Record label - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Music Bands

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In the , a record label is a and a associated with the of and .

In everyday usage, a record label is also a that manages such brands and trademarks; coordinates the , , , , and enforcement of protection of sound recordings and music videos; conducts ; and maintains contracts with recording artists and their managers.
Record labels may be small, localized, and " ", or they may be part of a large , or somewhere in between. Generally, recorded music needs a record label in order to be widely known, reviewed, heard on media outlets such as or , and in order to be available to buy in stores, although the has changed this to some extent.

The name, "record label", refers to the usually papered and cut center area of a vinyl recording that prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other pertinent information. Many 7" vinyl singles were pressed with a relief in lieu of the paper label, particularly in Great Britain.
When a label is strictly a trademark or brand, not a company, then it is sometimes called an imprint, a term used for the same concept in the publishing industry.

An imprint is sometimes marketed as being a project, unit, or division of a label company, even though there is no legal business structure associated with the imprint.
In the beginning of hip hop culture, many recordings were pressed with a deliberate lack of information in the (usually white) paper label area. These records are referred to as " " recordings, and often contain potential copyright infringements in the form of uncleared from other recordings, though many do not.

The usage of the white label is also a way to create " " by way of teasing the consumer with a lack of information.
Record labels are often under the control of a corporate umbrella organization called a music . A music group is typically owned by international , which often has non-music divisions as well.

A music group controls and consists of music publishing companies, record (sound recording) manufacturers, record distributors, and record labels. As of 2005, the "big four" music groups — , , , and — control about 70% of the , and about 80% of the music market. Record companies (manufacturers, distributors, and labels) may also comprise a record group which is, in turn, controlled by a music group.

The constituent companies in a music group or record group are sometimes marketed as being divisions of the group.
Record companies and music publishers that are not under the control of the big four are generally considered to be independent ( ), even if they are large corporations with complex structures. Some prefer to use the term indie label to refer to only those independent labels that adhere to an arbitrary, ill-defined criteria of corporate structure and size, and some consider an indie label to be almost any label that releases non-mainstream music, regardless of its corporate structure.

Music collectors often use the term sublabel to refer to either an imprint or a subordinate label company (such as those within a group). For example, in the 1980s and 1990s, "4th B'way" was a trademarked brand owned by Ltd. in the UK and by a subordinate branch, Island Records, Inc.

, in the United States. The center label on a 4th Broadway record marketed in the U.S.

would typically bear a 4th B'way logo and would state in the fine print, "4th B'way™, an Island Records, Inc. company". Collectors discussing labels as brands would say that 4th B'way is a sublabel or imprint of just "Island" or "Island Records".

Similarly, collectors who choose to treat corporations and trademarks as equivalent might say 4th B'way is an imprint and/or sublabel of both Island Records, Ltd. and that company's sublabel, Island Records, Inc. However, such definitions are complicated by the corporate mergers that occurred in 1989 (when Island was sold to PolyGram) and 1998 (when PolyGram merged with Universal).

Island remained registered as corporations in both the U.S. and UK, but control of its brands changed hands multiple times as new companies were formed, diminishing the corporation's distinction as the "parent" of any sublabels.

Vanity Labels are labels that bear an imprint that gives the impression of an artist's ownership or control, but in fact represent a standard artist/label relationship. In such an arrangement, the artist will control nothing more than the usage of the name on the label, but may enjoy a greater say in the packaging of his or her work. An example of such a label is the Neutron label owned by ABC while at Phonogram in Great Britain.

At one point artist Lizzie Tear (under contract with ABC themselves) appeared on the imprint, but it was devoted almost entirely to ABC's offerings and is still used for their re-releases (though Phonogram owns the masters of all the work issued on the label).
However, not all labels dedicated to particular artists are completely superficial in origin. Many artists, early in their careers, create their own labels which are later bought out by a bigger company.

