research into record labels

The purpose of a record label is to sign artists to their company and then promote that artist so they can do as well as possible in the music industry. The more successful the artist becomes, the more music they sell, and therefore the more profit the record label makes. The label also has to pay for any production the artist makes, either from recording a song or producing a music video. They also have to distribute these records directly or via a distributor. In general, the company is responsible for advertizing  promoting and marketing of the artist and their music. 

There are a number of major record labels that originate in the UK; however the three I am going to look at are EMI Records, Sony Music and Warner Music.

EMI was a British record label, founded in 1972 by Sir Joseph Lockwood and comes from the parent label, Universal Music Group. The label has numerous subsidiaries, including The Gramophone, Columbia Graphophone, Parlophone and Virgin EMI records. Virgin EMI records operates two distinct A & R (artists and repertories, which is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists/singer-songwriters) and marketing streams - Virgin and EMI records. Virgin EMI's signed artists include Arcade Fire, Chase and Status, deadmau5, Cage the Elephant, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and The Libertines. Another subsidiary company of EMI records is Parlophone and the artist I am basing my own music video on, Gabrielle Aplin, is signed to them. EMI records also has links to the media as the company are also involved in making broadcasting equipment, notably proving BBC's second television transmitter. 

Another major UK label I looked at was Island records which comes from the globally influential company "Universal Music Group". It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall and Leslie Kong in Jamaica. It is UMG's most distinguished record labels as it has received huge success over the years. The label caters for a whole range of genre of artists, including Fall Out Boy, Florence + the Machine, Mumford and Sons, Hozier, Avicii, American Authors, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Ariana Grande. The label has owned over 45 subsidiary music labels including Mercury records, who has signed over artists such as Iggy Azalea, Duffy and American Authors. The company also has links to the media as within the subsidiary companies, they produce TV shows; for instance, Manga Entertainment distributes Japanese animation in the United States and United Kingdom.

The last major record label I looked at was Sony Entertainment; however Columbia Records is a UK label which was founded in 1887. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in recorded sound and is the second major record company to produce recorded records. There are numerous famous artists signed to this music label including Passion Pit, Beyoncé, Adele, One Direction, Earl Sweatshirt, Bring Me The Horizon and Calvin Harris. A subsidiary company of Columbia records is Kemosabe Records who only have 10 artists signed to them but are quite successful: e.g. Kesha, Juicy J and Elliphant. There are also links within other parts of the media, as Columbia is joint with Sony Entertainment which is a digital media service that provides access to the PlayStation network for games, Video Unlimited for movies/TV shows, Music Unlimited for music and PlayMemories for sharing videos. 

There are also independent record labels used in the music industry, such as Domino Recording Company (more commonly known as simply Domino) that was founded by Laurence Bell and Jacqi Rice in 1993. The company were not originally particularly successful as they were releasing more established American rock and unusual British music during the Britpop era; therefore the company was marginalized. Recent high profiles include Anna Calvi, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip, Arctic Monkeys and The Kills and these bands have acted as a gateway to even further success for the company. Domino now cater for other genres of music including electronic and post-punk. 

Another independent record label is "Ninja Tune" which was founded in 1990 by both Matt Black and Jonathan More. It is said to be one of the most credible labels in the UK and was created in order to escape the control of major labels and act as a means to release music of a more underground nature. The label has artists signed to it such as The Cinematic Orchestra, Bonobo and Kid Koala. Ninja Tune have explored various genres of artists to add to the label, including hip hop, drum n bass, electronic and jazz.







