doing Buisiness As (D.B.A.) for 5-10 bucks.
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