#247 - 5 Reasons To Stay Independent As A Musician
Full creative control
Taylor Swift is perhaps the most high profile name to have raised awareness of the control labels have over their artist’s creativity. Remaining independent allows you to get the final word on how your music sounds when it’s finally released to the public. Equally, if your sound fluctuates over your career (which is very natural), you have the freedom to experiment and try new things.
No deadlines
Obviously some of us like the push of having a deadline, but the process of creating music doesn’t always naturally fit to pre-planned time frames. As an artist, it’s normal to go through creative ruts and, equally, inspiration tends to strike when you least expect it. Being independent, you can release music when you’re ready to do so, and when you’re fully happy with the final version of the project.
All money goes to you
If you remain independent, you’re entitled to full royalties and revenue from albums, as well as gig, festival, event and touring earnings. Labels can profit up to 5x as much as artists themselves. This is why staying independent is a financially wise move over the long term.
Copyright
Another way labels leave artists out of pocket, is through claiming copyright of their work. And this imbalance is even more skewed for smaller artists, where labels take a far bigger cut of an artist’s total earnings. Owning your copyright also allows you to be in control of how your music is distributed, giving you freedom to decide whether you want to opt out of streaming platforms whose practices you disagree with, for example.
Stability
As quickly as big labels sign artists, they also drop them. But before an artist is dropped, they’ll be held in a contract, unable to release any music until the term runs out. Artists who are signed but not promoted, risk getting little support from their label, and also miss out on any potential work that could be gained through self-organisation. In short, getting signed comes with serious financial risks.
