How To Start A Digital Record Label

I'm Johnny Massacre and I've written a guide to show you exactly how to start a digital record label.

Why am I writing this? To demystify a dark art and give inspiration to other music lovers who are fed up with having to pander to conventional record labels.

If you want a job done, do it yourself.

The good thing about starting a digital label, in comparison to one that sells CDs or vinyl, is that it presents a low financial risk, and can easily be done by one person.

The downside of the digital label is that it doesn't generate the hard cash of the golden age of physical formats, and its material is likely to be readily available for free on a Google search if it becomes even moderately successful.

Still, by the time your music gets pirated, you'll already be qualified to perform and that's where the money is.

Nowadays, it's no big secret that profit in music comes from performance, so this guide is aimed at producer-performers to help them get a platform for their music, get booked and get cash. In 2009, Madonna broke a record for the amount of money made by a music tour, and that's no coincidence.

A digital label is like a business card for the modern musician which shows promoters and labels they're serious and separates them from the rest.

Even though sales are typically small for independent digital labels, I've been told by the directors of Beatport that large ones such as Get Physical and Mau5trap have been known to clock over 100,000 downloads.

 Bearing in mind these are international hits, let's say a single costs £1.29 to buy, and you receive 50p of that, this equates to £50,000.

1. Pick a name

Image is incredibly important in the music industry. If you're a handsome devil, or a stunning babe, people will automatically like you, regardless of how you sound. There are DJs whose careers are completely down to their looks: Heavygrinder and DJ Kaori, for example. Unfortunately, most people aren't blessed with beauty. Luckily, anyone can look good with the right lighting and some Adobe Photoshop editing.



Start paying attention to DJ pictures now. Notice how the majority of them are semi-side profiles with heavy shadows. There's a reason for that - if these people took a true head shot, they'd look unattractive. Luckily for them, most consumers don't see past the fantasy persona. If you are self conscious and sensitive about your appearance, you can copy acts like Deadmau5 and Daft Punk, and literally cover up, or just use any old copyright-free picture for a virtual persona. At the end of the day, your music should be the most important thing ... but that's not to say a good image won't enhance your career.

 Technically, you need to have a digital image in order to create a digital record label. Without one, you physically cannot register your application. When you start a website and/or a MySpace, images are also crucial. And on a marketing level - if you decide to hire a PR company, for example, they will request images and you'll look unprofessional if you don't have any. In 2010, good cameras are relatively cheap. It really isn't hard to find a budding photographer to take photos of you for free.

 For my record label, I chose images that tie into my sound - off-the-wall, unique, intoxicated. They are taken with a cheap Sony digital camera. Although I do possess professional pictures, I actually prefer the look and feel of cheaper shots ... they are more "real":

2. Secure artist photos

Image is incredibly important in the music industry. If you're a handsome devil, or a stunning babe, people will automatically like you, regardless of how you sound. There are DJs whose careers are completely down to their looks: Heavygrinder and DJ Kaori, for example. Unfortunately, most people aren't blessed with beauty. Luckily, anyone can look good with the right lighting and some Adobe Photoshop editing.



Start paying attention to DJ pictures now. Notice how the majority of them are semi-side profiles with heavy shadows. There's a reason for that - if these people took a true head shot, they'd look unattractive. Luckily for them, most consumers don't see past the fantasy persona. If you are self conscious and sensitive about your appearance, you can copy acts like Deadmau5 and Daft Punk, and literally cover up, or just use any old copyright-free picture for a virtual persona. At the end of the day, your music should be the most important thing ... but that's not to say a good image won't enhance your career.

Technically, you need to have a digital image in order to create a digital record label. Without one, you physically cannot register your application. When you start a website and/or a MySpace, images are also crucial. And on a marketing level - if you decide to hire a PR company, for example, they will request images and you'll look unprofessional if you don't have any. In 2010, good cameras are relatively cheap. It really isn't hard to find a budding photographer to take photos of you for free.

For my record label, I chose images that tie into my sound - off-the-wall, unique, intoxicated. They are taken with a cheap Sony digital camera. Although I do possess professional pictures, I actually prefer the look and feel of cheaper shots ... they are more "real":

3. Make good music

We're assuming you already have produced some music if you've made it this far. Don't be put off if other DJs on the scene don't like your music. Most people, whether consumers or professionals, follow convention and trends, and are scared to stick their necks out into the unknown lest they be chopped off. Just listen to the sounds of various genres and you'll discover that even big artists copy current styles, which means they might not get yours straight away. If you genuinely believe in your music, and think you have something to offer, continue to the next step.