Start an Independent Record Label: Music Business Made Simple. by J. S. Rudsenske & J. P. Denk

Author:J. S. Rudsenske & J. P. Denk [Rudsenske, J. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-85712-526-2
Publisher: Schirmer Trade Books
Published: 2010-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Be conscious at all times of how you treat people within the industry. A good reputation is important, even if your label has no track record.

Start assembling a list of quality people who can work for your label. If you do not have the resources to hire employees, identify freelancers you can bring in to help operate your label.

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IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD LIVE PERFORMANCE

Successful label owners know that an artist’s performance can increase record sales. They understand that a strong live show can persuade the public to purchase an artist’s records now and in future. Many times, an artist’s live performance may be the most effective marketing and promotional tool available to a small label. This is why performance ability should be a major consideration (maybe even the most important one) when you’re deciding whether or not to sign an artist to your label.

Marketing is simply getting the product to the market. However, it’s not so simple for a new label like yours, which will have limited options for getting its CDs to people who want to buy them. Ultimately, you’ll sign with a distributor to get your artist’s CD into retail stores. But with your relatively small marketing and promotion budget, that CD could get lost in the sea of music available at a record store. For your label to achieve its primary goal of selling records, people have to know and care about your artist’s CD.

Because you probably won’t be able to flood the market with radio, TV, and magazine advertisements, and since your artist will probably not appear on Saturday Night Live any time soon, the best place to inform people about the artist’s new CD is at his or her live shows. In fact, unless the artist is getting radio airplay, the only people who may know about your artist are fans who come to his or her performances. Therefore, this is a logical place to start selling CDs. You can set up a merchandise booth at the venue, or simply have the artist bring a box of CDs to each show.

I find that developing artists tend to sell more records at live performances than at record stores anyway. I attribute this, in part, to the motivational aspects of a good live performance. I have purchased many artists’ records after a great live show. Moved by the performance and caught up in the moment, I want to remember the show and support the artist. I know I may not get to a record store in the near future, and by then, I may have lost the feeling. I might not find the record at my local retail store anyway. So I buy a CD at the show. Fans of the artists on your label will undoubtedly feel the same way.

There is another important reason to sell CDs at your artists’ shows: Profit. (Remember, this is a business.) Direct sales at live performances will yield almost twice as much profit as sales at record stores will. If you’ve priced the CD at $14.

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