Top 10 Plus and Minus Reasons to Get a Record Label…. or Stay Independent
Almost every day, I get this type of DM, text, or email…..
“Brett…can you get me a record deal?”
The music scene is ever-evolving, expanding, and learning. Before new artists even get their feet off the ground, they’re faced with a pivotal decision that will likely shape their entire career: whether to sign with a record label or stay independent. This is a significant and complex dilemma that musicians are forced to confront. It carries with it profound implications for their creative autonomy, financial stability, and, ultimately, their long-term success.
It has been many generations now that record labels have been seen as the gateways to fame. To get a record deal was to reach success. They provide artists with resources, promotion, and distribution networks to make the artist’s music heard. However, we now see another option, and that is independent artists who can carve their way to success with the help of social media and streaming services, creating their own music and launching their own music career without the help or rules of the elusive record deal.
In this article, we will embark on an exploration of the pros and cons of the two distinct roads, sharing the pros, cons, tradeoffs, values, and everything in between. Whether you’re an artist just starting out or you’re reevaluating your career trajectory, this article will shed ample light on all aspects of this industry and your options.
What Is The Difference Between Signed Artists VS. Independent Artists?
The main difference is how much control you retain over your music. Indie artists have full control (and responsibility) over marketing, artwork, distribution, deadlines, and more. They choose when they release music, how they share, what other artists they work with, and so on. Many artists love this aspect of independence.
The record label’s money comes from control. When you sign on, you sign away some or all of the rights to your music. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, when you look at the returns. Let’s go over record deals in greater detail.
Positive Side of Releasing Music With A Record Label?
Having a music label comes with several benefits that indie musicians either won’t see or will struggle to achieve.
1. Music Artists Benefit From Advocates
Record labels act as and provide advocates for the artist. Advocates go between the artist and all the gritty work to provide guidance, representation, support in addressing financial contracts, and much more.
2. Access To More Resources
Even independent record labels (record labels that don’t have funding or distribution from major record label companies such as Apple Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, or Universal Music Group, to name a few), have a lot more resources than an individual. These resources help with supporting mastering, distribution, album network creation, and so on.
3. Record Labels Promote A Good Reputation In The Music Industry
Making music isn’t enough if you want it to reach people. Many record labels, especially the major ones, have tons of well-established influence and connections within the music industry. You may have the best music ever written, but it won’t get you far without some connections.
4. Network Already Exists
Established labels already have a following that trusts their work, especially if they’ve released several hit songs. Their fanbases are eagerly awaiting new music events to attend and artists to discover. Indie artists will have to build their following from the ground up.
Labels also have secure relationships with booking agents, music venues, publishing companies, PR companies, and every other kind of music industry professional.
5. Travel Expenses
Though this doesn’t apply to every artist who signs on with a record label, it is often a perk. Some labels will put money towards sending their artists to relevant cities with people they should meet or to camps meant for creatives so that you can learn, grow, and improve in your craft.
Disadvantages Of Signing With A Record Label
As you might have already gathered, signing a music label isn’t all roses and sunshine. There are risks involved that you should be made aware of.
6. Higher Failure Rate
Unfortunately, a whopping 99% of artists signed to a major label deal are shelved or put on the back burner. This is because these companies sign an impressive number of artists, all of whom are competing for the label’s time, attention, and money.
7. Less Profit
The way record labels make money is by taking a percentage of the profits generated from every revenue source related to your music. This includes music sales, streams, licensing deals, and everything else.
This is also one of the reasons most artists find themselves shelved. The company is going to devote its efforts towards whomever it believes will sell the most, therefore, earning the company the most profit possible. That doesn’t make it a desirable place to be, but it does help put things in a little bit of perspective.
8. Risk of Bad Contract Deals
Major record labels are notorious for their contract deals that tie the artist up and give them as little of the royalties as possible. It’s imperative if/when you sign on with a record label that you carefully read every word of the contract before you sign. You may even have your representation (if you have an agent, for example) read through it as well just to make sure no surprises are thrown your way.
It’s not just about the royalties with these contracts. They bind up your time and, more importantly, your work. Often, the rights you thought you had simply by being the creator are stripped away and you’re left with nothing but some hope that you might make it big someday. For your own sake, set aside the giddy excitement of being offered a deal and read the contract thoroughly.
9. Large Commitment
When an artist signs with a major label, they commit themselves to basically becoming a workhorse until the contract expires. There is no more freedom or deadline flexibility, simply the work that the label requires of you. Often, you are committing to creating a large and specific number of pieces, which can lead to burnout or strained creativity.
10. You Might Not Have The Right To Make Decisions
An example of not being allowed to make your own decisions about the thing things you’ve created is that a label has every right to license an artist’s music out to a movie without his or her permission. You may be wondering how they can get away with this. It’s quite simple, really. The label justifies its actions by saying that they’re just doing their job, which is trying to make an artist famous. But, if that’s the case and it’s not just about the money, shouldn’t the creator be consulted first?
The answer is absolutely, unequivocally, yes. Unfortunately, record labels don’t see it that way.
Why Do Some Music Artists Choose To Stay Independent?
In today’s music world, the appeal of staying independent is gaining momentum. Not only is it very appealing to maintain all the rights to your work, but it’s becoming more and more accessible to people across the world as building a platform on social media becomes the norm.
