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About the Author
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Throughout his twenty-five year career in the music business, FourFront Media & Music's Christopher Knab has shared his experience at many industry conventions and conferences, including the New Music Seminar and the Northwest Area Music Business Conference.
Knab was owner of a San Francisco music store, co-owner of the 415 Records label, and station manager at KCMU Radio in Seattle.
He currently provides a unique consultation and education service for independent musicians and record labels. His new book is entitled "Music Is Your Business".
Visit FourFront Media & Music's web site.
Send comments or questions to Christopher Knab.
© Christopher Knab
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- Why are you starting your own label?
(What is your motivation?)
- Why would anyone want to buy your music
anyway?
- Is there currently a market for your
kind of music? Prove it!
- If you are not releasing your own music,
have you ever read a recording contract? Are you aware of all the
traditional clauses that are in such 75-100 page contracts?
- Do you know anything about copyright
law?
- What is a Mechanical Royalty?
- Have you ever heard of the Harry Fox
Agency? What do they do?
- What do you want to achieve by starting
your own label?
- What do you know about the day to day
business of selling music?
- Will your new company be a sole
proprietorship, a partnership, or a corporation? (Do you know the pros
and cons of each?)
- Have you registered the name of your
company to make sure you can use that name?
- Will you need any recording equipment or
office equipment and supplies to run your label?
- Do you have a recording studio you can
work with?
- Do you know any record producers and/or
engineers?
- How much money do you think it will cost
you to startup your label, and to finance the recordings and marketing
of the recordings for the first year?
- Where will the financing come from?
- What local, state, and federal tax
responsibilities will your label have?
- How will you sell your records? (Live
shows, Internet sales, mail order, catalog sales, Distributors,
Stores?)
- What specific distribution and retail
sales plans have you arranged so fans of your music can easily buy
your releases at record and other retail stores?
- Do you have the money, time, and
determination to compete in an industry that releases over 500 new
records a week?
- How much does it cost to manufacture
CDs, Tapes, and/or vinyl?
- What 'configurations' will you need to
manufacture your music?
- How many copies do you need to
manufacture for each release?
- What are 'package deals' offered by
manufacturers, and are they right for you?
- Will you need to make any posters, bin
cards, or other promotional materials? If so, how many and how much
will that cost?
- What specific packaging choices are
available and which is right for your releases?
- How did you estimate the number of
copies you needed?
- Did you count into your estimation the
number of free CDs you will have to give away for promotions of
various kinds?
- How will you go about finding new acts
to sign to your label?
- How important do you think the graphic
element is in designing your label's logo, and specific cover artwork
for your releases?
- Do you know any graphic artists with
record jacket design experience?
- What specific information should go on
the cover, back cover, spine, booklet, and on the CD itself?
- Do you have your own Barcode? Why do you
need one?
- Do you know how to write a music
marketing plan, a distributor 1 sheet, and other promotional
materials?
and...
- Who is your customer? If you think you
know them, then describe them in very specific terms. ( Why am I
asking you to do that?)
Cheers!
Copyright 2000 Christopher Knab. All rights reserved. No part of
this article may be reproduced in any form without express permission of the author.
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