Put a Label on it: The best ways to release your music.
What we're looking at in this post are the numerous ways in which one can get their music out there; from the traditional methods to the most modern tools available.
The landscape of music distrubution has changed dramitcally over the last twenty years. The so called "streaming revolution' has made it easier for listeners to play the music of their favourite artists. In many ways it's made the path to releasing music more straightfoward too but, arguably, streaming has made it less financially benefical for musicians to do so. That's a topic for another day though - at the end of the day, for many new artists the most important thing is just having people hear their music.
A recent example of how things have changed is to take a look at how two successful female pop stars have recently garnered success. Both Olivia Rodrigo and Lauren-Spencer Smith shot to the top of the charts with emotional, pain fuelled ballads with 'Drivers License' and 'Fingers Crossed' respectively. While they both recieved millions of streams the path they took to get there was vastly different.
Rodrigo is signed to one of the world's biggest record labels, Universal Music, whereas Smith is totally independent. In fact, Lauren-Spencer Smith is so self-sufficient in terms of her releases that she is able to retain 100% of the royalties by using a service known as TuneCore to distribute her songs. Yes, her success was largely down to the song becoming successful on TikTok, but the song wouldn't be on the app if it wasn't for TuneCore putting it on streaming services.
Smith's success is a testament to the ways in which you are now able to share your music without having to be signed by a label. That's not to say that the older ways don't have their benefits though.
What we're looking at in this post are the numerous ways in which one can get their music out there; from the traditional methods to the most modern tools available. We'll have some suggestions for you here but if you want to search for something near you you can check out our guide here.
Record Labels
Not only to record labels help with music distrubution, they also will endeavour to promote your music through both physical and digitial marketing avenues. While being signed to a label can be a game changing moment for many artists it can be really difficult to get yourself noticed by one.
Here's some labels that we really like:
YALA! Records - http://www.yalarecords.com
Formed by former Macabees guitarist, Felix White, YALA! is a label based in London that represents hot new indie talent alongside puttin on much-loved club nights that feauture their artists.
Here's what Felix had to say about their selection process:
“We look for nothing more than a group or artist that somehow makes us feel like the world is a slightly better place for having them in it! It would be easy to describe why you like a certain band, then identity exactly the same traits in another but not feel the same way. For us, it’s about instinct and the music and people inspiring a fan-ish passion in us.”
Sub-Label Recordings - https://sublabelrecordings.com
Based in Manchester and winner of the 'Best Music Business' award at The Aux Awards 2022, SLR are a hugely popular and growing label in the electronic world. With 4 colour coded sub-labels, Sub-Label Recordings offer their services to a wide array of electronic genres. That means that you'll likely be able to find a home here no matter how you categorise you music (within the realms of electronic!).
Here's how they describe what they do:
"We aim to provide a service where we manage the Artists’ music from beginning through to the end finishes, and after it is released. We provide comprehensive, and structured feedback, for development, mastering, marketing, advertising and promotion. We are also actively releasing music in all formats, including CD and Vinyl, as well as digital.
Sub-Label Recordings are here to support Artists and release the highest quality music. We know you can do much of this yourself, but we want to provide a better service for your music, while you remain creative. We won’t ignore you or throw your music away if it doesn’t fit the label either. Instead, we will steer you towards the right direction. Equally, If there is potential in your music and is relevant to our taste, we will work with you to develop a successful release."
Pool Valley - https://www.poolvalleymusic.co.uk
Pool Valley is a Brighton based label that also provides management services, song development, music production, creative marketing & distribution.
"The label aims to bring to life fresh, new music and acts who will soon be on repeat.
We prioritise diversity and inclusivity in our roster and a sustainable approach to recording and producing music, as well as good vibes and opportunities for all involved."
MOVES Recordings - https://moves.life
Launching in 2017, Moves is a London based label dedictaed to representing the brighetst urban talents from around the globe. The label is far more than just hip-hop and RnB though, you can find a large range of genres on their roster which echoes their passion for diversity; from Afrobeat to drill.
"Our label exists to remind people of the sheer cultural clout immigration has given this small island. Our staff are Ghanaian, English, Nigerian, Jamaican, American, French, Irish and more. That diversity is a strength, and until recently, something we didn't even consider noteworthy."
NQ are perhaps bets known for represent one of the UK's hottest hip-hop talent right now, Aitch. Being based in the North of England allows this label to represent a large pool of talent that may often get ignore by the bigger labels in the South-East. They offer plenty to their artists alongside their traditional label and distribution services.
"Performers from the North of England have redefined art and entertainment at a global scale for decades, at NQ, we’re proudly building on this epic legacy. Our roots may be Northern, but they stretch into the core of the Earth. As a global talent management and full-service entertainment company, we work with talents we believe in, and collaborate with companies that we’re proud to endorse."
Label Services
The huge benefit of going with label services is that you won't have to give up the rights to your music when you take advantage of their help. All you have to do is pay for their services while they help get your music to market. This is obviously a barrier for many but the chances of being signed by a major label is arguably more unattainable.
