Tell me about starting your own label

[Stupid_Fly_Records]

be prepared to HASSLE people a LOT.

i've started a little digi label (hopefully physical eventually) and found some killer tunes from local boys, but in my experience, producers are really really slack. they'll forget, misunderstand, ignore or rise above what you have to say; and i've got a feeling that our LP is going to drop a few months late because of this.

you might find it easier if you're signing producers that don't smoke weed though.

lol.. so true.. so true.. im going thru the same mess.. lol..

[Sharmaji]

First off, what amount of cash are we talking to put out at a 12" release? What about 3, 4, or 5?-Depends on what kind of deal you get with the distro..if you are stateside a P&D deal would best suit you.

How do you get a distro involved in your label? Are we talking presentations of artwork/music etc?Basically a general idea of what you want to put out and a plan to do so.

What about the actual pressing of the tune? how much? who deals with this?Usually the distro handles this.

How do you sign a tune via an artist? What sort of money are we talking to do this? You come up with what you want. Its your label so you basically make the ins and outs of your label. Write up a contract and come up with a suitable amount for both parties.

Much appreciated for any replys, be good to know whats involved and yeah I know theres no money to be made out of this, would be do something productive with life

here ya go.

P+D's are ideal but as of september, remarkably hard to come by. A lot of small distro houses closed in 2008, and the ones that are around are looking to make very sound business investments. can't really blame them.

Yes vinyl sales are growing, but that's more due to people buying vinyl pressings of already really-popular records (ie, fleet foxes, portishead) and audiophile re-issues of catalog material, than due to EDM on vinyl. If EDM/hiphop/etc was selling on vinyl in greater quantities, there'd still be dozens of record stores left in NYC, as opposed to the 10 or so that are still in business.

so the truth is, if you're doing vinyl it's all about distro. If you're doing digi, up to a certain level you can pretty much do it yourself as an artist-- there's nothing a label can do in that regard that you can't.

Ramadanman's pricing is on-the-money, though you also have to factor in the gigantic wait times incurred w/ independent pressing plants as--again--a lot of big ones closed up shop in 2008.

It's a tricky situation but it's definitely doable-- just a matter of how bad you want it done.

[string]

the truth is, if you're doing vinyl it's all about distro.

so if a P&D deal is gonna be off the cards for a new label, how do u get your release out to places like redeye, chemical etc? would you have to goto them directly?

[dusk governor]

the truth is, if you're doing vinyl it's all about distro.

so if a P&D deal is gonna be off the cards for a new label, how do u get your release out to places like redeye, chemical etc? would you have to goto them directly?

send them promos whether they want them or not

[faun2500]

All the advise on here is all very well BUT, The first thing you should do is contact a distributor.

No point doing anything untill you've done that. They will tell you to send them a few tracks to check-out and will tell you what to do after that.

So, go put a few of your BEST tracks on CD, contact distro and talk to them.
While your waiting for them to get back to you, you could be making a release schedulel and get some marketing/promotion ideas together.

[thinking]

the truth is, if you're doing vinyl it's all about distro.

so if a P&D deal is gonna be off the cards for a new label, how do u get your release out to places like redeye, chemical etc? would you have to goto them directly?

P&D stands for pressing & distribution (or production & distribution depending on who you ask) - but basically it means the distro pays for everything, and you get a smaller cut of any profits once ALL costs have been covered.

You could still press up your own records, and a distro is far more likely to take you on in this situation - as they don't have to spend all the money on manufacturing...

Other than that, you'll find that most of the big shops can be approached direct - in fact most shops will buy straight from you, but the tricky thing is getting stock to every shop, big & small, and keeping it in stock as well. That's why distributors exist!!

[apathesis]

be prepared to HASSLE people a LOT.

i've started a little digi label (hopefully physical eventually) and found some killer tunes from local boys, but in my experience, producers are really really slack. they'll forget, misunderstand, ignore or rise above what you have to say; and i've got a feeling that our LP is going to drop a few months late because of this.

you might find it easier if you're signing producers that don't smoke weed though.

A rarity to be sure

[psychonaught]

P+D's are ideal but as of september, remarkably hard to come by. A lot of small distro houses closed in 2008, and the ones that are around are looking to make very sound business investments. can't really blame them.

Ramadanman's pricing is on-the-money, though you also have to factor in the gigantic wait times incurred w/ independent pressing plants as--again--a lot of big ones closed up shop in 2008.

whats all this jazz about new laws inolving P+D. anybody care to elaborate??

does not sound like its good news though

[-dubson-]

bump...

quite intrested in this, anyone want to give more details on P&D deals, pressing ect.

[DFRNT]

If anyone wants to ask about digital-label stuff I might be able to help - AIM - DFRNTdubstep

[antipode]

without weed the tunes will surely suck..

are you a dickhead or something bruv

[surface_tension]

As a label that started with a P&D deal, even though we are happy with the way we've been treated, we wish we'd have gone SoR initially and will be switching ASAP. I recommend saving your money and waiting until you can afford the costs yourself upfront...

literally 95% of anything you WOULD have made(IF you'd have made anything at all anyway) will be eaten by general cost of convenience for not having to do as much work yourself. I promise you, you'd rather just do the research and press them yourself. MUCH cheaper, but better chance to make your money back/profit.