If this is the case it can sometimes give the artist greater freedom than if they were signed directly to the big label. There are many examples of this kind of label, such as Morning Records, owned by The ; who were releasing EPs for years before the company was bought by .
A label typically enters into an exclusive with an artist to market the artist's recordings in return for on the selling price of the recordings.

Contracts may extend over short or long durations, and may or may not refer to specific recordings. Established, successful artists tend to be able to renegotiate their contracts to get terms more favorable to them, but 's much-publicized 1994–1996 feud with Warner Bros. provides a strong counterexample, as does 's claim, made in July 2000 before a U.

S. Senate committee, that never received any of the royalties they had been promised for their biggest hits, " " and " ".
A contract either provides for the artist to deliver completed recordings to the label, or for the label to undertake the recording with the artist.

For artists without a recording history, the label is often involved in selecting producers, recording studios, additional musicians, and songs to be recorded, and may supervise the output of recording sessions. For established artists, a label is usually less involved in the recording process.
Although both parties need each other to survive, the relationship between record labels and artists can be a difficult one.

Many artists have had albums altered or censored in some way by the labels before they are released—songs being edited, artwork or titles being changed, etc. Record labels generally do this because they believe that the album will sell better if the changes are made. Often the record label's decisions are prudent ones from a commercial perspective, but this typically frustrates the artist who feels that their artwork is being diminished or misrepresented by such actions.

In the early days of the recording industry, record labels were absolutely necessary for the success of any artist. The first goal of any new artist or band was to get signed to a contract as soon as possible. In the , and , many artists were so desperate to sign a contract with a record company that they usually ended up signing a bad contract, sometimes giving away the rights to their music in the process.

Entertainment lawyers are used by some to look over any contract before it is signed.
In the and , there was a phase of consolidation in the record industry that led to almost all major labels being owned by a very few multinational companies. CD's still flow through a handful of sources, with the majority of the sales going through the "big four" record labels.

The online digital distribution of music promises to break up the number of avenues for artists to find markets, however: something time alone will tell.
In the , due to the widespread use of home studios, consumer CD recorders, and the Internet, independent labels began to become more commonplace. Independent labels are typically artist-owned (although not always), with a stated intent often being to control the quality of the artist's output.

Independent labels do not enjoy the resources available to the "big four" and as such will often lag behind them in market shares. Often independent artists manage a return by recording for a much smaller production cost of a typical big label release. Sometimes they are able to recoup their initial advance even with much lower sales numbers.

On occasion established artists, once their record contract has finished, move to an independent label. This often gives the combined advantage of name recognition and more control over one's music (not to mention a bigger slice of the royalty pie). Singers , and , among others, have gone this route.

Historically, companies started in this manner have been re-absorbed into the major labels (an example is 's , which has been owned by for some time now, and , now owned by ). Similarly, 's (started by Madonna with her manager and another partner) was to come under control of when Madonna herself of in the company.
There are many independent labels; folk singer 's is often cited as an ideal example.

The singer turned down lucrative contracts from several top-name labels in order to establish her own New York-based company. Constant touring resulted in noteworthy success for an act without significant major funding. Ani and others from the company have spoken on several occasions about their business model in hopes of encouraging others.

Some independent labels become successful enough that major record companies negotiate contracts to either distribute music for the label or in some cases, purchase the label completely.
On the scene, the encourages bands to self-publish and self-distribute. This approach has been around since the early , in an attempt to stay true to the punk ideals of doing it yourself and not to corporate profits and control.

Such labels have a reputation for being fiercely uncompromising and especially unwilling to cooperate with the at all. Perhaps the most important and influential labels of the Do-It-Yourself attitude was , created by the band . No labels wanted to release their material, so they simply created their own label to release not only their own material but the material of many other influential underground bands all over the country.

's is often cited as a model of success in the DIY community, having survived for over twenty years with less than twelve employees at any one time.

Keywords: Island Records, It Yourself, Great Britain

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