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No drama: When releasing


Psychodrama Dave turned to Hoxton Vinyl to get his LP out on time


While a full-blown record deal and DIY


releasing sit at the extremes of the industry, there is a third way for artists and their teams


to get their music out. From established acts to fresh-faced newcomers, Music Week investigates what is on offer from the ever-evolving label services sector in a special report...


---- BY PAUL STOKES ---- O


ne of the few upsides of lockdown life is the knowledge that when we are all finally allowed back to our places of work, a lot of folk won’t go. Well, not all the time at any rate, as WFH-ing has shown that with the right resources and a flexible approach you can enjoy the best of both worlds.


A good balance is something artists who have embraced the label services revolution already know about, though. While some acts find the perfect home on a label, and other music-makers also relish striking out alone and doing the releasing themselves too, a label services deal can offer a good mix between enjoying artistic independence while tapping in to industry experience, expertise and cutting-edge resources.


“Label services enable established artists to release their music without the need to give away their master rights, which is so important for bands in the current time,” suggests Mark McQuillan, owner of Republic Of Music who has worked with the likes of Fatboy Slim, Fleet Foxes, The Black Keys, Elbow, Paul Weller and Sleeper across his industry


“Label services gives you


hands-on control over your campaign”


NICK RODEN Ingrooves


but, ultimately, the rights owner is the decision-maker.” Retained rights ownership is often cited as one of the big upsides of the label services arrangement, and with MPs currently investigating how record deals are structured it is an issue artists and managers increasingly consider. “I am a big believer that artists should own their rights, this is their pension,” says Marley Dennis, MD of Hoxton Vinyl & Essential Merch, who have helped the likes of Dave, AJ Tracey and Gerry Cinnamon release records.


Field work: Ingrooves is expanding Beabadoobee’s reach


career. “We can take on the role of labels and handle the day-to-days and run the campaign with promo teams, whilst the band can concentrate on what they do best: making music, touring and promoting themselves.” Ingrooves Music Group’s managing director, UK, Nick Roden agrees that label services can allow artists and their teams to really personalise the approach they take while releasing their albums and singles. “It gives you control,” he notes. “Not just control and ownership of your masters, but hands-on control over your campaign. Ingrooves can add the skills, knowledge, tools and resources needed to bring your project to the widest possible audience,


50 | Music Week


“I come from a family of music professionals. I grew up watching my father run an independent record label and publishing business, my brother ran a distribution business and I saw how important ownership is first hand. We have great relationships with the artists and the teams we work with, they see us as a strategic partner who is there to help them achieve


their goals, and grow their careers.”


That is a key message from the label services sector. The retention of rights is obviously an attractive factor in a deal, but truly creative relationships are based on more than just the mechanics of a particular contract, and label services teams across the board are keen to stress the facilities they offer are not ‘off the shelf’ quick fixes, but bespoke solutions.


“Your relationship with an artist or manager needs to be rock solid, transparent and dependable regardless of whether owned rights are involved or not,” suggests Ian Dutt, MD of The Orchard, UK. With a career that has included work with Oasis, Adele, Daft Punk, Skepta and Jorja Smith, he argues label services’ strength is they can actually be tailored to an individual artist.


“We can support a client in pretty much any way they want to be supported,” he explains. “We don’t take a cookie cutter approach. Everyone has different needs and strengths. But the core fundamentals that underpin our offering stem from technology, distribution, sales, marketing – both UK and international – product management and promo.”


musicweek.com


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