> What do I need to do in order to put my stuff on vinyl? How do I get it in stores?
Either: 1. Have your DAT/CDR mastered (here's an article I wrote on mastering: http://www.geocities.com/tom_mf_uk/XFade/FC.htm) 2. Pay a pressing plant to press some copies. 3. Send sample copies to likely distributors and ask them if they're interested (here's an article I wrote on distribution: http://www.geocities.com/tom_mf_uk/iDJ/Distribution.htm) 4. Sign deal with distributor/s (hopefully) 5. Do some artwork etc. 6. Get as many pressed up as the distributors will take (plus a few more) & send them to distributors to sell for you. 7. Wait for sales statements and, hopefully, cheques to start coming in. Or: 1. Make CDR/tape copies of your best stuff. 2. Send to likely distributors asking them if they'd be interested in a P&D deal (Production & Distribution): ie. they press, sell and distribute the record for you, in return for a greater cut of the revenue, but not all distributors will do this. 3. Take it from there... Or: 1. Make CDR/tape copies of your best stuff. 2. Send to record labels. 3. Wait & see. Below is an article I wrote on setting up your own label, I just haven't got around to putting it on my site yet. It's aimed at a UK audience, but the principles are the same. Hope this helps, TOM *********** Inside the Industry: Setting up a record label Fancy being a music industry mogul, but unsure how to go about it? iDJ looks at the do's and don'ts of setting up your own record label and takes advice from three of today's hottest independents. Why? Ah, the eternal question. Ask yourself - why do you want to set up a record label? Because you're sick of your day job in the Spam factory and you foresee endless days of liquid lunches with Brandon Block and coke-fuelled nights partying with Manumission dwarves? In which case, forget it. Most independent record labels hardly make any money, if any at all and for every Global Underground or Warp there are literally thousands of labels who have long since gone to the wall. On the other hand, if you have lots of music which you think is brilliant and deserves to be heard but you can't find anyone to put it out for you, then setting up your own label is probably the way to go. This reasoning was good enough for plenty of the best dance labels in history, so it should be good enough for you. The other reason people set up their own labels is simply to have total control. After all, if it's your label, no-one can tell you that releasing a limited edition of fifty copies with triple gatefold hemp sleeves and a free packet of crisps is out of the question, can they? This particularly applies to producers who've already had a few records out, but who weren't happy with the way they were treated by other labels. And lord knows there are plenty of them. Who? The person ideally suited to setting up a label is someone with years of industry experience, lots of contacts, masters degrees in business studies, marketing and accountancy, impeccable musical taste, buckets of enthusiasm, anal attention to detail, lots of drive and a good few thousand quid they can comfortably risk. Not much to ask, is it? That said, plenty of people with little or none of the above have successfully run labels. If you're careful, start small and follow a few basic rules, you too can be a record label boss, even if you're only selling five hundred copies a time. When starting up, the key phrase to remember is advance planning. Your aim should be to have everything in place before you release your first record. Some careful preparation now will save you a lot of grief in future. Image is everything The image of your label is vitally important - there are thousands of labels out there these days, so you need to stand out from the crowd. The starting point here is the name you will choose for your label, which must instantly encapsulate the image you want to portray. But make sure you pick a name which hasn't already been claimed - to check on this, run your ideas through a few Internet search engines. Once you've picked a name, you'll need a logo. A striking, easily identifiable logo is crucial because you want your label to sell on the strength of its name alone - your logo must become a guarantee of instant quality to record-buyers. You could pay a design company to do this for you, but most small independent labels either do their own artwork (pretty simple with today's design software) or just slip an artistically-minded friend thirty quid to do it for them. Remember that you'll need new artwork preparing for every release, so it's worth learning to do it yourself. Nowadays a website is also a prequisite for any label wanting to maintain a careful public image. Assuming you don't want anything too fancy to begin with, these don't have to cost very much and even a complete novice can design a site these days using cheap site-building software. Also, sort out an email address for your label as this is by far the cheapest and easiest way to communicate with both the industry and public and means you won't have to put your Mum's home phone number on your records. Strictly business Good business practice will make or break your label. Fact: a well-run label which releases average music will last longer than a badly-run label which releases amazing music. If you have no business experience why not consider doing a part-time course in business studies? There are loads of these about and many are free, especially to those on benefits - your local FE college is a good place to start looking. Researching and drawing up a business plan before you start is well worth your time. Setting up a limited company to run your label protects you from personal liability for business debts should it all go pear-shaped. It's relatively cheap and easy to do - visit the Companies House website for more information. You'll also need to get some start-up money together. Even if you're looking for a P&D deal (meaning the distributor pays for your production costs), you will still need a