Who Needs A Label?

With promotional budgets shrinking at most major
labels and competition intensifying for their limited new signings, more and more artists are wondering if signing at a large label is what's best for them (even if the opportunity does present itself.) Many bands are deciding that they would rather make their own records and keep all of the proceeds rather than fork over the majority of their earnings to a label. Those who do sign with a label are often finding that they are expected to do most of their own self promotion anyway, and are beginning to wonder if the cut they pay to the label is worth what they are getting in return.

Lenny Waronker, former head of Reprise and Warner Bros. and the man responsible for signing the Doobie Brothers, Rod Stewart, Neil Young, Nelly Furtado and many others, put it this way: "There’s... artists that have sold...records and they own it. They own the whole thing so they can make ten bucks a record and if they sell 60,000 records, you can add it up, it’s a lot of money, and it’s a great thing because it allows artists to make their mistakes and take their time and learn."

Ultimately, it is always better to make your record and get your music heard, than to procrastinate holding out for a deal. As Waronker continues, "People still buy records, people still are interested in records, and whether they’re buying them or stealing them they want music in their lives. So I think the key thing is what it’s always been and the one thing to stay with which is quality. If you have a great record, if you have great music, it’ll get heard, and somebody will grab it, figure out a way to pay for it hopefully, and that’s the goal more so than ever before because there was so much competition."

Why Master?

With cash at a premium many artists are looking for ways to cut costs as they make and record their music. You might be wondering if professional mastering is really worth the expense.

So what can you expect when you have your record professionally mastered? First, it is the job of the mastering engineer to take a broad, overall view of the album as a whole. This is why certain mixing elements (EQ, compression, etc) are best left in the hands of the mastering engineer. It is his job to make sure that each track sounds good not only as a stand alone piece but also in the context of the album as a whole.

Good mastering also provides balance in dynamics and frequency and improved consistency throughout the album. Also your mastering engineer should be able to enhance your record by drawing focus to specific elements of your music. Finally, professional mastering serves as a last stop to catch any mixing problems before your record is cut.

Tom Volpicelli in an interview in Audio Production/Engineering put it this way, "The Internet has opened the floodgates for artists; it has leveled the playing field in terms of promotion, marketing, distribution, and global audience access. When promoters, labels, and potential fans listen to a song on Sonicbids, or any other social networking site, they could be comparing music that has been produced in a small project studio against those done with a significantly larger budget. Even though the song may be great, without mastering it can sound muddy, weak, and lack the impact of a properly mastered song. It’s analogous to a job interview; no one goes to an interview in dirty clothes and a bad haircut. Mastering provides the “grooming” for your music to help ensure that it makes the best impression. Mastering is also a reflection of the professionalism and maturity of an artist. Non-mastered tracks tend to sound amateur against a well-mastered track."

So is this something that you can do at home? The problem with trying to master in a home studio is that without the proper set up you are risking a sub-par finished product. For example, if the home studio is bass deficient, you mixes may end up bass heavy. If your monitors are not full range then you will end up making bad EQ decisions. Also, much of the software that is produced for home mastering does more harm than good by generating unintended distortion and noise.

In the end, the best option, whenever possible, is to have your music professionally mastered. In an extremely competitive music marketplace it is worth the cost.

Taking a Cue from the Experts

Matthew Knowles, father of Beyonce and manager of Destiny's Child, on breaking into the music business: "You've got to have passion, think out of the box and have basic fundamental business knowledge. You must have the ability to go to talk to people intelligently. You have to come with your own plan. Be prepared to spend time on artist development and not depend on the record label to do it."


Knowles, who is now president and CEO of Music World/Sanctuary Urban Holding Group, Inc. continues, "Breaking into the music industry won't guarantee riches overnight either. On average it takes five years from the day you get a record deal to the day there is a financial reward. So you've got to be prepared for that."


Randy Jackson, American Idol judge and award winning producer puts it this way, "Everyone fancies himself a shower singer. People sing in their ears. Some sing in choirs, and it's 'Man, you can sing. Why don't you get a deal?' But how good are you compared to the competition? You have to be able to gauge that... work on that... practice."

He also stresses the importance of perseverance, "Look, the journey to get to anywhere near the top is really hard. In order to keep on that road, you have to have a pretty strong interior and exterior because some things are going to fall when you do that. If you focus on your career, other things in your life may fall apart."