Starting a Label

**Tyrisia** · 17-02-2003, 12:47 AM

Question 4 u guys - I've always wanted 2 start a label, bit of a pipe dream, but I know it's a hellishly complicated exercise. As I know some of u run labels, I was wondering if u could give me some insight into what's involved and whether u can actulay pull a wage from doing so?

Cheers!

Will

**MARKEG** · 17-02-2003, 11:05 AM

The hardest thing to get these days in distribution. I'd recommend that you get stuff out on other ppl's labels and then get go for the right distribution. If you're putting your hard earned into something, you wanna make sure the right ditributor is behind it.

Anyway, in the meantime, get working on your designs for the label and your first three releases.

Plus save up a good couple of grand to get started.

**JACKSTAR** · 17-02-2003, 02:48 PM

Also it might help to start off with putting out a known artist on the 1st release to get people interested then if your also producing perhaps slip a mix or trak of your own on. Like what Mark say's the Distribution is the one to get sorted right and as a good chunk of your sales will be in Europe and most Germany you need to get that side covered.

P.

**djdonovan** · 20-02-2003, 08:18 PM

I am in the process of selling my records to distributors and I am ready to loose my mind. I am almost at the point of going straight to stores.

anybody out there got friends in distribution? *LOL*

Donovan

**baptismo** · 21-02-2003, 08:37 AM

I dont think u'll ever make money off ur label unless ur name makes it big..... or you get big producers to write for you.......

Ive never made ANY money off pressing my own tunes.

Also it costs sooo much more than first realised, what with packaging and artwork costs etc etc (which you need if you want ur product to look professional and sell well)

**Adverse** · 21-02-2003, 10:02 AM

nothing but truth in what baptismo said... support from majir dj's doesn't hurt either..

**DJAmok** · 22-02-2003, 04:01 AM

word of that!

And distribution really seems impossible to find these days. But it ain´t stopping me, I´m selling my stuff directly to the shops next week, don´t care if I end up sitting on 300 Vinyls, main thing is I get my stuff out there at all.

I dunno if it´ll work, but sometimes in life you just gotta take a risk, and sometimes you fall and break a leg, main thing is you don´t get discouraged and try a different approach next time. Learning by doing.

Anyways Tyrisia, I wish you good luck with your label, you probably won´t be able to pull a wage off it (not too many actually do), but the main thing is always putting the music out there and making people happy. Plus it can also promote you as a DJ.

**Jimfish** · 22-02-2003, 12:44 PM

I think it is possible to make money as an unknown, but i think its a case of being in the right place at the right time.....
we have just had the presales in for midisync 1 (by me, through neuton) and we got 1500 - i know thats not a lot, but its not bad for new label and relativly new artist, and we have more established names lined up for the next few...

**Jimfish** · 22-02-2003, 12:47 PM

but yeah, ive done all the artwork myself, so that saved a few bob, and neuton have that little weekly cd thingy they send out beore the release date for a bit of extra promotion, so that all helps...

**DJAmok** · 22-02-2003, 05:01 PM

I wish I could get a deal with Neuton :cry:

**herman** · 24-02-2003, 06:06 PM

jim belive me at the moment 1500 is not bad at all with the general downturn in sales and with just about every artist having his /her own label now things are probably harder than they have ever been.

**TripleX** · 26-02-2003, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by DJAmok

word of that!

And distribution really seems impossible to find these days. But it ain´t stopping me, I´m selling my stuff directly to the shops next week, don´t care if I end up sitting on 300 Vinyls, main thing is I get my stuff out there at all.

what

?? can I buy a copy from ya??

**DJAmok** · 27-02-2003, 01:45 AM

sure :D countdown is running, three more weeks to go (this is the firstz time in years I´m getting this feeling like back when I was a kid waiting for Santa)

I´ll put a post up once the records are here, so everyone on the board gets a chance to own one.

btw:
http://downloads.mp3.com/AAIBQmp8LgB...1_Limited_.mp3

here´s an unmastered preview mp3 of the vinyl. the final version is different though, killed the intro string, new breaks, etc

**herman** · 03-03-2003, 05:10 PM

just as a matter of interest how many label owners are there on this board?

**JACKSTAR** · 03-03-2003, 05:37 PM

Quite a few I think.

I myself run : Jackstar Recordings - London UK

P.

**quack** · 03-03-2003, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by DJAmok

here´s an unmastered preview mp3 of the vinyl. the final version is different though, killed the intro string, new breaks, etc

that track is sick!

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