Advice on starting a record label?

WolfandWeather

New member
I'm currently part of a two-piece alternative rock band and we're gearing up to release our second self-produced EP (our first since our re-branding).

I've been thinking about releasing it on our own independent label, mainly because there's a possibility that I'll be producing works by other artists, creating works as part of a collective, or even moving into other forms of media at some point in the future and it seems like an interesting idea to group all of these different projects together under a kind of umbrella label. I was even thinking about naming the label after our previous band as a way of tying everything together and bridging the gap between our last EP and our new one.

The problem is I have absolutely no idea how to go about starting a record label and I definitely don't want to have to start getting into tax and legal issues. Does a record label have to be a registered, legitimate business or can it be more informal? Can it just be a name I use to associate different projects? Is all of this way too confusing?

Any advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks :)
 
Sounds like you're doing exactly what I do. For about 20 years off/on I've been using a record label more to unify my works than a legal entity. I see it simply as a means of consistency. Copyrighting the music (as the artist) would be the more important step. If you grow large enough maybe incorporating / LLC would be warranted. Try to pick something relatively unique, I chose a label name that was not known to me (and pre-internet very few ways of checking for the layman), but it turns out to be an active smallish label name. This will get especially important if you publish and copyright works as the label in the future.

[I'm kinda holding out hope that other label goes under so I can start using it legally - not sure how that works but I suspect in this case it would be feasible]
 
I just throw my "record label" name on the back of all of my albums. I also put my "recording studio" on there for good measure. :D
 
Thanks! But as for copyright, I thought all music was automatically copyrighted as soon as it is created?

Kinda complicated:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/general-discussions/newbies/copyright-original-song-382048


Fwiw, after this discussion and looking at the $55 cost, I decided it was worth the investment to protect the latest stuff I was working on so as of last evening I officially submitted my very first copyrighted sound recording.

eCO Notice | U. S. Copyright Office
 
I just throw my "record label" name on the back of all of my albums. I also put my "recording studio" on there for good measure. :D

That's what I do too! :D

Kinda complicated:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/general-discussions/newbies/copyright-original-song-382048


Fwiw, after this discussion and looking at the $55 cost, I decided it was worth the investment to protect the latest stuff I was working on so as of last evening I officially submitted my very first copyrighted sound recording.

eCO Notice | U. S. Copyright Office

Dont give them anymore money than they demand - it's only $35.
 
We all have our own record label. It's really easy. You record something yourself, release it yourself, promote it yourself. Bam. You're a record company.
 
I think the price went up, to register my album it was $55.

Nope, from the eCO link above: Lower filing fee of $35 for a single application (for online filings only). If you do it by mail (with a hardcopy of the disc), then its more expensive - so why do it that way?
 
Nope, from the eCO link above: Lower filing fee of $35 for a single application (for online filings only). If you do it by mail (with a hardcopy of the disc), then its more expensive - so why do it that way?

I didn't, mine was digital. If you read deeper they explain that to qualify for the lower rate it still depends on the details of that actual submission. Something about my submission made it $55, but it was just 9 tracks at 31 minutes so I don't know what. It's always possible I put a name in the wrong field or something stupid. Their forms were not exactly on the user-friendly side of things.

Who knows, maybe they'll send me $20 when it's finally processed.
 
The record label usually take control of the recording rights and mechanical rights, leaving the composer's rights (the ones people talk about as existing as soon as it's created) as a separate entity. The fact there are multiple rights is often forgotten.
 
I didn't, mine was digital. If you read deeper they explain that to qualify for the lower rate it still depends on the details of that actual submission. Something about my submission made it $55, but it was just 9 tracks at 31 minutes so I don't know what. It's always possible I put a name in the wrong field or something stupid. Their forms were not exactly on the user-friendly side of things.

Who knows, maybe they'll send me $20 when it's finally processed.

14 songs on my last album, and it was $35. Don't expect a refund from the government! :eek:
 
I have a second album that will be completed in the coming months that I will also be submitting, so I'll report back on a price change (if any).

Not holding my breath on that $20. :p
 
Back
Top