Be your ownl label
Back in 2007 I released my first album, “Viaggi in aeromobile”.
I was so surprised I could compose music and even more that I was about to release a CD that i rushed into music business with no information at all.
That excited me a lot, I spent al lot of years listening to CDs from others and now it was my turn to release one!
So I was extremely happy, but yet linked to the “traditional” model (I mean I was born in 1973, what would you expect…?!) so I looked for a label. A friend suggested me a small Italian independent label and I immediately contacted the owner.
I knew that these guys work with emerging musicians, so I called them sure I was doing the right thing.
Having a label would mean receiving help in managing all the papers behind an official release, contacting the discs manufacturer, solving all the issues related to our local PRO.
My music had been accepted and, as a part of the deal, I had to share a 50% of my rights with the label (which is usual, working with labels).
No contract has been signed, I was totally a “newbie” and not prepared in doing music business with anyone.
So things went on, “Viaggi in aeromobile” was released and everything happened as it had to.
I wasn’t dissatisfied with this experience, at the end I obtained what I wanted at that time (I wanted to hold my new CD in my hands) and the label also was, as they were sharing with me the rights on my songs.
Everyone happy, then? Not exactly. If we see the whole thing in a short term overview… well, yes everyone is happy. But in middle term – long term no one will have benefits from this situation.
I did not choose to start a long lasting collaboration with this label, nor did I clearly state any “contractual” terms for the management of my music. As far as I know, both of us (me and the label) can decide whether or not to put the CD on digital store, the price that will be set and if any copyright must be applied. As there is no contractual agreement and we both share the 50% of the rights, we all are in charge of doing everything we think is right to sell/promote my CD. Such a mess, huh?
There surely will be a day in which I will ask back my 50% of rights and who knows how it’s going to end.
To put in other words, my hurry in having a CD with my name on it let other people the rights to partially manage my music. This, by the way, is how current music business model works between artists that choose to issue their work under independent or major labels. In 2008 I started working at my second release together with an intense studying of the music business in its classic form (publishing and copyrights) and in this new “era” in which different forms of distribution of digital contents are developing (creative commons and netlabels, for example). While reading books and sharing opinions using the social networks, I had clearer in my mind that what I did for my first release had never to happen again. I mean, I am not saying it was wrong to contact a traditional label for distributing my music, I am just saying I had not enough information on how this model works to make a good choice. And information plays a big role, here. After few months, early in 2009, I ended up with the idea of setting up my own label and distribute directly my music both physical and digital. It was in May 2009, that I “founded” my own imprint “Fabrizio Paterlini Records”, but still I had to understand the real added value in what I was doing. In December 2009 I released “Viandanze” my second official work and I personally followed each step of the deal. From the artwork side, to the manufacturer, to the papers to handle a physical CDs release. I was working to my first release ever in my “catalogue” (FPR_01), but still I was doing that as a musician.
As I did not want to incur in the same mistakes done in the past, I decided to put my name on the disc as “label” and to retain all the upcoming rights (creative commons or traditional copyrights, or whatever). It was an high stress period, as I did not plan everything in advance, but things followed one to the other like mad dogs, apparently with no control. But it was a great lesson.
I was starting to learn that the important part wasn’t only on the “legal” share of rights in music distribution. I was, for the first time, managing my product, my image and my identity through the persons that supported me in producing Viandanze (which, by the way, has been founded through donations from fans) as well as with new friends I was connecting with.
Even if I hadn’t it as clearer as I have it now, I decided to take all the control in how to present my music to the world. Everything was upon me, good decisions and bad ones.
“Viandanze” gave me a good encouragement as it has been really appreciated among my audience and the good feedback they gave me made me understand I was on the right path. It was not until last spring that something really changed in my approach of being independent. Even if I set up my label in 2009, for the first time early this year I told myself: “Hey, I am my label!”
