What should you expect from a recordlabel? (Part 1)
In a series of posts we will discuss what you as an artist should expect from the label you are signing up with. And even though we should be starting with the obvious, which is the contract, or agreement, this part is so extensive that we’re saving that for later. Before we get into contract-making, we feel it might be nice to have a little knowledge about some other stuff that is usefull to know before signing any deal. One of them being;
Promotion
There are a few minimum requirements that a recordlabel should provide their artists. One of them being promotion. Perhaps one of the most important one Unless you’re allready a major selling artist, music simply does not sell itself. It needs to be promoted, and it need to be promoted well.
Here at Whispering Voice Records we do our very best for all artists under our wings. We do so not only by operating with independent promoteurs all over the world, but we do so by doing targeted and effectful promotion. This means that we do not simply put a post up on Facebook and expect big results. In order to reach out we to the research first.
Finding out what media has the best chance of reaching your type of audience, for the music you are releasing, is something we are really good at.
But have the knowling of what to spend, and where, is often a result of trial and error, AND a learning skill.
This is not done in a day, even if the label have used the same promoters before. No artists are ever the same, and neither is the music. Using the same promotion-tactics on all rleases will surely fail, sooner or later.
A label that isn’t willing to spend the least amount of money on promoting your music, is a label that has no faith in it
Remember, no good promotion is ever free. Putting adds in different magazines, webzines and even radio, costs money. But doing this right can mean the difference between cash and trash. And a label that isn’t willing to spend the least amount of money on promoting your music, is a labe that has no faith in your music. Then you become just another rooster-filler.
For some labels, it’s all about the numbers-game. The quanta. The more music a label can release, the more dineros they can cash out. But for each band it amounds to such a small amount that it doesn’t even cover the cost of publishing. In other words, the band doesn’t see a dime.
So before signing with a label, you should make sure to ask them what kind of promotion they do. It’s a fair question, and it should have a fair answer.