5 Things I've Learnt From A Running a Record Label & Music Publishing Agency

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Hey guys. I'm back again and today I'm gonna share a few things I've learnt from running a record label. 

You may ask, “what is a Record Label?” 
Well, record labels are companies that market recorded music and corresponding videos. They engage in a wide range of functions in the music industry, including new artist recruitment and development (known as A&R, which stands for artists and repertoire), music publishing, and copyright enforcement.

So in simpler terms, a record label is a marketing agency for music. Yes? Yes. Let's go! 

So I head up New Rivers Music, a different kind of record label that is artist & community centred as well as Kingdom Culture based. We specialise in Worship Music, Urban Contemporary Gospel and Christian Hip-hop. 

So here are the 5 lessons I've learnt over the last few years:

1. Be open to learning, you don't know everything. 

The music spectrum is very broad and it is also ever changing, new things emerge pretty much every single day, the key to staying ahead is actually to be intentional about learning. 

2. Be Artist Centred. Serve The Vision of The Artist. 

Earlier on, we established that a music enterprise is basically a marketing agency for music. The artists create the music and without them there is no music to push. The primary role of a record label is to serve the vision of the artist, to provide platforms and to collaborate with the artist in bringing a vision to life. It's never about us as executives but about the artists. 

3. Adapting is Vital. 

The music business landscape is ever evolving and ever changing and the key to staying relevant and healthy is to develop an attitude that can adapt to any change in the music business. 

4. Embrace Innovation. 

With an ever changing music landscape breeds the opportunity to be innovative and create new models that seek to benefit the artist as well as the label in question. An attitude of innovation is required if your record label is going to survive the modern music business landscape. 

5. Commit Everything To God. Follow His Leading..

At times we underrate the notion of committing all of our works to God especially if He birthed the vision. I've learnt that it is important to commit our works, dreams, plans and innovations to the Lord because He is the source of it all and He sees the end from the beginning. 

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." - Proverbs 16:3

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 16, 2021 at 1:29 AM

    So much insight! Thank you for sharing your experience.

    ReplyDelete

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