What is a label? Tasks and functions of traditional record labels

A music label (record company) is a company that signs artists and offers comprehensive services relating to the production, marketing and distribution of music.

Core tasks of a label:

• Talent discovery and development: searching for promising artists and building their careers over the long term
• Financing: Advances for production, music videos, tours and living expenses
• Production: providing studios, producers and technical resources
• Marketing and promotion: press relations, radio promotion, playlist pitching, social media campaigns
• Distribution: making the music available on physical and digital platforms (often via partners)
• Legal support: contract negotiations, licensing, copyright management
• Booking and tour management: organization of concerts and tours (or cooperation with agencies)

In a traditional label contract, the label usually assumes a large part of the financial risk, but also retains a significant share of the revenue (often 70-85%) and often receives the rights to the recordings (masters).

What does a music distributor do? The role of the modern music distributor

A music distributor focuses primarily on distributing your music to digital and physical outlets without taking on the comprehensive services of a label.

Core tasks of a music distributor:

• Digital distribution: making your music available on streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) and download stores
• Physical distribution: For some providers, also distribution of CDs, vinyl and other physical formats
• License processing: Clarification of the necessary licenses for various territories
• Billing management: Recording and payment of all revenues
• Metadata management: Correct recording and management of all relevant information about your releases
• Basic promotion: For some distributors, basic marketing measures such as playlist pitching

Modern music distributors such as FEIYR usually work without long-term contracts and offer various remuneration models:

• Revenue share (typically 10-20%)
• Fixed fee per release or annual flat rate
• No takeover of the rights to your music

How can I publish my music with FEIYR?

Releasing your music on FEIYR is straightforward and ideal for independent artists. You don't need an official label - the only thing that matters is that you have the copyrights to your songs.

This means that if you have written and produced your music yourself or own all the rights to it, you can offer and sell it directly via FEIYR - without a record company in the background.

You simply create an account, enter the relevant metadata for your release, upload your tracks and decide which platforms your music should appear on (e.g. Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, TikTok, Deezer and many more).

Even if you don't need an official label, you have to specify a label name when publishing your music with FEIYR. This must not yet be used by an existing label and must not infringe any protected trademark rights. Fantasy names are allowed - but names such as "Coca-Cola Records" would be legally problematic.

Tip: Check in advance whether your desired label name is already taken or protected by trademark law, e.g. by doing a quick search in public databases or a Google search.

Decision-making aid: When does a music label make sense, when does music distribution?

To make your decision easier, we have compiled the most important factors that show you when a traditional music label can make sense - and when an independent music distributor like FEIYR is the better choice.
 

A label could be the right choice if you:

• Need financial support for production, videos and marketing
• Are willing to give up a significant portion of your revenue and rights
• Want to benefit from an established network and industry contacts
• Have little time for marketing, promotion and administration
• Are aiming for an international breakthrough and need significant resources for this

A music distributor like FEIYR is ideal if you:

• Want to maintain your creative and commercial independence
• Want to keep a higher share of your income
• Do not want to give up the rights to your music
• Want to pursue flexible release strategies (e.g. frequent singles instead of albums)
• Are already building your fanbase yourself (e.g. via social media)
• Want to retain full control over your data and career decisions

Whether you choose to work with an established label or go the independent distribution route, knowing your options and making the decision consciously will allow you to strategically plan your music career, secure long-term revenue and successfully bring your music to a wide audience.