certain amount of capital. Just like gambling, you should only risk what you can afford to lose, but how much you will need depends entirely on your plan for the label. The next step is to find a distributor. This should be a company that specialises in the kind of music you releases, but you will have to prove to them that you are serious and committed. Finding the right distributor is crucial, because as well as getting your record into the right shops they can also be an invaluable source of advice and expertise. For more on distribution, see the article in last month's iDJ. An accountant is another necessary member of your team and you should be sure to keep careful financial records of all your transactions. A lawyer can prove very useful indeed when it comes to complicated eight-page contracts, too, and you might think about engaging the services of a specialist PR when it comes to promoting your records. All these people will cost money of course, but if they're doing their jobs they should save or even make you money in the long run. Music matters Firstly, you need to take a long hard look at the music you are planning to release. Ask yourself a few hard questions - would YOU buy it? Is it really THAT special? Because if there's one rule to follow here, it's that you should only ever release music you have total faith in. Every great record label that ever existed owes its success to the visionary music taste of one individual, and independent dance labels are no different in this respect. Once you're happy that what you have is up to scratch, you have to decide how you're going to format your first few releases. Will you have any remixes done? How many tracks per side? Single or double pack? CD or vinyl, or both? Any fancy packaging? There's a lot to think about here, so take the time to weigh up the pros, cons and especially the costs of all the options and get some good advice from those who know. Your distributor should be your first port of call for advice on all matters related to manufacturing. They already have good relationships with pressing plants and they know the marketplace. It's better to err on the side of caution when deciding how many copies to press, however - you can always have more copies pressed if needs be, but you don't want to be left with boxes of unsold vinyl because your monster trance anthem didn't turn out to be quite the world-beater you hoped for. Good luck! ---- Box-out 1: deFocus Records With a roster that includes CiM, Plus One, John Tejada and B12, deFocus is shaping up as one of the UK's best sources of electronic music. iDJ spoke to Clair, one of two partners in the label. Why did you start deFocus? "After working with other people for years I decided to go it alone. The A&R is down to me and me alone, so finally it is my music taste that I get to work with. There is no compromise." Is it a full time thing? Does it make any money? "Gone are the days of this being just a hobby! It's my life, it's my full time job. It keeps me going, so I'm happy." What's the most important lesson you've learnt since you started? "To always be on top of things and not be afraid to shout when you need to." What advice you would give to someone who's looking to start a label? "Just make sure that you are prepared to have the hobby that you love be turned into a job. I can't look at a record anymore without wondering where it was cut or how the label could afford to do a four colour sleeve." Forthcoming releases on deFocus include an album by Aphelion (FOC355CD) and a single by John Tejada (FOC358). Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] or fax 0207 729 7987. ---- Box-out 2: Well Wicked Records Owned and operated by Michel Spiegel aka Nüw Idol, Well Wicked is one of the UK's hottest trance and hard house labels. Why did you start Well Wicked? "I wanted more control of my own productions and I had a vision about the music I wanted to release which I wanted to keep to myself!" Is it a full time thing? "The label is a totally full time thing if you include producing the tracks and so on. A day is way too short when you run a label. It does not make much money, but enough to make financial sense and to afford us an independent funky party lifestyle! When you are involved in music, there is always a degree of labour of love to everything." What's the most important lesson you've learnt since starting? "Hard work and persistence are the key. Also, you can never be sure as to how well a record will sell." What advice you would give to someone who's looking to start a label? "Leave nothing to chance, find a niche in the market and do it!" Forthcoming releases on Well Wicked include Nüw Idol 'It's All Good EP' and Paradoxia 'Trip Lock/Emotivo'. Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] or telephone/fax 0207 485 5610. ---- Box-out 3: Bad Company Recordings Tearing drum'n'bass label Bad Company, represented by the )E13( logo, is run by a four-man team who all produce, DJ and look after the day-to-day business. IDJ spoke to squad member Michael Vegas. Why did you start Bad Company? "Experience had taught us we really didn't want other labels putting out our tracks as we wouldn't be in control." Is it a full time thing? "For all four of us, and when I say full time, I mean all the time. If you want a label as an easy way out, think again. You get freedom, but you have to deal with it or your label won't work." Did the label cost a lot to launch? "To start Bad Company we borrowed £2000 from a friend which we spent on a pair of speakers and our mastering. Everything else, like artwork, we did ourselves or with people's help." What's the best advice you would give to someone who's looking to start a label? "You need a distributor on your side - they can sort out P&D deals for new labels where they pay for your pressing. The thing is, you need to get them to believe in what you're doing." The album 'Digital Nation' is released on Bad Company in September. Telephone 0207 813 0286, fax 0207 431 9953 or visit www.bcrecordings.com