Personally, I do not think that 4 companies should dominate the music industry. Firstly, if this occurred then companies would not branch out to "niche" artists, but instead they would all go for the more mainstream artists and therefore radio stations who play records will play the same old bland music. Diversity in music would not be available as companies would not explore the talent in other genres of music. The booming business generated from larger companies would outshine smaller, independent labels and therefore even if there is genuine talent in an independent company, the major label would still receive more success as they focus more on the "show business" side of the industry than the quality of the music. Having a whole spectrum of companies in the music industry is so much more beneficial to the public as it caters for so many difference types of audience and therefore keeps everyone satisfied. In comparison to an independent label, the artists signed to a major music company are more likely to go further as the latter provide everything for the artist; everything is a lot more mediated , whereas independent artists tend to be a lot more natural. In addition, major label companies use their large budget to provide more resources for the artist, such as higher quality recordings, professional auto-tune, major CD distribution, producing music videos, professional photography, merchandise, tours and professional advertizing/marketing. However, due to the strict professional approach the major labels take, if an artist is not producing enough success for the label, they are more likely to quickly lose interest in the artist; therefore, having 4 companies dominating the music industry would be highly disadvantageous as artists may quickly come in and out of popularity which is not always suitable for the audience. On the other hand, independent labels sign over artists who are a lot more personal with their fans as their audience consists of a much smaller number. There are numerous independent labels who have slowly but surely gained their way to popularity and success; for example, the pioneer of the drum n bass genre, Andy C, owns an independent label called RAM records, which now has artists signed to it such as Chase and Status, Sub Focus and René LaVice.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to being signed to either a major record label or independent label. For an artist that wants to become more established quickly and is not worried about their music being altered by what suits the record label, then it is financially more advantageous to be signed to a major label as they will spend more money promoting your record. Furthermore, it means that more time and higher quality of resources, e.g. filming equipment and film sets, can be used to produce a more successful music video. Working with a major record label is also beneficial for newcomers to the music industry as this is where they can make connections with well-known celebrities who are also signed to the record label. In addition, major record labels also work with big companies, e.g. magazines, which will further assist in promoting an artist to the maximum amount. Despite the music being directed and controlled by the label, being signed to a major label enables a musician to first gain the fame they need to then go off and be independent if they would like to, or even switch to a different label which bests suits their needs. However, there are disadvantages to being signed to a major label. Firstly, major record labels are often seen as a "big pond filled with small fish", meaning that they sign a lot of musicians to their company and throw out a lot of music, in order to see what will best sell. This is due to the fact that major record labels are less about meeting new people, creating new partnerships and making authentic music, but instead purely about making profits from products, which not only decreases the value of music but also means a lot of artists are not treated too kindly within the industry. 

On the other hand, being signed to an independent record label can be hugely advantageous as it means you are working with people who appreciate the genuine good music you are making, not the good money you are bringing in. Furthermore, this helps to create real bonds of friendship and therefore means the artist will have a better time working the label; almost as if they are working with their own friends; subsequently making the whole process of making music more exciting and fun. Another advantage to being signed to an independent label is that the artist is able to make music they want to make, as opposed to what they are told to make. Independent labels do not have the same pressure major record labels face with having to rise to public expectation of the music being similar to what you hear in the charts. In contrast to major record labels, independent labels do not adhere to strict and formal contracts of business; independent labels do not put a lot of creative control or restriction over their artists. However, there are still some disadvantages. The biggest of them all is that independent labels simply do not bring in anywhere as much money as major labels do. Independent labels do not have the luxury as major labels to provide a lot of financial support for the artists' this can deteriorate the quality of an artist's music video which has a consequential impact on the audience's regard for the artist's music. In addition, a major record label has to uphold a certain reputation as they are a usually a successful business and therefore need to be as organised as possible. Whereas, independent labels have the disadvantage of not being as professional and therefore lack things such as keeping finance and accountancy of the company in order, etc. 

YouTubers are an example who have potential to become famous, however they rely so heavily upon their fan-base that it is not always certain that they can make it big. A YouTuber may be good at singing, however if they do not have many views or subscribers, then they will be less likely to be recognized. However, artists who are signed with major record labels have a distinct advantage over independent labels as they are always featured on the front page of magazines as the label has the finance and resources to promote the artist so heavily. For instance, Sony BMG have major resources and influence in the music industry to make artists who start from nothing, global stars. This is quite unfair for independent labels as they may sign artists with arguably better potential, but will not be able to promote them anywhere near as much. If you compare the sales major record labels make in comparison to independent labels, they largely excel. For example, Parlophone had The Beatles signed to them for some time, and they are the number 1 artist in terms of amount of sales made (600 million). However, there are circumstances were artists signed to independent labels have made their claim to fame. For instance, Arctic Monkeys are a worldwide known alternative rock band who are signed to the independent label, Domino, yet produced a debut album that was the fastest selling debut album in British chart history.