This, that maybe sound stupid since I actually founded it, had a great impact on the way I structured the whole approach in my upcoming “Fragments Found” release. First of all, I clearly split the two roles I was playing in this game: the musician/composer and the label manager (yes - that is!). As a composer, my first objective was to do my best in writing and playing my music and selecting the songs for the new album. I took care of hiring the same studio in which I recorded “Viandanze” and I worked hard to be satisfied with the sound of my piano. As a label manager, I started planning the release – when, who, what, where.
I wrote my own press release and sent it to traditional media (local newspapers as a starting point) using my new logo (which I personally designed and outsourced only for the part I can’t do – transforming from my drawings to jpg) on the press release itself. I contacted a professional design studio for the concept and realisation of the CD cover. I sent some CDs for airplays to local radios, presenting myself as an independent label manager and not as an independent musician. I learned how these CDs should look like, what kind of information I should provide to the radio personnel, I made them looking professional. And, believe me, it makes the difference. I mean, I don’t know if my music will be played on such radios, but it surely makes the difference on how you feel doing professional things and not improvising something you don’t know (keep the improvising part when you play music…!) I am currently preparing press kits to send to a list of contacts I started to collect in last 6 months. At the end, I took the control on every single detail on how my “Fabrizio Paterlini Records” releases should present themselves to the world. Plus, I will have the control on how to distribute my new album. And I am not saying I want the control on everything: I will encourage sharing my music as much as possible between my fans and their friends, so it’s evident I don’t’ want to control how my music is shared. But I want the control on all the aspects involving the quality in what I do, to make sure my fans get the best I could do. Yes, it’s a lot of work to do. Much more than outsourcing all these tasks to traditional labels.
But think on how this will positively impact your music carrier: first of all you learn by doing, directly in the field. No middlemen, you are your label both in the creative and “administration” part.
Then, a lot of opportunities will be suddenly opened for you and your and your music, at least all the opportunities the small independent labels has. You can network with them, makes connections, attend to conferences as a small label manager… there’s a totally new world in front of us! So, at the end, be creative, be professional, be your label. To be continued.
I was so surprised I could compose music and even more that I was about to release a CD that i rushed into music business with no information at all.
That excited me a lot, I spent al lot of years listening to CDs from others and now it was my turn to release one!
So I was extremely happy, but yet linked to the “traditional” model (I mean I was born in 1973, what would you expect…?!) so I looked for a label. A friend suggested me a small Italian independent label and I immediately contacted the owner.
I knew that these guys work with emerging musicians, so I called them sure I was doing the right thing.
Having a label would mean receiving help in managing all the papers behind an official release, contacting the discs manufacturer, solving all the issues related to our local PRO.
My music had been accepted and, as a part of the deal, I had to share a 50% of my rights with the label (which is usual, working with labels).
No contract has been signed, I was totally a “newbie” and not prepared in doing music business with anyone.
So things went on, “Viaggi in aeromobile” was released and everything happened as it had to.
I wasn’t dissatisfied with this experience, at the end I obtained what I wanted at that time (I wanted to hold my new CD in my hands) and the label also was, as they were sharing with me the rights on my songs.
Everyone happy, then? Not exactly. If we see the whole thing in a short term overview… well, yes everyone is happy. But in middle term – long term no one will have benefits from this situation.
I did not choose to start a long lasting collaboration with this label, nor did I clearly state any “contractual” terms for the management of my music. As far as I know, both of us (me and the label) can decide whether or not to put the CD on digital store, the price that will be set and if any copyright must be applied. As there is no contractual agreement and we both share the 50% of the rights, we all are in charge of doing everything we think is right to sell/promote my CD. Such a mess, huh?
There surely will be a day in which I will ask back my 50% of rights and who knows how it’s going to end.
