It’s no secret that musicians and artists today are choosing an independent approach to the music industry. However, taking on such a task involves wearing an awful lot of hats! Artists, musicians, managers and label owners have to do everything for themselves these days. That’s why the rise of independent record label services may be interesting to you!
With such large responsibility placed on the shoulders of one person, it can be very difficult to not only keep your head afloat but to also spend time developing every area of your chosen career.
What Are Record Label Services?
Record label services, otherwise known as independent label services or simply label services are a great choice for artists who’d like to stay independent but want all the benefits of being signed to a record label. It’s essentially the modern music industry’s alternative to the traditional record label deal. Label services usually include marketing, promotion, distribution, sync, sales, rights management and analytics. Obviously, this depends on what kind of deal you go for, ranging from just a distribution deal to more digital music label services or full-blown label services.
You generally pay for the services you use instead of signing into a record-label contract. With more and more artists fighting to stay independent, label services are an increasingly common choice.
Where Did Label Services Come From?
Being a modern-day artist is no simple task. There’s a multitude of things that must be in place in order for your artist career to succeed. Balancing such tasks without a strong team behind you can be nearly impossible! Not to mention the struggle of brand new artists that may lack the network to succeed.
Such struggles have caused a rapid increase in record label service companies over the last decade. These companies are in place to help both start-up and established artists, providing everything they could possibly need to further their careers. Therefore, keeping the artist and their careers as independent as possible.
With such a drastic rise in label service companies, let’s take a look at some of the best currently on the market…
Music Gateway
Overall Rating: 5 / 5
Most Interesting Service: Promotional Advances
Best Suited: All Artists and Indie Labels
Price: £
As a complete 360 artist services platform, Music Gateway offers artists most things a traditional label can, without having to give away a large percentage of revenue and royalties. Whilst you may not get any advance (that you pay back anyway) they offer distribution, music promotion (covering playlisting, press, radio, and digital marketing), publishing and many other services.
With a diverse and global professional network, they can assist with everything from creating professional websites and track mastering to facilitating music video production, album cover artwork and merchandise.
With an expert team of music professionals, they pride themselves on providing exemplary royalties and licensing services, PR and social media packages, and even offer promotional advances on royalties. They also offer a bespoke Sync Promo service that tailors and promotes your music to the best music supervisors and music libraries to suit your style and genres.
With everything an artist needs under one roof, all you need to do is sign up – with membership starting from Free up to Pro Unlimited.
Get in touch to see how their range of services can help with your project.
Absolute
Overall Rating: 3.5 / 5
Most Interesting Service: Detailed song registration across platforms for optimum potential
Best Suited: All Artists
Price: Unknown
Absolute, like other label services in this review, offers a range of services to indie labels and artists including digital and physical distribution, marketing, manufacturing and sync placements. The company also features a very impressive roster of household-name artists, authenticating their service to those of you interested in taking the next step.
The attention to detail given by this company is outstanding. Absolute leaves no stone unturned when it comes to song registration, royalty collection or anything else for that matter.
Horus Music
Overall Rating: 4 / 5
Most Interesting Service: Integrated and restrictable database for clients and colleague
Best Suited: Established / larger artists
Price: £££
Horus Music label service promotes itself as being the helping hand for artists and labels heading towards the next big step. Its multitude of services allows both artists and label owners to easily control and manage their careers moving forward.
Horus offers a large connected network for you and your team. Sub-accounts allow the artist/label heads to restrict access to its users – Ideal for artists with an expanding roster of team members and staff. Artists can oversee every aspect of their career whilst team members only have access to what’s relevant to their role!
It appears that artists and labels must apply to Horus Music in order to access the plentiful services available. Artist accounts are available from £20 a year, however, there is limited information available as to what this subscription includes.
Aloaded
Overall Rating: 4 / 5
Most Interesting Service: Administration teams to relieve workload
Best Suited: Established / larger artists
Price: Unknown
Alongside standard label services such as distribution and sync placements, Aloaded provides administration help to take those boring admin jobs off your to-do list. They will also handle the logistics of any manufacturing or negotiations needed to secure physical distribution placements in stores.
The service also features an experienced team of creative consultants, ready to guide you through your next business venture. Like most label services, Aloaded has a vast media team. Need help with your next music video, album artwork, website or maybe a complete rebrand? They have the team to help you achieve your goals.
Although pricing and other information regarding working with this company are limited from the website, Aloaded feels like a strong contender in the label service game.
The Famous Company
Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5
Most Interesting Service: Studios and professional songwriters available in multiple locations
Best Suited: Established mid-range / larger artists
Price: ££
The Famous Company music service has been growing fast since its launch in 2014. Their label services. Avoiding any digital distribution, The Famous Company provides useful alternative services that many other companies don’t.
With studios scattered across the UK and US, Famous provides recording spaces to artists at an affordable yet professional rate. The company also has a detailed roster of professional musicians, songwriters and producers; all ready to work with artists on their latest material. Famous also promote in-house videographers, graphic designers and photographers; alongside an experienced marketing team.
Additional label services include project management, data analytics and festival databases, although artists must apply to work with this label service, so The Famous Company may best suit those already established in the industry.
AWAL
Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5
Most Interesting Service: A full record label service without the record label cons
Best Suited: Established mid-range / larger artists
Price: Unknown
This multi-tiered label service offers support for artists at three distinctive points in their careers: Gaining momentum, Breaking through and going global. They provide the artist with funding, one-to-one artist support, management and more (depending on the level of your career). In return, they take a small percentage of your earnings.
Contracts with AWAL are open, artists can leave at any time and you keep 100% of your rights.
Sounds great right? What’s the catch I hear you say? Well, working with this label service is no easy task. Artists must either be recommended to the company through a trusted friend or must partake in AWAL’s detailed screening process to ensure they’re at the ‘next level’. Definitely a service for established artists that are gaining traction in the industry.
Ditto Plus
Overall Rating: 2 / 5
Most Interesting Service: ‘Label in a box’ provides all the legal paperwork needed to start a label
Best Suited: Beginner artists
Price: £
Ditto may be a well-known name to some of you. It’s up there with the likes of Tunecore and CD Baby for digital distribution. But, did you know that Ditto has now released ‘Ditto Plus’?
Ditto Plus is a label service designed to help up-and-coming artists/labels reach the next step in their careers.
Offering all of the usual Ditto services (digital distribution, sync placements, etc), Ditto Plus also provides playlist placements, release strategies, video monetisation and general account management. Artists also have access to the Ditto creative team for artwork and graphic design.
Admittedly, compared to other label service companies in this review, Ditto offers the least. Pricing information is scarce on the Ditto Plus website, with a lot of animation but limited valuable info – and with only a small mention of Ditto taking a royalty share.
My personal opinion – If you want to hit the big leagues, Ditto may not be the answer.
Final Thoughts On The Best Label Services
It’s hard to keep so many plates spinning in today’s industry. It’s even harder to find trustworthy people to help reduce the workload! From my research, it seems that any one of the companies listed would be more than up for the task.
I personally love the business infrastructure that Music Gateway has for all levels of artists, with everything under one roof and easily accessible. Being able to manage everything an artist needs with the same company makes life a lot easier and builds a strong working relationship.
I’d suggest you get in touch with Music Gateway and see how they can help with your creative projects.
Which label service you choose to partner with really boils down to your individual needs. I just hope it propels you and your career to the next level. Good luck!
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