Do you need a Record Deal in 2022? (Label vs Independent)

Do you need a Record Deal in 2020? (Label vs Independent)

A few decades ago, a record deal was more or less the golden ticket to a career in music. A&R guys and label executives were bombarded with demo tapes, and musicians dreamt of the day they would sign a record contract.

The idea of large-scale releasing, promoting and distributing your own music was virtually unheard of. It was pretty much a record deal, or nothing.

In recent years, this couldn’t be further from the truth. There are a huge amount of artists that release there own stuff, amass millions of streams, all without the help of a record deal or distribution company. In fact, in many cases the roles are entirely reversed. An artist will blow up online, and record labels will be fighting each other off trying to gain the attention of the artist: their “golden ticket”.

So the question remains: are record labels really a necessity in 2022?


If you’re reading this, it’s likely you’re a musician or producer looking to grow a fanbase that love and appreciate the music you create. You want as many people as possible to hear your music, but maybe you’re not sure on the best ways to get your music out there in the modern era.

In my opinion, you do not need a record label to achieve this. There are countless artists and bands out there who have grown enormous fanbases and commercial acclaim with absolutely no outside help.

Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap cover
Chance’s hugely successful mixtape “Acid Rap”, released independently.

One particularly good example is Chance the Rapper, an endlessly talented rapper and a pioneer of modern hip hop. In 2017, Chance won a Grammy for best new artist for his album “Coloring Book”. This album was so popular that it was the first streaming-only album to chart on Billboard.

Seemingly against all odds, this was all achieved with no help from a record label. Chance’s meteoric rise to fame relied entirely on word of mouth and online streaming platforms such as DatPiff and SoundCloud.


The Benefits of independent releases

Independent artist vs record label
Creative control

One of the best things about being an independent artist is having completely unrestricted creative control over your music.

When you’re releasing your own stuff, you get to make every creative decision, from the album artwork, to the musical direction of your tracks.

In a lot of cases, this actually leads to better music, as there is a lack of external pressure from a label to create a certain sound. I’ve worked with a lot of artists over the years who have shared this sentiment.


Finances

Usually a label signing will consist of an “advance” paid to the artist, with the label then receiving commercial royalties of the music (or the majority of the royalties). If an artist then becomes incredibly successful, the label will make a gigantic amount of money from the royalties.

When you’re an unknown artist, any advance offered by a label is likely to be pretty small. If you truly believe in your music, you might be financially better off to stay independent and keep all that sweet streaming / royalty income (obviously, this is entirely dependant on the deal itself).


How to find success as an independent artist

Building a fanbase without external help sounds like an almost insurmountable task. If you’re an independent artist, it’s likely you won’t have the cash flow of an established label, so you’ve got to get creative with your promotion. There are plenty of ways to get your music heard without record label funding.

Social media presence – like it or not, your social media presence can make or break you as an artist. Your social accounts need to be highly engaging, with consistent content that displays not only your music, but your style and personality. Also, TALK to your fans. Reply to every single person that comments on your page, whether it’s negative or positive.

Collabs – Reach out to other artists in your genre and work on some collabs. Send out beats you think certain musicians would sound great on, or offer a remix for an already-released track. (Don’t just send “collab?” to their DM’s.)

Music Videos – An exciting, unique music video that captures your style and energy as an artist always has the potential to go viral, even if the song isn’t a hit. Even if you are still developing as an artist, begin to think about how you want to conceptualize your music through visuals.

There are countless other ways to promote your music online (and indeed offline); create a website, an email list, getting your songs playlisted on Spotify, Youtube, the list goes on.


Final Thoughts

Success in the music industry is definitely possible without a record label. Luckily, in today’s world it is easier than ever to get your music out there.

However, you need to be highly organised, relentlessly hard working and efficient.

One of the positives of a record label is that they handle a lot of the admin and distribution side of things, giving you more free time to focus on your craft.

If you’re managing everything yourself, it can often get in the way of actually making music. So you need to be incredibly dedicated to every aspect of creating and promoting your tracks.



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