Close Relationships
When an indie artist brings someone onto their team, they are choosing that individual personally. It leads to close relationships and a true understanding of the artist’s goals among the entire team. Record labels have their own vision, but when you surround yourself with like-minded individuals you can create an environment where your vision can be realized.
Paving Your Own Way
Choosing this route comes with a lot of responsibility, but so much freedom. You are free to blaze your own path. You are free to strive with everything you have. You are free to create. You are free to walk away, should you choose. You may have to do it yourself, but it’s worth it to many artists.
Full Control Over Their Creativity
Indie artists get to create what they want when they want. They get to choose who they market to and how they go about that. They choose what message they want to convey, when their deadlines are, and how much they want to create in a certain timeframe. Music labels look to get the most for their money. That often means that artists get worked to the bone. Even if they’re burnt out and struggling with every note, the music label expects artists to meet deadlines no matter what. This can be very damaging to a creator’s creative process and their health. For this reason alone, many artists choose to pursue the indie route.
They Don’t Have To Sign Away Their Rights To The Music
With full and complete rights to their music, indies have the freedom to negotiate music licensing and publishing deals that suit their lifestyles and processes. As an indie artist, no one will sign away your song to a movie you want no part in. You won’t see your music used in ads for products you would never use and don’t want to endorse. You are in control.
Indie Artists Keep Their Money
When you choose to go the indie route, you are choosing to not filter your profits down from company to company until it eventually reaches you. You are in control of who gets what, including what you retain.
Down Sides To Staying An Independent Artist
Just like with everything, there is give and take to this path. You may keep a lot, but doing everything yourself also limits you in some serious ways.
Limited Knowledge Of The Music Business
There is so much information to absorb that it can be very challenging to keep track of it all. You need to be aware of changing trends, music laws, current artists, taxes, and so much more. Until you start looking into it yourself, it’s hard to understand everything that goes into making an artist successful.
Resources Are Limited
Funding master, distribution, marketing, merchandise, touring… it all costs so much money. As an individual, you might not have tons of money for upfront costs. You may find yourself scrambling or putting other things on the back burner so that you can prioritize your music. It can be quite tricky making it all fit, especially at first when none of your music has gained any traction yet. It’s worth considering before diving in headfirst.
It’s Challenging
Without financial support, incipient artists have to be very organized and efficient if they want to see success. As an indie, you will be managing your own marketing, studio bookings, calendar, admin tasks, tours, and anything else necessary. It’s not for the faint of heart. Never let anyone tell you that indie is the “easy way out,” because it takes 100% of what you have to be successful.
Smaller Labels
As an indie artist, you might struggle to garner the attention of larger music labels, if that was something you chose to go after.
Less Influence In The Industry
Whether it’s founded or not, having a record label stand behind your work gives it a certain level of credibility. Your music suddenly becomes something that others can rally behind without feeling like outsiders just because the company has already earned their trust. It will be hard as an indie to gain that same level of respect among your peers and give your name a certain amount of weight.
Should You Stay Independent Or Sign A Record Deal?
Ultimately, each individual is going to need to find the path that works best for them. It’s not easy being an artist in the music world, but perhaps one path is better suited to your lifestyle and abilities than the other.
Here are some things to consider when choosing to go with a record label:
- “Who are these people?” See what they have done, what they can do, and how much experience they have. The last thing you want is to find your entire career in the hands of someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
- “Who will I be working with?” Is the person you met with the same one who will be with you every step of the way? If not, find out how you can meet that person who will be there. You don’t want to find out after it’s too late that you and this person are not compatible.
- “If this one person leaves, will I be okay with that?” Say that the person who discovered you leaves the label. Are you going to be able to continue working in that environment? Are there ways you could leave the label if it was that important to you?
- “What is this company going to do for me regarding costs?” Think, marketing, traveling, equipment, and so on. What is the company willing to provide? What will you have access to? If they are providing these things, where is the money coming from? Are they drawing it from your profits or is it a perk of signing on?
Here are some considerations when going indie:
- “Can I do this on my own?” Are you organized? Are you efficient? Do you have a specific vision or some ethereal dream? It’s important to know your limits as well as your goals.
- “Do I have a support network?” Even if you are the one responsible for your hopeful success, we all need people who are there to lift us up and provide a little help along the way. For you, is this your family? Your friends? Your mentor?
- “Do I know what I’m getting myself into?” Research, research, research. You need to know what goes into being an indie artist. Of course, you learn a lot along the way, you discover ways to do things you didn’t know were possible, you expand your mental library and resources, but you need to have a good understanding of what it takes to be an indie artist before you invest too much into it and figure out that it’s not for you.
Each path has its ups and downs, pros and cons, benefits and drawbacks. Every budding artist is faced with this choice which, fortunately for you, means that there is plenty of information out there. You aren’t alone in this. Just make sure that whatever you choose, you aren’t going in blind.
How Do You Get A Signed Record Label?
Let’s simplify this into a few, manageable steps:
- Identify Your Style and Become Consistent
- Compile a Stellar Demo
- Focus on Quality Rather than Quantity
- Create Beneficial Music Industry Connections
- Establish a Following
- Perform Live as Frequently as Possible
- Get and Implement Good Feedback from People Who Matter
You may see this list as unachievable, or even simply daunting, but it can be done. Many of the things can be done without help from anyone except yourself! The other items often just need some good effort and perseverance to yield fruit.
