Record label

A company that finances, produces, markets, or distributes music recordings. Labels range from major global corporations to independent businesses and artist-owned ventures.

Artist and repertoire: The label function that finds artists and selects songs or projects for development and release. A&R is where many label decisions about signing artists and choosing material begin.
Independent record label: A record label operating outside the major-label corporate groups. Independent labels offer a distinct business model, often with smaller scale and greater autonomy.
Phonograph: A device that records and reproduces sound using a vibrating stylus and a physical medium. The phonograph created the technology and market that early record companies built upon.
Master recording: The original recorded performance from which copies and versions are made. Control of master recordings determines who can license and monetize a label’s releases.
Motown sound: A polished style of soul music developed by Motown’s writers, producers, musicians, and artists. It shows how a label’s production system could create a recognizable musical identity.
Recording contract: A legal agreement governing an artist’s recordings, rights, payments, and obligations to a label. Contracts define what the label funds and what rights or income it receives.
Major record label: A record label belonging to one of the largest global music corporations. Major labels contrast with smaller companies through their resources, reach, and corporate structure.
Columbia Records: An American record label founded in the late nineteenth century and now part of Sony Music Entertainment. Its history illustrates the rise of record labels alongside commercial sound recording.
360 deal: A recording agreement in which a label participates in several income streams from an artist’s career. These deals show how some labels expanded beyond revenue from recordings alone.
Blue Note Records: An American jazz record label founded in 1939 and known for its influential catalogue and visual identity. Blue Note demonstrates how a label can build a focused repertoire and lasting artistic reputation.

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