How some crappy labels (owners) think?

prisoner74 · Post by **prisoner74** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 4:03 pm

Hi guys!
I am reading this forum for a very long time so i feel like i know many of you through some very useful posts you have made

I registered today to share with you a strange situation and hopefully discuss about it.

hold your breath...

I send some tracks to some labels and i got some positive answers from some of them.

After that, when i started talking about details for the release in order to make up my mind and get the best deal i find out that...

- Some labels just release the demo .mp3 no matter what! (not even ask for a .wav file).

When asked about mastering i got some reply s like "mastering cost money"

- Some labels dont even know what promotion is
When i asked if there will be any promotion plans i got an answer like
"yes, we have facebook and myspace with more than 1000 friends to each"

- Some labels said me they dont even do contracts and to keep and print the emails as a prove of the deal .

GUYS!
How these people are making labels?

If they are doing it for releasing their own tracks why they taking demos and F*** other artists too?

Im not a label and i have pay many times to master some of my tracks to be able to play them out safely.

The industry is f**** up anyway but these people will completely kill it .

oblioblioblio · Post by **oblioblioblio** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 4:14 pm

Don't release if you don't feel comfortable.

Record labels should believe in quality. Mastering and wavs is a no brainer. Even if they are cutting costs and doing it themselves, or get a friend. To ignore it completely is terrible.

I guess all labels are human, and will do things in their own ways. For exmaple I don't like aggressive promotion, and mainly I promote things thru funny little conversations I have with people at events, and then if it seems right to talk about the label I will do. I believe the music can help spread itself, which is why I have a partially netlabel philosophy. [ my point here is that some people might say I'm lazy about promotion, but actually I am thinking about it a lot, but just do it in my own way, and I don't feel that the end goal is to reach every listner, but to reach the right listeners]

Anyways I'm just a little guy, and I don't have much experience. But my gut feeling is fck those guys who aren't prepared to invest. Even netlabels who don't earn 1 penny can find a way to do quality mastering and artwork.

::BLM:: · Post by **::BLM::** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 4:57 pm

Dont deal with people that think like this, you are only going to feel let down at some point.

patrick bateman · Post by **patrick bateman** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 5:17 pm

::BLM:: wrote:Dont deal with people that think like this, you are only going to feel let down at some point.

Not all labels can be super prof and stuff, but of course, those points made out in the OP is quite crazy.
Lame bedroom-labels I guess.

::BLM:: · Post by **::BLM::** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 5:31 pm

I wouldn't deal with a label that wasn't professional at all times. I know so many producers that struggle to get statements and have been told the record didn't sell etc... One case I remember seeing the track in to top10 Deep House Charts on BP and the label told them it didn't sell, but if they had got a contract signed they could have done something about it.

On a funny note Patrick I got sent a demo today except all the tracks were taken and the guy just wanted to know if I would have signed the tracks if they were free.

patrick bateman · Post by **patrick bateman** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 5:46 pm

::BLM:: wrote:I wouldn't deal with a label that wasn't professional at all times. I know so many producers that struggle to get statements and have been told the record didn't sell etc... One case I remember seeing the track in to top10 Deep House Charts on BP and the label told them it didn't sell, but if they had got a contract signed they could have done something about it.

What I meant was, not all labels are run as big companies. But basic rules should of course be met no matter what.

::BLM:: wrote:
On a funny note Patrick I got sent a demo today except all the tracks were taken and the guy just wanted to know if I would have signed the tracks if they were free.

haha, I love it!

steevio · Post by **steevio** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 6:05 pm

its simple, those are not real labels, you may as well start your own label as deal with people like that.

this is the problem nowadays, in the days of peak vinyl, you had to invest alot of time and money to run a label, and you also had to be very selective about what you released.

sorry to say it, but its all turned to sh!t, ----but luckily there are still some quality labels run by honest dedicated dance music lovers, you have to search just as hard for them as you do for good music.

if youre just starting out, i'd say netlabels are your best bet, get yourself established a bit first, then approach decent labels. i've seen alot of friends build their way up through netlabels, it works.

first and foremost, dont think about money.

edit;
also, ive said it before and i'll say it again, i dont care how repetitive i sound ---learn how to mix / master your own music to the best of your ability, its way less complicated than everyone always makes out, infact it drives me crazy everytime i read about people just throwing their music together and expecting a mastering engineer to somehow miraculously make it sound amazing....every mastering engineer will tell you that if a tune is mixed properly, theres nothing for them to do.
if you do a bit of research, and practice your arse off, and be patient about releasing music, you can get your tracks to a level that will require very little mastering.
i can understand why small labels will not invest in mastering to put out a track for an unknown noob producer, its simple - they wont make enough money to cover the costs.....

if your new track is a killer, you must know that it is (because of feedback), then you shouldnt be wasting your time with these small labels anyway.

if it isnt, then stop worrying about mastering and making money.

::BLM:: · Post by **::BLM::** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 6:25 pm

f youre just starting out, i'd say netlabels are your best bet, get yourself established a bit first, then approach decent labels. i've seen alot of friends build their way up through netlabels, it works.

I can only speak for myself, but I dont think its like this anymore. There are far too many of them for the bigger labels to look for unsigned artists now. We found Leif through the netlabels, but I don't have the time or patience to do this anymore and I would imagine others think the same. Back when Textone were doing stuff the netlabel scene was really healthy, but I dont get the impression that its still the same. If your music is solid and you believe in it, then do it yourself.