Record label

A Record Label is a company that specializes in manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and video recordings, on various formats including compact discs, LPs, DVD-Audio and cassettes. Sometimes a number of record lables are owned by a single record company.

Record labels often invest a lot of time and money in discovering new talent or developing the talent of artists already under contract.

In spite of the fact that both parties need each other to survive, the relationship between record labels and artists can, at times, be a difficult one. Many artists have had albums altered or censored in some way by the labels before they're released - songs being edited, artwork or titles being changed, etc. Record labels generally do this because they believe that the album will sell better if the changes are made. Many times, the record labels decisions are correct ones, but this typically frustrates the artist who feels that their artwork is being destroyed.

In the early days of the recording industry, record labels were absolutely necessary for the success of any artist. The first goal of any new artist or band was to get signed to a contract as soon as possible. In the 40's, 50's and 60's, many artists were so desparate to sign a contract with a record company that they usually ended up signing a bad contract, sometimes giving away the rights to their music in the process. It is a good idea for artists to hire an entertainment lawyer to look over any contract before it is signed.

In the 1990s, due to the widespread use of home studios, consumer CD recorders, and the internet, independent labels began to become more commonplace. Independent labels are typically artist owned (although not always), with a focus usually on making good music and not necessarily on the business aspects of the industry or making lots of money. Because of this, independent artists usually receive less radio play and sell fewer CDs than artists singed to major labels. But, they usually have more control over the music and packaging of the released product.

Some independent labels become successful enough that major record companies negotiate contracts to either distribute music for the label or in some cases, purchase the label completely.

List of Record Labels