Independent Record Labels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7vInHz79goBit of an Intro:

What are the benefits of being an Indie Label?

An indie label is a record label that is independently funded and not connected to or owned by one of the Big 3 major labels.

Indie labels range from home based hobby labels to highly profitable, large businesses.

In the 1990s, the line between indie labels and major labels began to blur somewhat, and now some large indie labels are actually distributed by the Big 3 major labels.

Independent Labels – How are they Different?

• There are several thousand independents in the UK alone.

• Independents rarely include publishing or manufacturing.

• They occasionally run distribution.• They frequently have new media operations.• Some indies specialize in licensing existing

recordings.• Most deal with their own content and artists.• The bigger indies can major label distribution.• Majors sometimes own shares in or invest in indies

Independent Labels – How are they Different?

Independent Labels

On a simple level, independents are seen as being at the opposite end of the institutional spectrum from the music majors

majors independentsSony Music Entertainment

Warner Music Group

Universal Music Group

Beggars Group – includes Beggars Banquet, Charlatans, White Stripes, Prodigy

Rough Trade – The Smiths, The Strokes, Belle and Sebastian, The Libertines

Domino Records – Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys

Independent Labels

Indie labels often face an uphill battle trying to get their music heard, as they typically have far fewer financial resources to promote their music than major labels do.

Despite the struggle, many labels have survived, and thrived, for years, and many other indie labels may not have lasted forever but had a tremendous impact on music both creatively and in terms of business.

Independent Labels: How are they Similar?

• Some indies are bigger than others:– may be just one music label, but may own a range of music

labels

• Will have artists / bands signed to them, just as majors do

• The process of production, distribution and exchange can be similar to that of the majors, but on a smaller scale

• Some indies are horizontally integrated by having more than one label.

• When an independent company becomes very successful, it may well be a target for takeover by a major music company

Independent Labels

Independent / indie labels are often thought of as:

• producing more authentic music (in contrast to mass-produced, manufactured music from the majors)

• seeing music as creative art, rather than commercial product

• giving their artists more artistic freedom to produce the music they want, rather than fitting into an existing music formula that has been proven to sell

Perceptions ofmajors and independents

• Have lots of money

• Promote mainstream artists

• Produce standardised, formulaic music

• Sole aim is to make more money

• Have very little money

• Produce obscure music by artists that no-one has heard of

• Their music is hard to categorise, so gets called “alternative”

• Are not so motivated by profit

Do you think this is true? How accurate are these perceptions?

Market Share

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/mar/22/indie-record-labels-changed-world

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/19/why-record-labels-still-matter

Check out these two articles:

How much do they sell?

• Indies make about 80% of controlled releases (albums or tracks)

• Together they sell about 25% of recorded music world wide

• Majors then, only sell 20% of controlled music, but this adds up to 75% of all sales.

Majors v Indies MYTHS

• MYTH: Artists on indie labels produce “alternative” (non-mainstream) music that will not sell…

But• Arctic Monkeys - Arctic Monkeys - straight into charts at No. 1 for album

and single in 2006. Fastest selling album up to 2006.

• Franz Ferdinand• The Strokes• Oasis - signed to Creation, an indie label, but biggest stadium act of the 90s

• MYTH: Artists on indie labels are all “breaking new ground”

But• It can be argued that the most successful

artists are just recycling past musical styles and images

Majors v Indies MYTHS

• MYTH: The output of the Big 3 majors is all standardized, formulaic material.

But• All of the following have an indie image, but are

contracted to the majors:– Radiohead - Parlophone – Capitol Records (Universal)– Sonic Youth - Geffen - Universal– Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Funeral for a Friend - labels

owned by Warner Music Group– The Kaiser Chiefs - Universal (after indie start)

Majors v Indies MYTHS

• MYTH: The majors do not allow “alternative” artists creative control, and do not really support them

But• It can be argued that the majors can allow more risk-

taking, because they can cover any losses through their more profitable mainstream artists.

• “Alternative” artists can draw on the strength of a major music company to market and distribute their music

Majors v Indies MYTHS

PromotionMajors and Independents

• The size and strength of the majors means they can– put more money into promoting

their music (advertising campaigns, appearances, radio airplay etc.)

– secure better distribution of their music (getting it stocked in shops)

• Awards ceremonies, like The Brits, act as a promotional vehicle for the majors.

• Independent labels can be swamped by the power of the majors in promotion and distribution.

• However, awards like the Mercury Music Prize, that are based on musical performance rather than production budget, advertising hype or sales, can help promote independent labels’ artists– XL’s Dizzee Rascal, 2003– Domino’s Franz Ferdinand, 2004– Rough Trade’s Antony and the

Johnsons, 2006

Where: Main offices located in London, UK, with a satellite office in Brooklyn, USA.

Label Founders: Laurence Bell and Jacqui Rice Founded: 1993

http://www.dominorecordco.com/

• The band that officially landed Domino in the indie big leagues was Franz Ferdinand. • Their self titled first album was an indie favorite, but their 2005 album It

Could Have Been So Much Better earned Domino its first UK number one album.

• They followed up with the wildly successful I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, a single by Artic Monkeys, which also was a number one hit in the UK.

• Although these achievements are huge enough for an indie label, Domino was able to hold on to these bands for the UK market in the wake of their success, a major coup for an indie label.

• In addition to the less commercial releases that are on the main Domino label, they founded a subsidiary label, Geographic Records. • Geographic Records releases music that falls outside of the typical indie

rock/pop of Domino, such as world music, jazz music and other more experimental music.

In pairs – create a video about an Independent Record Label.

• How is the label structured?

• Consider the range of artists signed to them and the styles of music

• Do they fit into one genre

• Do they fit the stereotype of ‘alternative’?

• How does it distribute / allow its music to be consumed?

• How has the internet helped the success of the label?

• Does it use social networking? How / Why?

• How does it encourage fan to return to the website?

• Does it use its website for anything else? T make money perhaps?

Rough Trade Records - Beggars Group – 4AD – Creation – Factory – XL Recordings – Warp Records - Mute

In your video, you need to discuss: