Throughout his fprty 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
|
Click here for a printer-friendly version of "35 Things To Consider When Starting Your Own Record Label".
|
|
|
- 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.
Additional Columns by Christopher Knab
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
- And 60 more in the Guest Columnists series, view the index
|
|
Vol. 17, No. 2: Feb.-Mar. 2012
