Would a label actually help me much if I don't play live?
And if so, in which ways?
I make music in genres Electronica / downtempo / ambient
I don't play live (yet). I just want to reach a wider audience with my music.
So I was thinking of searching record labels that might fit to my genres and contacting them. So lets assume that one of them actually likes my music and wants to 'sign me'. (A man can dream right?)
So then what? And what can I actually ask from them?
The big thing to do first would be to get a bigger audience and followers. Otherwise, what good am I to the record label? They need to make money after all.
Of course, if they have a fanbase and a following because of their other releases, there is a big chance that some of these people would check me out as well. So that would be awesome. But after that initial 'hit', then what?
Most labels I see are just 'online' labels. So what do they actually do? Do they help you distribute?
Are there still labels out there who would 'invest' and start pressing CD's and vinyls, distribute them to physical shops? Get it to physical record stores? Etc.
Is any of these even remotely realistic these days for a small 'bedroom' artist like me with close to 0 following and no ambition to play live at the moment?
What is your idea about this?
Posted Sep 3, 2025, 6:24 PM UTC