Record Labels

I researched UK independent record labels to find out from an institutional point of view how they are funded, how they discover new artists and how these artists are then promoted. The role of a record label ultimately is to discover new, up-and-coming artists and bands. They then have a process which every record label will follow to get their artist and their music to the audience in as many ways and as effectively as possible.


Rough Trade

Rough Trade is a subsidiary record label stemming from a British record company called Beggars Group. They have 4 shops - 3 in London and one recently opened in New York. Rough Trade has been responsible at some point for many big names such as The Smiths, The Strokes, Arcade Fire and The Libertines. Rough Trade have live music events almost every day in different stores in order to promote their new artists - the price of admission is often very low or none at the cost of buying the artist's album or single.

Rough Trade is very keen to promote and encourage new music, even if not directly through their label - Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis described his inspiration for the label as a 'community-based environment', and it still shows, with a wall in the Rough Trade East store where people will leave notes asking for musicians to join different bands or projects.

XL Recordings

XL Recordings is also an offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records, and is one of the Beggars Group. It operates across an unusually large range of genres, and has worked with bands and artists such as Radiohead, Beck, Vampire Weekend, Dizzee Rascal, and Adele.



Pink Mist

Pink Mist describes itself as an independent music collective, as it is 'powered' by other record labels such as Big Scary Monsters, Holy Roar, Blood & Biscuits, and Tangled Talk. Pink Mist release records and manage bands, as well as doing things which identify them as a very music-passionate record label, such as hosting many live music events.




What is the process carried out by record labels?