To put in other words, my hurry in having a CD with my name on it let other people the rights to partially manage my music. This, by the way, is how current music business model works between artists that choose to issue their work under independent or major labels. In 2008 I started working at my second release together with an intense studying of the music business in its classic form (publishing and copyrights) and in this new “era” in which different forms of distribution of digital contents are developing (creative commons and netlabels, for example). While reading books and sharing opinions using the social networks, I had clearer in my mind that what I did for my first release had never to happen again. I mean, I am not saying it was wrong to contact a traditional label for distributing my music, I am just saying I had not enough information on how this model works to make a good choice. And information plays a big role, here. After few months, early in 2009, I ended up with the idea of setting up my own label and distribute directly my music both physical and digital. It was in May 2009, that I “founded” my own imprint “Fabrizio Paterlini Records”, but still I had to understand the real added value in what I was doing. In December 2009 I released “Viandanze” my second official work and I personally followed each step of the deal. From the artwork side, to the manufacturer, to the papers to handle a physical CDs release. I was working to my first release ever in my “catalogue” (FPR_01), but still I was doing that as a musician.
As I did not want to incur in the same mistakes done in the past, I decided to put my name on the disc as “label” and to retain all the upcoming rights (creative commons or traditional copyrights, or whatever). It was an high stress period, as I did not plan everything in advance, but things followed one to the other like mad dogs, apparently with no control. But it was a great lesson.
I was starting to learn that the important part wasn’t only on the “legal” share of rights in music distribution. I was, for the first time, managing my product, my image and my identity through the persons that supported me in producing Viandanze (which, by the way, has been founded through donations from fans) as well as with new friends I was connecting with.
Even if I hadn’t it as clearer as I have it now, I decided to take all the control in how to present my music to the world. Everything was upon me, good decisions and bad ones.
“Viandanze” gave me a good encouragement as it has been really appreciated among my audience and the good feedback they gave me made me understand I was on the right path. It was not until last spring that something really changed in my approach of being independent. Even if I set up my label in 2009, for the first time early this year I told myself: “Hey, I am my label!”
This, that maybe sound stupid since I actually founded it, had a great impact on the way I structured the whole approach in my upcoming “Fragments Found” release. First of all, I clearly split the two roles I was playing in this game: the musician/composer and the label manager (yes - that is!). As a composer, my first objective was to do my best in writing and playing my music and selecting the songs for the new album. I took care of hiring the same studio in which I recorded “Viandanze” and I worked hard to be satisfied with the sound of my piano. As a label manager, I started planning the release – when, who, what, where.
I wrote my own press release and sent it to traditional media (local newspapers as a starting point) using my new logo (which I personally designed and outsourced only for the part I can’t do – transforming from my drawings to jpg) on the press release itself. I contacted a professional design studio for the concept and realisation of the CD cover. I sent some CDs for airplays to local radios, presenting myself as an independent label manager and not as an independent musician. I learned how these CDs should look like, what kind of information I should provide to the radio personnel, I made them looking professional. And, believe me, it makes the difference. I mean, I don’t know if my music will be played on such radios, but it surely makes the difference on how you feel doing professional things and not improvising something you don’t know (keep the improvising part when you play music…!) I am currently preparing press kits to send to a list of contacts I started to collect in last 6 months. At the end, I took the control on every single detail on how my “Fabrizio Paterlini Records” releases should present themselves to the world. Plus, I will have the control on how to distribute my new album. And I am not saying I want the control on everything: I will encourage sharing my music as much as possible between my fans and their friends, so it’s evident I don’t’ want to control how my music is shared. But I want the control on all the aspects involving the quality in what I do, to make sure my fans get the best I could do. Yes, it’s a lot of work to do. Much more than outsourcing all these tasks to traditional labels.
But think on how this will positively impact your music carrier: first of all you learn by doing, directly in the field. No middlemen, you are your label both in the creative and “administration” part.
Then, a lot of opportunities will be suddenly opened for you and your and your music, at least all the opportunities the small independent labels has. You can network with them, makes connections, attend to conferences as a small label manager… there’s a totally new world in front of us! So, at the end, be creative, be professional, be your label. To be continued.
