start a record label

I’m the hip hop director of an FM radio station.

I got this position because I like to listen to hip hop in my stereo from my dorm room,

and because the girl who had it before me said I could have it-

she’s transferring to another school.

Our station records bands playing music- the producer for the music (the guy the station puts behind the board to eq it), can release the music so a hard copy of it can be released. Released means to the band, or to the public. This is the point when the recording gets an owner.

Once a record company gets a recording, it can do a lot of things with it.

It can make copies and sell them
it can market the music
it can make videos for the music
it can market the videos

A record company can do anything it wants, as long as it can put up the money for it.

all it really needs is a studio, a producer, a way to make CD’s (DVD’s, tapes, casettes, media) a mailing address, and maybe a website.

Once I make a website, I can post MP3’s, youtube links, links to blogs like this, links to other websites (the radio station I work at has a site).

Then if anyone wants to show me a recording, they can call me, e-mail me, e-mail me at the website, IM me, or send me mail.

or to send it to me, just attach it to an e-mail, or put it on a disk and mail it to me.

Or if you see me, give it to me.

It always comes back to this. Every dream, every thought, everyday..This is what I’m meant to do, and I think i’ll do it. I want to do it right, and I want to be successful. So before I just jump into starting a label, I’m going to make sure I know everything I need to know. I’m going to have all my bases covered.

i really really wanna start an indie label cept
1. im too young lol
2. record labels are doomed because of yahoo! music and itunes
3. i dont have the money…..

but one day i will start a label maybe just a recording label

i hope….

I’m waiting for life to get some stability before I formally begin the label. It’s been sitting and waiting in business plan form for a few years and probably needs revised. I know it’s going to be this small thing at first. I want to grow it from a really small part time thing releasing my own recordings and some friends to possibly something more full-time, but I’m ok with either. As of right now I haven’t run across any local artists that I would want to put an album out for, if and when that happens I’d like to jump on it and be ready for it. Also my project studio has hit the money speed bump so I’ll have to wait until I have some more cash. So, I’m stashing away some cash when I have some. Right now, other things are more urgent, like student loan payments.

I’ve decided that I need to put this off until I’m done with school. In the meantime, i’ll keep doing what I’m doing and slowly building up to the point of going official with everything. For now, I’ll just do it rather informally.

I have a website www.sandboxtreerecords.co.nr and I have several bands in the roster, I have one 7 inch with nothing left but the cover coming back from printing and to work out distribution. I just got the tests back from my second 7” (2nd 7” of somone else’s music i should say) and I am almost ready to release my first Pressed CD. I have yet to get distribution underway due to lack of product. The pressing of records and negotiating of contracts is all fun. (handshake deals are great, but you then have to lie to pressing plants and tell them you own the music, since I dont I have very basic contracts)all in all its been good so far. you can do this all for less then I did, if you work with CDR’s and such. regardless of all of this if you would like any info I would be glad to help.

Bought the book “Start and Run Your Own Record Label” by Daylle Deanna Schwartz today, after the last day of classes for the summer semester. So during the next few weeks before Fall 2007 semester starts.. I can read this book and I’ve got highlighters to mark it up all to pieces. I’m definitely going to read this thing and go in some direction from here.

In a loose definition of record label, I have already done this. I have a name, a website, and I use it consistently to release my songs in MP3 format for free online download. I also produced a short-run cd at the beginning of this year. REALLY short run, I made 12 of them. And I gave them out for free.

However, I really would like to set up with some small distribution of some kind, get the bar codes for stores and libraries, and somehow get my music out there. I’d also like to be able to prove I can do it for my own stuff, and hopefully pick up a few other artists doing something similar.

Starting and running your record label is so easy that anyone can do it from their computer. I started mine for under $300. There are only a few steps that you have to take.

IM 13 AND WANT TO START MY OWN LABEL, IN NY. MUSICS A BIG PART OF MY LIFE AND I REALLY LOVE IT. I DONT GIVE UP ON ANYTHING I START SO I THINK I CAN DO GOOD.