Starting an indie Record Label
Part 0 - 1 Year Later
About 1 year ago, I had a sort of epiphany when I was traveling away from home on a work trip. I was in my hotel room in Toronto, and something shifted for me, my lens changed, and I immediately began working on creating my own record label. What came to follow was a year of consistent progress and setbacks, sort of like a 2 steps forward, 1 step back kind of vibe. AC/DC said it best, “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll)”.
I originally came up with the idea of forming my own record label when I became committed to becoming a professional musician. For a while, in conversation with others regarding the music industry, it always seemed to leave a sour taste on the tongue; especially when hearing about unfair deals or bad management. I believe that in our current era, there’s no reason why individual talent can’t rise. The changes to technology and social media have transformed the ways in which we absorb music. There’s power in the individual, which is why I’ve always appreciated the D.I.Y mindset of artists like Minor Threat, Billy Strings, No Age (The list is too long). This goes even further to apply to artists, comedians, and writers whose work I’ve enjoyed. I believe that when you have enough people working on a common goal, even if its just to grow a more creatively minded community, it can benefit individual artists and the whole by providing more opportunities to get their work out to locals who will appreciate it.
I’ll be saying the phrase “Holistic Approach” throughout this blog series (No, I’m not referring to Essential Oils or Crystals. No, I’m not trying to pitch you on a MLM or Pyramid Marketing Scheme). I’m gonna “Break it Down Barney Style”, because It’s this idea in mind on how I’ll describe the different parts of a Record Label. When I say “Holistic Approach to the industry”, I’m saying that I keep in mind, that every part the record label business (marketing/legal/talent/etc.), all rely on each other to contribute to the collective success. It’s like a group project in school, everyone has an individual grade on their share of the work, but if every person puts in that extra effort, the group as a whole benefits. No, this is not a communist mindset, I think of it more like capitalizing on capitalism, as long as it’s through the lens of integrity and reliability. Comparing this to a record label, when all the individual parts of the business thrive, everyone thrives and benefits.
An artist relies on their label to provide fair contracts and honest terms/agreements. Hopefully, the artist is also able to keep ownership of their work. However, I’m sure that many other musicians who have had skin in the game, have heard of a notable artist voicing out their opinion on an unfair contract or deal. That artist will probably find it harder to reach their creative potential afterward, especially if they have worries and troubles of bad business deals on their mind. In turn, the label suffers by getting less than normally stellar content. It’s a downward spiral that seems to squeeze the creative life out of the artist, while hurting the overall image of the music industry. On the flip side, if an artist feels like they are being supported by their label, through community, opportunitues, and resources, they are more likely to creatively thrive. Not only does the label benefit, but the locals as well in having more opportunities to see and engage with local rising talent and creators.
Why a record label in San Antonio? In a weird way, fate brought me here, and I’m grateful for it. I grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles and it never really felt like home. I still hold on to some West Coast vibes, there’s nothing that will take away the joy of breathing in ocean air and catching a show in Hollywood. San Antonio has its own distinct mood and vibe, which in many ways I appreciate more. I believe that creativity and originality go hand in hand in a lot of ways, and San Antonio and its citizens are authentic in who they are (Could be a Texas thang). There’s a strong sense of community here and I think there’s plenty of people that have something original that they want out in the universe, and I want to help make that a reality.
It took a full year for me to get to this point, where my ideas to grow and promote the label started making sense. My goal for this and future blog posts is to share my experiences to those on a similar path, and provide as much useful info as possible. Currently, I’m splitting my time between songwriting, building the website with all the socials, and studying. Now that I’ve figured out a way where this label might work, I’ve become a workaholic to make it happen. “You can’t fake the funk”