Record Labels

The term Record Labels refers to companies that manage and market recorded music. The music industry relies on record labels for the production and distribution of music.

A major distinction exists between major record labels and independent, or ‘indie’ record labels. Major record labels are usually a part of a major corporation and are responsible for releasing most of the mainstream music that we hear everyday. Independent record labels would argue that they have a greater focus on artistic integrity than the commercial aspect of the music business and aim to release music by bands and musicians that operate outside of the mainstream.

There is often a great deal of controversy surrounding the relationships between musicians and record labels and through the years there have been many well publicised fallings out and differences which have seen bands abandoning their record labels and vice versa. Censorship and pressure to commercialise an artists music is often of the primary causes of conflict between artists and record labels.
Many record labels are currently facing financial difficulty due to dwindling record sales which can largely be seen as a direct result of the proliferation of illegal downloads and online music piracy. Music piracy is becoming a problem for many record labels, who go to great lengths to protect their music from being shared illegally.

Many record labels are now making their music available for download, allowing people to pay for mp3s of new releases, However many purists do not favour this method of listening to music.

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