Ever the inception of the music industry, record labels have been an essential component for making sure that the artists on their books reach the right audience - and have the resources they need to keep making music. Over the last decade, things have profoundly changed. The advent of streaming-service publishing services like Distrokid, TuneCore and Ditto Music now allow artists to self-release their works directly to the world’s primary listening outlets, like Spotify, Apple Music and TIDAL with ease – and the ability to keep all their royalties.
A fundamental shake-up in terms of distribution, then. But, what about that other vital service that labels provide; promotion? Today, it’s easy to create content and - in theory - grow a sizeable audience yourself. Though that's not without significant difficulties, it is, essentially, possible.
