music contract

music contract

Graded Unit Planning Stage

Candidates Interpretation of the Brief
For my Graded Unit this year I have decided to start my own record label. I decided to choose this as my Graded Unit because I feel there are a lot of unsigned artists in Glasgow and the surrounding areas with a lot of potential and a large following that need more exposure. I will be signing artists and bands that play rock and heavier music, and will be helping them to the best of my abilities.
Information Gathered in Response to the Brief
I researched different independent labels in the UK in order to get ideas for my own, and understand how they run a bit better. The first label I looked at was Beggars Banquet. This started off as a chain of record shops, but in 1977 turned into a record label, spurred on by the popular DIY ethic of the punk era. Nowadays, the Beggars Group is the name given to indie record labels such as Rough Trade Records, XL Recordings, 4AD and Matador Records. They are all hugely influential record labels in Europe. By studying Beggars Banquet it showed me that you don’t have to have previous experience with working with a major label to create your own, you can just have the DIY mindset, which is what I have. Another label I looked at was Transatlantic Records. It was founded by Nat Joseph in 1961, when he was just 21years old, after he visited America and realised Britain needed more music made available. Transatlantic Records imported music from America but after a few years started recording British artists as well. I find this record label inspiring as the founder started up the label in order to release more artists and boost music that had otherwise been unheard of, which is what I wish to do, although my music will primarily be from Scotland and not as far as America.
Metal Blade records is possibly the best label for me to research as the genre of my label is similar to theirs. Metal Blade Records was started by Brain Slagel who worked at a music store...

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