To release on a record label or not?

Branding & Distribution
#1

Music labels.
Are they worth going for?

These days, digital-only music distribution is something you can easily handle yourself. So, that’s no longer a reason to go for a label.

Labels, presumably, give the track the push, promotion and marketing that helps give a track/artist better reach, larger audiences and, ideally, better appreciation and rewards.

 
If getting your stuff released through a record label was a real possibility, but not a certainty, would you hold off on ‘releasing’ tracks (albeit to limited state, using Soundcloud.

 

A part of me considers ‘Auxy finished’ to mean ‘Demo’ (i.e. not proper ‘release-ready’) and plans to work on them more, throw in some proper engineering, mixing and mastering (c/o a friend in the biz) and then talk with label contacts (also c/o the same friend).

Another part of me thinks my stuff is ‘good enough’ and wants to get it out there, on Spotify, iTunes, etc…, to give them a better chance and see what happens.

 
So, that’s where my head is at, at the moment.

Would be good to hear your thoughts on this question. Not what should I do, but what’s your view on the question…

Music labels… Are they worth going for?

Why aren't you on Spotify, etc…?
#2

It all depends.

If the label would help you (get more play, fans, bookings, jobs) then release with them.
Say, you’re a small time SC artist, 200+ followers, 300+ plays on each track…
If you were able to release on a small label (3k followers, 5k plays), it would help you. It would push you to a level you previously weren’t on.

But, if you were to release on a tiny label (same or less followers/plays as yourself), releasing under them wouldn’t help you. They’d be doing what you could do yourself.

Does that make sense?

Ps. I am a small artist, and I own a tiny label, but the only reason my label is worth anything is because a release with me gives a professional cover art, and a professional mix and master, which a lot of people can’t do themselves.
But, if they can do those things by themselves, they don’t need my label.

#3

It does. It’s why I recently turned down such an offer.

Their reach was significantly bigger than mine, but still effectively a tiny label.
I’m not expecting magic, but I felt that, if I was going to get it on a label, I’d want a bit more boost than they could give.

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#4

Then that’s good.

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