DrumEatDrum
Platinum Member
The thought of forming my own label is looking more interesting to me at this point.
Go for it.
The down side is, anyone can can do it, and usually do. Forming a label is easy. Making it successful is another story.
The advantage of a traditional label, even a small one, is distribution and marketing.
I've "DYI"-ed it a few times. And while there has been some success in getting the music to a certain point, it becomes apparent that even a small labels wold be a big help in getting credibility.
DJs, radio people, the public at large, are hit with 100's of submissions every week of bands who think they have what it takes. No matter how good your material is, getting people to actually pay attention is a battle.
If you present yourself as "this really good band" that's nice, but it doesn't stand out.
If you can presented as "Name label's new recording artist" then it brings more credibility which has a better chance of inspiring a person to open the package and listen to the music.
One hard aspect of not being on a label is labels send out thousands of promo compilations of all their newer bands too all the key people in your market, along with flyers, posters and such. As a DIYer, that's your competition for a person's listening time, along with all the other bands who are doing the same thing you are.
Stores (the few that still exist) aren't going to show much interest in stocking your independent CD. But they will buy stock from repeatable labels through distribution networks.
It's possible, but difficult.
And if you want to do it without debt, I hope you either win the lotto, or come from a very rich family.