Typically label services offer solutions for digital and physical distribution, digital marketing, sales, promotion, stock management, rights management, synchronisation, manufacturing, campaign management and D2C.
Here are some great label services:
DITTO - https://dittomusic.com/en/
Ditto offer music distribution to all of the major platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon, TikTok, Instagram and more). They offer promo packages "designed to help grow your fanbase worldwide" and have a scouting service in which they sign their most exciting registered artists to 'Ditto Plus' for advance promotional help.
"We believe artists should stay independent, keep complete control of their careers and not be tied down by unfair deals and shady industry contracts."
Absolute - https://absolutelabelservices.com
With a very impressive roster of artists from all genres and walks of life, Absolute are one of the leaders in their field. Their wide range of services definitely make them an attractive option for your label service of choice.
"We offer fully managed services from digital and physical sales/distribution, to cutting edge marketing, to direct-to-consumer campaigns, promotional planning and all your administration needs. Our in-house marketing team will work in tandem with you to create and implement a bespoke campaign for budgets and releases of all sizes and genres across all platforms globally."
AWAL - https://www.awal.com
Perhaps one of the best known and most liked label services in the indie music, industry, AWAL provides everything a major label would without functioning like one. The only catch is the difficult process of gaining access to the service. Your music will either have to be recommended to the AWAL team or you'll have to be deemed as an artist with 'a trajectory'. That means you'll be screened by AWAL and likely have to have already hit certain performance milestones e.g. added to a playlist or hit x amount of streams.
"No size fits all. AWAL is designed to build long-term music careers, with different deals at different stages. At every stage, every AWAL artist owns their work, keeps creative control, takes home the lion's share of revenue, and sidesteps long-term contracts."
Reverb Nation - https://www.reverbnation.com
With 0% of royalties taken, great marketing tools, access to email marketing and some opportunities not found with other services (potenital TV and festival exposure), Reverb Nation are an attractive prospect. The only stipulation is that you pay a monthly membership fee instead of paying per single or album upload. The current costs are $12.95 for a standard membership and $19.95 for their premium service.
"From sync offers to label deals to festival slots, nobody has the industry relationships we do. Our services and tools are designed to help you get more fans, more gigs, and more money. We have a dedicated team that listens and curates thousands of songs every week, connecting the right artists to the right opportunities."
Distribution Services
If the only service you need is getting your music out there then a distributor is all you need. The main things to look out for with these companies is the cost, how they look after your royalties and how long it will take them to get your music distributed.
Distrokid - https://distrokid.com/vip/seven/1375423
If its just the distribution side of the process that you're interested in, Distrokid might be a simple solution for you. You keep all of your earnings and retain 100% ownership of your music - just how it should be. You'll also have unlimited uploads and access to all of the major streaming outlets. You don't have all of the extra tools and benefits that a label service would offer but as a distributor you can't get much more straightforward than Distrokid.
"DistroKid gets your music into stores in a fraction of the time it takes our competitors to get your music into stores. We have great customer service, daily stats, a simple interface, and loads of unique features too:
Automatic splits, Instant music video generators, Spotify pre-save pages, Cover song clearance, Big playlists for DistroKid artists, Synchronized lyrics on Instagram, TikTok and Twitch support, Fastest payouts in the world, Much, much more..."
Amuse - https://www.amuse.io
Amuse is another service allowing you to reatin 100% of your rights while promising distribution to every possible outlet. It offers a royalty splitting feature to make sharing out money with your collaborators easier and a novel service known as 'fast forward' in which you can withdraw earnings "sooner than later."
"Getting your music out is free and easy with Amuse. Release and distribute your music to all major music services, get discovered by our record label or boost your independent career by upgrading to Pro. At Amuse, we believe that artists should stay in control of their masters. That's why we only offer artist friendly licensing deals, covering anything from playlist pitching to full-on label partnerships. After the licensing term is over, artists regain full ownership of their music."
Fresh Tunes - https://freshtunes.com
Fresh Tunes offer completely free distribution. Yep, you read that right - you don't have to pay anything to get your music out there via Fresh Tunes. All you need to do is upload artwork and the tracks and they'll take care of the rest. The way that they stay afloat is down to the additional services that they offer:
"Fresh Tunes promo- Order promotion of your tracks and videos to make people speak more about your music. Fresh Tunes will make the campaign for you and show all numbers. You can start with 25$ budget.
Detailed report - Find how many streams and downloads of each track you have on any platform. Detailed report helps you to get unique data about sales in different countries and manage your content. Ability to promptly react on audience needs is more than 50% of success. Report costs just 1$!
FreshTunes certified - Professional evaluation, useful advice and new promotion opportunities. You will know the opinion of the industry professionals. Promotion in socials,on the radio and in compilations also included. Take one more step forward in your career!"
There are, of course, plenty more options when it comes to labels, label services and distributors. The selection that I've put together here should offer a good variety in terms of cost and services offered so be sure to have a look at their websites and consider what is the best option for you and your beloved music.
Like I said at the top, be sure to check out the Aux Guide to find any music services that you need in your local area!
Let us know on social media what you think of the list and who you think we should add to the list!