A few years ago, signing with a record label was the only way to have a music career.
Nowadays, carrying out your musical career as an independent artist is very possible thanks to new trends, streaming platforms, new technologies and tools, social networks and the quality of home-studios.
I leave you some pros and cons so you can choose which option is best for you.
PROS OF BEING AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST
- 100% of the profits. By not having a contract with anyone, you keep all the profits from sales, streaming, merchandising, royalties, licenses, etc.
- Creative control. You can maintain the authenticity of your music, since there are no outsiders telling you what to do.
- Full control of your career. You decide what decisions to make, what tours to do, how to distribute your music, how to promote it, etc.
- 100% of your rights. If you compose, produce and record your own music, you keep all copyrights. If you work with a music producer, you will only share them with him on the terms you both agree on.
CONS OF BEING AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST
- You pay all expenses. All the budget for production, distribution, promotion, etc comes out of your pocket, in addition to the work time that it entails.
- Few contacts. Being an independent artist, you don’t have as many contacts and media reach as the labels.
PROS OF SIGNING WITH A RECORD LABEL
- Higher budget. Record labels usually have a large budget to finance music production, marketing, touring and everything related to your career.
- Contacts and influences. Labels have the right industry contacts that can grow your career.
- Planned marketing. Being professionals, they know exactly how to do the marketing that helps improve your audience.
CONS OF SIGNING WITH A RECORD LABEL
- Loss of rights. Since they produce your music, they keep the recording and mastering rights, so they have more control over the decisions.
- Less percentage of profits. The distribution percentages for the artists are very small, since the label has to pay for everything (production, mastering, marketing, etc.)
- Less control. Signing with a stamp will make you lose control of how things are done. Even the style of your music will be influenced. You should review the terms of the contract well and consult with a lawyer to avoid problems.
Whichever option you think is best for your career, make sure the quality of your music is professional, both in songwriting and production.
