Label or Independent?

[fuzion]

Was just thinking in terms of money (as I really need some haha) would it be better to release an EP on a label or independently?

Basically its a 4 track EP with an original and 3 remixes and I'd have to cut profits between myself and remixers obviously but would this including distribution costs be better or worse than finding a label?

Not just asking for myself but in all cases label or no label.. ?

[Today]

easy. Indie > who's gonna promote it and how much will that cost you?
label > is there a deal on the table and what's it look like?

[DubMikey]

Wouldn't that depend on which label will release the EP?

[fuzion]

easy. Indie > who's gonna promote it and how much will that cost you?
label > is there a deal on the table and what's it look like?

I could probably get it up on a few youtube channels some have like 70k subscribers-ish and also I have a fairly nice fanbase on facebook & youtube. Also I could consider some online ads and POSSIBLY a music video - labelwise I have no idea yet

Wouldn't that depend on which label will release the EP?

possibly but there's only so much a label can do, unless its really big but I highly doubt that its not the most commercial release

[DubMikey]

Well, the label gets what? 50% of total? Plus what the remixers get. You have 13k likes (hory shet) on facebook and as you so well said yourself, you'll get it promoted on Youtube channels with +70k subs. If it was me, I'd (probably) go about and release it myself. But hey, the fuck do I know, right?

[Killamike49]

Set up your own label so you can release on beatport and such. I don't think it's too hard considering the trash i have to wallow through sometimes, haha.

[fuzion]

Well, the label gets what? 50% of total? Plus what the remixers get. You have 13k likes (hory shet) on facebook and as you so well said yourself, you'll get it promoted on Youtube channels with +70k subs. If it was me, I'd (probably) go about and release it myself. But hey, the fuck do I know, right?

Yeah very well put thanks I think it would be much better if I released it myself tbh

Set up your own label so you can release on beatport and such. I don't think it's too hard considering the trash i have to wallow through sometimes, haha.

I was actually thinking of that earlier, regardless of that I can just as easily distribute it through tunecore or something and then if it goes well ive always liked the idea of having a label

[Killamike49]

Not to mention you could sign people that you know should get more attention in the scene, you could throw nights, have a flock of women at your disposal, etc etc.

[atticuh]

Consider all the fine print carefully (the legal documents). If you have trouble understanding the contracts, contact an attorney or management which can objectively tell you what the details mean. The Devil is always in the details, and never sign anything without knowing full well what you're "legally" agreeing upon.

That said, DSF is not the best source of legal advice as most of us laymen are not lawyers in the music biz.

[Killamike49]

I would suggest messaging someone like sparxy who runs bacon dubs. I think madep does too, but i could be wrong. They can probably give you the clearest view of the pros and cons, friend.

[Basic A]

Label. Always. A group of people will have more acquaintances as a whole then an individual will, and therefore youll be better promoted, and therefore, more successful.

18 heads in a fam like unit are better then 1 head alone in his bedroom.

ALso, labesl will exercise quality control, and give you bare honest truth in regard to feedback when its their neck on the line as much as your own.

[deadly_habit]

all the views and likes in the world don't translate to sales
setup a bandcamp shop and do a test run
hell try it as pay what you want for a single tune and when you promo it say, it'd be nice to get say $1, but if you're broke i won't hold that against you
then see how many of your fans will actually pay

[hudson]

Independent label

[deadly_habit]

Independent label

are a BITCH to run, (especially if you want to avoid using a digital distro and maximizing your profits)

[hudson]

True, they're a good place to start though. The good ones usually have a lot of local connections.

[fuzion]

Label. Always. A group of people will have more acquaintances as a whole then an individual will, and therefore youll be better promoted, and therefore, more successful.

18 heads in a fam like unit are better then 1 head alone in his bedroom.

ALso, labesl will exercise quality control, and give you bare honest truth in regard to feedback when its their neck on the line as much as your own.

That's always true but with a label your obviously not getting as much of the cuts as you would independently and I don't think a labels connections could make up for that - I understand what your saying and the only thing making it worth it is the fact ive got remixes as well as the original which expands the audience alot but im not 100% sure what to do yet :/

[Dystinkt]

Id say try get the release on a label, like basic said more people working together generate more interest, which generates more sales which means although your cut gets reduced, youll still make a similar amount to what you would from a self release

[Crosz]

What does beatport require a record label to have? Just good music/artists? Paperwork? Do you sign a contract with them? sup?

[deadly_habit]

the odds of you getting on beatport without a digital distro is very slim, that being said most digital distro services have no quality control and will take any label that pays their fees
and yes beatport has a contract, just like any other digital retailer with a label

[mks]

There are now 1038573894 labels to serve 5093743820934898549 producers which equals 409485490394584095843094584390945804 tracks to go through.

Music isn't worth shit anymore (IMO), just like that French philosopher said (I forgot his name, need to look it up). Unless of course, it is a dope tune and you need to have it and are willing to pay for it rather than torrent it etc.

As Deadly said, most digital distributors will accept you as long as you have a label set up and are willing to pay the fees. Beatport for one, does still have an application process even for an aggregator/distributor, but that can be bypassed depending on how good of a relationship that distributor has with Beatport.